Butcher #5: Are we just being f**ked with?

[Kamakazi]

It's a sad commentary that I really don't know if Ennis is being clever or lazy. Back in the days when Ennis could be counted on to deliver more than one good issue per year, I'd have definitely said that Mallory set Butcher up. The whole "magically appearing diary", the fact that Mallory refused to let Butcher have medical attention, the weird scene where Butcher murders a house full of people in cold blood just because Mallory tells him to... all of these things would lead me to believe (if I had any faith at all in Ennis anymore) that everything that's happened since Day One has been part of a bigger game that Mallory is playing.

So: Brilliant or Stupid?
- Becky has to ask someone to identify the Homelander. Okay, I put up with Hughie not recognizing Starlight for three fucking years, but it's just insane to think that Becky wouldn't know who the Homelander is. That's like claiming not to recognize Superman. If you showed up at a party dressed as Superman, and somebody said "Oh, who are you supposed to be?" you'd think they were an idiot. Especially if you looked exactly like Christopher Reeves, and were, in fact, wearing his outfit from the movie. There's nobody that doesn't recognize Superman. And yet Becky has to do research at her local comic book shop to find out who the Homelander is.
Why it could be brilliant: If it's a hint that the whole situation is a lie, and she was never raped by the Homelander.
Why it could be stupid: I don't believe for a moment that Ennis is taking it that direction.

- Mallory refuses to give Butcher medical treatment. Because the British Secret Service often take orders from random American assholes with no official government affiliations.
Why it could be brilliant: If Mallory is part of a much bigger conspiracy, and has been playing everyone all along, then it makes sense that he'd be playing "Stockholm Syndrome" games like this with Butcher.
Why it could be stupid: I cannot conceive of a situation under which the bullshit we had to endure during Mallory's war story arc could possibly be justified by any "master plan".

-Butcher murders a bunch of people for no reason.
Why it could be brilliant: Under the "Mallory's an Evil Genius" theory, Mallory picks Butcher precisely because he knows Butcher is a soulless twat. Everything that Mallory has done since then could be nothing but a ruse to make Butcher attack Homelander, with no threat to Mallory.
Why it could be stupid: It reads as just another "Supes are evil because they smoke pot and have sex" storyline. Speaking of which, has anyone noticed how incredibly prudish and puritanical Ennis is, despite his fixation with naughty words? In the Ennis-Verse, having a bong automatically means you deserve to be shot in the face.

[MisterS]

- Mallory refuses to give Butcher medical treatment. Because the British Secret Service often take orders from random American assholes with no official government affiliations.
Why it could be brilliant: If Mallory is part of a much bigger conspiracy, and has been playing everyone all along, then it makes sense that he'd be playing "Stockholm Syndrome" games like this with Butcher.
Why it could be stupid: I cannot conceive of a situation under which the bullshit we had to endure during Mallory's war story arc could possibly be justified by any "master plan".

Check my thread about Mallory. I believe there is a bigger conspiracy that is currently trying to pit the The Boys, The supes, and Vought American against each other. Personally, what I've seen so far, Mallory might be an unwitting pawn in a larger game.

[superhamster]

Whatever happens, I hope there's some killin'. Lots of it. Like at the end of Preacher, where just about everbody gets kilted.

[saidestroyer]

Whatever happens, I hope there's some killin'. Lots of it. Like at the end of Preacher, where just about everbody gets kilted.

Terrible idea. I feel uncomfortable around kilts :/

[Simon Rogerson]

- Mallory refuses to give Butcher medical treatment. Because the British Secret Service often take orders from random American assholes with no official government affiliations.
Why it could be brilliant: If Mallory is part of a much bigger conspiracy, and has been playing everyone all along, then it makes sense that he'd be playing "Stockholm Syndrome" games like this with Butcher.
Why it could be stupid: I cannot conceive of a situation under which the bullshit we had to endure during Mallory's war story arc could possibly be justified by any "master plan".
.

To clarify: Mallory did not refuse Butcher medical treatment; in fact, he arranged for it. When Butcher says "Why didn't they stitch me up?" he is not referring to medical treatment, but the threat of a frame-up. In the UK, to 'stitch-up' someone means to frame them. It was a bit ambiguous in this context, something an editor should have spotted.

I enjoyed this issue. If Butcher didn't know his wife was keeping a diary, it's conceivable that he wouldn't have come across it. Given that Becky was concerned Butcher would go after Homelander, it seems logical that she would have concealed her diary carefully.

Nor was I particularly surprised that they failed to recognise the Homelander and the Seven. Becky and Billy's lives were rooted in the grimy reality of post-Falklands Thatcherite England; the world's 'leading' supes would be a distant irrelevance to them, much as WWF stars are unimportant to young people in England today.

For me, the revealing aspect of this issue was seeing Mallory's amoral nature, something Hughie (in a rare lucid moment) has already remarked on. He primes Butcher with the diary, baits him with the empty promise of a pop at the Homelander, and siks him on the house of crap supes. With nothing left but the vacuum of his rage, Butcher is happy to oblige.

Butcher only turned against Mallory when he realised that the promise to hand over the Homelander was an empty one, seemingly a lie to motivate Butcher into acting as Mallory's ruthless yet disciplined enforcer. Seeing that promise made, either Mallory is simply an amoral manipulator... or maybe he did have some sort of plan to take down the Homelander.

The question remains. Did Butcher kill him at the end of 'Barbary Coast'... or does Mallory still have a role to play in The Boys? My money is on him being dead, probably. In which case this episode serves only to underline his amoral nature.

But hey - we can all point out logical inconsistencies. Vought have found a way to make a space station structure float in the inner atmosphere above New York. How the hell do they do that? Forget supes in the military - sell the floating space station tech and you'll be able to buy the world.

[Sir Gibby]

I can buy that Becky didn't recognize Homelander. Maybe the Seven--back in the 80s--aren't popular overseas.
I can buy that Butcher didn't see the diary before, and all that Becky put in there, her written voice and all that. But he's going to recognize her handwriting. I don't think it was planted.

Wouldn't have minded knowing what the hell was going on in that house and why those 8 whatevers (mutants?) needed to die. Maybe there'll be a point to it other than "Butcher knows how to clear a house."

[Kamakazi]

To clarify: Mallory did not refuse Butcher medical treatment; in fact, he arranged for it. When Butcher says "Why didn't they stitch me up?" he is not referring to medical treatment, but the threat of a frame-up. In the UK, to 'stitch-up' someone means to frame them. It was a bit ambiguous in this context, something an editor should have spotted.

Who was it that said "America and England are two Nations divided by a common language"? Heh. Thanks for explaining- A lot of the slang Butcher uses evades me.

[Kamakazi]

we can all point out logical inconsistencies. Vought have found a way to make a space station structure float in the inner atmosphere above New York. How the hell do they do that? Forget supes in the military - sell the floating space station tech and you'll be able to buy the world.

Heh. Excellent point.

Not actually a logical inconsistency, but my favorite screw-up comes from the very first issue, on the very first page, where Butcher sees the Seven flying overhead. First of all, there should have only been six of them at that point. Second of all, each of them is flying individually, even though Black Noir can't fly. :)

[Simon Rogerson]

Good spot :) . Maybe there'll be a 'plot holes and inconsistencies' miniseries, or perhaps just a 'fuck-ups' one-shot. Give the people what they want, Ennis!

[MisterS]

Not actually a logical inconsistency, but my favorite screw-up comes from the very first issue, on the very first page, where Butcher sees the Seven flying overhead. First of all, there should have only been six of them at that point. Second of all, each of them is flying individually, even though Black Noir can't fly. :)

Are you sure that's the Seven, and not some random supergroup?

[Kamakazi]

Are you sure that's the Seven, and not some random supergroup?

Well, one of them is leaving a red, white, and blue contrail, and Butcher looks up and says "I'm gonna f**kin' have you. You c**t."

[LoatheMe]

It reads as just another "Supes are evil because they smoke pot and have sex" storyline. Speaking of which, has anyone noticed how incredibly prudish and puritanical Ennis is, despite his fixation with naughty words? In the Ennis-Verse, having a bong automatically means you deserve to be shot in the face.

jesus are you serious with this? yeah it's not because of all the rape and murder. it's all because they smoked some weed. it's no wonder you're not enjoying the series (yet stereotypically still read every single issue apparently) if your interpretation of events is that skewed.

[Kamakazi]

jesus are you serious with this? yeah it's not because of all the rape and murder. it's all because they smoked some weed. it's no wonder you're not enjoying the series (yet stereotypically still read every single issue apparently) if your interpretation of events is that skewed.

Perhaps I missed the "rape and murder" that you assure me justifies Butcher's murder of the unnamed people in Issue 5. I'm sure if you'll supply the page on which it happened, it will refresh my memory.

[superhamster]

Hey LoatheMe and Kamakazi, you guys just hug it out, okay? Then we can all side down, grab a tiny beer bottle and wait for the carnage that, hopefully, will imminently ensue. :p

[superhamster]

I meant "sit down". Maybe I shouldn't have had that fourth Red Bull.

[Kamakazi]

I meant "sit down". Maybe I shouldn't have had that fourth Red Bull.

I like "side down" better. :)

[statsman]

I thought it was pretty good. My father was a career NCO, spent time as a drill instructor, and was a combat marksman (i.e. sniper) in Vietnam. I remember him saying that the key trait for a good soldier is the ability to do what they're told (this was in a context explaining why movies like "The Dirty Dozen" was a bunch of bs, because brighouse rats were the worst soldiers). He clarified that a soldier was responsible for discerning "illegal orders" (read- war crimes; he always said if Calley had a strong NCO, My Lai would never have happened), and not obeying them, but in unconventional wars the ROE get murky.

So, Mallory gave Butcher a two-faceted test. Could he handle a building of supes, and ..would he? He passed on both counts. Mallory has found his soldier.

Now I'm wondering if Mallory really ever got out, or if it were part of his plan to step outside for a while. Was the whole "Barbary Coast" thing a test of Hughie (what is the meaning for that title? Pirates? Marines?), to see if he was loyal?

It's curious. Didn't it seem that when Lamplighter killed Mallory's grandkids, Mallory was ready to charge the Seven, even if it got them all killed? Butcher was the sane one then, despite his earlier willingness to die trying to kill Homelander. I suspect Butcher had also been testing Mallory, and found him lacking. From what we have seen of Butcher, he's not a coward, and he intends to take on Homelander, and he doesn't intend for it to be a fair fight. He is waiting until he has a plan to absolutely kill the SOB, and he will wait until he's ready.

So, are we a year away from the end now?

[MisterS]

Was the whole "Barbary Coast" thing a test of Hughie (what is the meaning for that title? Pirates? Marines?), to see if he was loyal?

It was in reference to where Hughie and Mallory were meeting, a location near San Francisco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_Coast,_San_Francisco

As far as testing, Mallory stated he was 'none the wiser' on why Butcher recruited Hughie.

As far as Mallory's character in general, I'm still wondering what happened when he was a POW during the Bulge (read my thoughts on an earlier post)