Over eight episodes, "The Boys" offers plenty of surprises. Some come through unexpected and exaggerated bloodshed - which, considering the regular rollout of graphic violence, it's a credit to the writing and editing teams that so many of these moments are still shocking - while others are rooted in well-orchestrated plot twists. Season 2 gives casual fans plenty of entertainment value, even if the episodes run long, as well as plenty to chew on during the downtime; if you thought Season 1 did a good job twisting Homelander's pristine red, white, and blue image into a knotty mess better fit for our current administration, just wait til you see what he comes to represent this year. Rarely has "the American way" been stripped so thoroughly of its historic infallibility, and rarely have those who demand unquestioning loyalty to the flag been so justly put in their place.

Yet an expanded critique doesn't keep "The Boys" from stumbling into past mistakes. One of the nagging issues with Season 1 was that both its main characters were given purpose by the untimely deaths of their wives. Hughie and Butcher both lost their partners, and it pushed them to join and form this titular team. While last year's finale made the effort to reverse half of that issue - revealing Becca (Shantel VanSanten) is alive, as is the son she had after Homelander raped her - Season 2 somehow sees more of the same problem. "Fridging" is a term that first gained infamy in comic book circles, and its growing notoriety led Kripke to say he wanted to specifically avoid killing off supporting female characters in order to motivate men. To say who, when, or how many times he breaks that intention would be spoiling things, but it's prominent enough to put a cloud over a few razor-sharp feminist speeches.

"The Boys" is still an imperfect beast, but it gets so many parts right - I haven't even talked about the skilled stunt work or expertly staged action scenes - that you're likely to get caught up in its gorging satire. Performances, moments, and specific lines will sneak up and level you. And most of the time, it's when you're in need of a good leveling.