[Hughie sees Annie holding her old Starlight uniform]
You sure you wanna do this?
[Annie thinks for a moment, then shoves the uniform into a trash chute]
AAnnie
I don't need it. [shakes her head] I don't. The suit never gave me any power. And Vought sure as shit didn't. [Hughie gives Annie her old boots to throw away] It's always just been me.
MSMother's Milk
[pause; clears his throat] Uh, Annie?
MSMother's Milk
You know, we're in a historic building. You need to double-knot...
MSMother's Milk
… and bag your trash if you're gonna be working here.
AAnnie
Butcher isn't gonna like it.
Butcher can suck my shit. From now on, this is a democracy, huh? I say you're one of The Boys.
[Kimiko and Hughie raise their hands in approval. Butcher suddenly appears and interrupts by sipping from a Vought cup. Hughie watches TV and notices something on the news while everyone stares coldly at Butcher.]
FRFemale Reporter
[on TV] After the tragic drowning of presumptive VP candidate Lamar Bishop, we go live to the Singer campaign in Sioux Falls, where Dakota Bob just announced his new running mate.
[The news cuts to Victoria Neuman walking behind Singer]
MRMale Reporter
[on TV] What would you like to say to the American people?
[on TV] As the next Vice President, I will work hard to provide a safe and secure future for all citizens on both sides of the political divide.
[on TV] And that's why I am so proud to have her on my team.
[All of the Boys, except for Butcher, watch the cheering crowd in shock]
Well… That bitch has definitely gotta go.
[Butcher has just informed the Boys he has six months to live]
Jesus. You're just telling us now? Have you seen any specialists? Have you…
[Kimiko walks into the Boys' office]
MSMother's Milk
How long you got?
It's none of your fuckin' business. I'm not sure why I'm tellin' you at all.
[signing to Frenchie] What's going on?
[Frenchie makes a throat-slitting gesture]
Let's just say I got an angel on my shoulder. And she's a right bloody nag.
AAnnie
Butcher, I tried to warn you that that shit was poison!
MSMother's Milk
Alright! [to Butcher] A word.
[M.M. opens the door and leads Butcher out of the Boys' office into a hallway]
MSMother's Milk
You're done.
MSMother's Milk
Fired. Grab your shit and get the fuck out.
I level with you lot and this is the thanks I get. Fuck me. See what bein' honest gets ya?
MSMother's Milk
Honest? Motherfucker, you've been lying to us for the last six months!
Not tellin' ain't lyin'. Look, you need all the help you can get, mate.
MSMother's Milk
Not from you. You're a liability, Butcher.
I ain't gonna let this stand, then. The Boys is mine.
MSMother's Milk
Says a dying man with one last bluff. Now grab your shit and get the fuck out. Or I'll throw you out.
[M.M. hears the floor creaking, turns his head and sees Hughie standing by the door]
MSMother's Milk
I don't wanna hear it. He's out. You can join him if you don't like it.
[Firecracker walks into her bedroom and sees Annie holding up her "Jesus, Guns, Babies" board]
AAnnie
This is fucking insane. You can’t actually mean this.
I’m sorry, who let you in?
AAnnie
Bedroom window. This used to be my place. [sighs] Yeah, I gotta say, I really hate what you’ve done with it.
You know, when I said, “Debate me,” this wasn’t what I had in mind.
AAnnie
Why me? What have I done to make you hate me so much?
…You really don’t remember me, do you? Of course. I mean, why would you? We were only on the same pageant circuit together for three fuckin’ years. Course I was going by “Sparkler” back in those days.
AAnnie
Sparkler. Yeah, right. You sang that “God Bless America” medley.
[scoffs] I practiced that routine so fuckin’ hard. Never mind we were too poor to have a backyard to practice in, but… I’d dream that one day, I’d get good enough to win. [pause] Miami-Dade. Down to you and me, the finals. And my mom starts doing my makeup, and I notice that everyone is… snickering at me. You remember why? Turns out you told everyone that I had an ass-fuck gangbang with the judges, which was the only way trash like me could ever make it to the final. I was thirteen years old. And when I went to you to ask you why… you remember what you said?
AAnnie
Look, I was immature and stupid, and my mom taught me to be ruthless.
Do you remember what you said?
AAnnie
I said that… [sighs] "I don’t talk to fat sluts."
And then, not long after that, I had to quit the pageant circuit, ’cause… Well, a rumor like that, it really follows you around. And the more you deny it, the more they believe it.
AAnnie
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was so fucked up, and it was so wrong. I was jealous, but I’m not that person anymore.
People don’t change. And everybody thinks that you’re so decent. So pretty and perfect. Hell, you fuckin' think you’re better than everybody else.
You’re damn fuckin' right it’s not. All that dove, pure angel bullshit? No, I see the connivin' little mean girl bitch in there. And when I’m done, the rest of the world’s gonna see it, too.
[Annie and Frenchie watch Ezekiel's speech at the Starlight House]
EEzekiel
"Starlight", that's 9 letters! Or is that 6 upside down?! "Annie January", 12 letters! That's two more sixes! 666! What more proof could you possibly need?!
[Firecracker suddenly walks onstage holding back fake tears]
I’m sorry, I gotta interrupt. I’m so sorry. I need–I need to make a confession.
I need to confess my sins. [Ezekiel nods and hands her the mike] Ain’t no way to sugarcoat this. I had… inappropriate relations with a sweet young man. [exhales] Damn, that smile. But that young man, he was fifteen years old…
…but the moment of my greatest weakness was also the moment that pushed me to my eternal salvation. I was born again, and my sins were washed away by the tears of His love!
EEzekiel
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Now, I–I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ put that young man in my life to lead me to the path of righteousness.
AAnnie
[rolls her eyes] Oh, my God.
You gotta choose to turn into the light of His love. And that’s what Starlight, she just didn’t do. Y’all ever hear that story about her very first save? She was only thirteen years old, and well, a gunman came into Walmart and took hostages. Well, Starlight, she came in a’blastin'. But what they don’t tell you is that she blinded one of those hostages that day. A mother of three, just trying to buy Crunch Berries for her kids. But Starlight, she just went on, smilin' for those cameras like none of it ever happened. Starlight’s no hero. She never was.
[Annie tearfully watches Firecracker continue to publicly discredit her during her television special]
[on TV] Now, y’all heard a lot tonight about who Starlight really is. But you still haven’t seen the true monster behind the mask. And the truth… Oh, it is so much worse than you could ever imagine. Six months ago, Starlight visited a clinic. She wasn’t going for a checkup.
[on TV] She found out that she was pregnant, and she had an abortion.
AAnnie
Are those my fucking medical records?
[on TV] She was raised a Christian. She knew the difference between right and wrong. She knew exactly what she was doin'! So you won’t tell me that those teens over there, that they’re safe with her! With that baby killer?!
[Annie storms out of the Starlight House]
MSMother's Milk
Annie, wait!
[...]
She could have given it up for adoption! But no, she murdered it!
[Firecracker sees Annie fly towards her, eyes glowing. Annie lands on stage and menacingly walks up to Firecracker.]
So you finally came to deb–
[Annie brutally beats Firecracker to the ground and punches her repeatedly in the face. Unbeknownst to Annie, the cameras are still rolling. Cut to Sister Sage watching the beating from the Vought conference room.]
How’s that for “uppity,” cracker?
[Cut to Annie getting held back by M.M.]
MSMother's Milk
Stop. Look.
[Annie is horrified to see all the cameras on her and that many viewers saw the whole beating live and start posting about it on social media. Cut back to Sister Sage at Vought Tower.]
First pebble down the mountain.
Fuckin' hell, it’s like a morgue in here. What’s with all the long faces?
AAnnie
I don’t know, maybe because I’m getting blamed for the murder you did.
I’d call you a cunt, but you ain’t got the depth or the warmth.
MSMother's Milk
I’ve been meaning to ask you something. How was it that you took out Ezekiel?
MSMother's Milk
Bullshit.
God’s honest. I, uh… blacked out, came to, and there he was. All over the shop. But never mind that bollocks because, my son, I have found it… The answer to all our prayers.
MSMother's Milk
And what might that be?
Ah, it’s nothing much. Just a… a virus that kills Supes.
Such a thing does not exist.
Did not exist. Does now. Y'see, some clever cunts over at Godolkin University cooked up a bug that latches onto the V in their bloodstream. Now, it’s completely harmless to humans, but to Supes? Fuckin' diabolical.
AAnnie
So, you shove this shit into me and Kimiko and we just… drop dead?
Yep. That’s the idea. Now, it ain’t juiced enough to kill Homelander, but I reckon we get our hands on some and try it out on our lovely VP-elect.
MSMother's Milk
And why the hell are we just finding out about this shit, Butcher?
There’s only one small snag. When I went to God U to nick it, Neuman had pipped me to the post, so we’re gonna have to nick it from her.
AAnnie
This is insane and desperate. Even for you.
Well, insanely desperate’s where we are, don’t you think, love?
MSMother's Milk
Okay. Alright, alright. Time out. [to Annie] Look, if this virus is as dangerous as Butcher says it is, do you really want it in Neuman’s hands?
AAnnie
[pause; sighs] No, you’re right.
Alright, then. Then, we’re sorted. Oh, uh… One other tiny little thing. I need you to get us one presidential pardon.
[The Boys investigate the lab in Stan Edgar's country mansion, where the Supe virus is being produced and tested on animals. Frenchie opens a fridge and notices an empty sample tray.]
MSMother's Milk
What’d you find?
It’s what I did not. See, the labels mark each iteration of this virus. Somebody’s been running tests, but now… it’s all gone.
[Frenchie is shocked to see M.M.'s nose bleeding profusely]
MSMother's Milk
What? [Frenchie, whose nose is also bleeding, points at M.M.'s nose] Holy shit.
[Butcher and Annie also feel their noses bleeding. Victoria Neuman and her bodyguard walk inside the lab.]
[Butcher, M.M. and Frenchie aim their guns at Neuman]
Victoria. You’re looking well.
You think I wouldn’t know the minute you and your ankle monitor stepped out of that prison?
I don’t recall giving you permission to turn my rec room into a virology lab.
You brought these assholes here? They want to kill me.
I’m sorry. Are you upset that I betrayed you?
Oi, knock it off, you two. This ain’t Family Pies.
[to Butcher] You have five seconds to tell me what you did to Sameer, or I paint this fucking room red.
[to Annie as she makes the lights flicker] Enough. [to Neuman] So, you brought in Sameer. Smart. That’s what I’d have done. But whatever happened to him, it wasn’t us. We should find him together.
You’re fucking kidding me.
If I’m not mistaken, you hurt these people, they expose you as a super-abled killer, yes? Then I’m afraid that we are at a stalemate. You might as well use their expertise. At the very least, they’re effective cannon fodder.
MSMother's Milk
[sarcastically] Thanks. That's really nice of you.
[Neuman, Edgar and the Boys find Sameer hiding in a barn after they are attacked by mutated sheep. They also find the dead body of Sameer's lab assistant, Henry.]
SSSameer Shah
Zoe’s not here, is she? Because… [Neuman shakes her head] No?
No, no. She’s okay. She’s okay.
AAnnie
Wait… Oh, my God, is that Zoe’s dad?
Dr. Shah was my top man at Vought R&D before he went behind my back and deflowered my daughter.
Okay, I was twenty–thoroughly deflowered–and this isn’t the time or the place. [to Sameer] What happened?
We gave V to a hamster, so we could test the virus on it.
Oh, a V’d-up hamster was your first mistake, mon ami.
It got loose. Trashed the lab. We ran, but the V had already leaked into the groundwater.
Except for, uh… [holds up a syringe filled with the virus] Except for one dose.
[Butcher anxiously stares at the syringe]
MSMother's Milk
Hey, how transmissible is that?
Not very. Only through bodily fluid. Blood, saliva… semen.
MSMother's Milk
Okay, so we inject it into [motions at Henry's body] your dead buddy over here as bait, and then we put him outside to infect the crazy fucking flying sheep!
This man is in no condition to fuck a sheep.
Bollocks. That’s the only dose. I say we fuckin' leg it!
Butcher’s right, it’s too valuable.
AAnnie
Okay, we run, we don’t all make it.
Darwinism, love. Don’t gotta be the fastest, just not the slowest.
MSMother's Milk
Enough. Not now.
[to Neuman] I won’t be able to outrun them.
Oh, don’t you cry for that cunt! He’s just tryin' to nick Zoe from you. That’s his whole fuckin' plan, innit?
Sorry, Stanny. Just business.
MSMother's Milk
Guys, stop.
I should’ve fucking known.
AAnnie
M.M. could die, okay?! Or Frenchie! I mean, you really don’t care who you just throw to the wolves?
AAnnie
You’re a monster, and I’m not letting you do this.
Or what? You gonna go stark ravin' like you did with Firecracker? I got the head popper and you can’t even get it up!
MSMother's Milk
Enough! Enough! Look, look! [rolls up jacket sleeve] Y’all see this? Hives. And I got 'em because y’all motherfuckers are driving me the fuck crazy! Now, Annie, you can’t just go around fuckin' everybody up. And Neuman, do you really wanna risk Zoe growing up in a group home the way you did? [to Butcher] And you… Look. My little baby girl needs me, and I intend on seeing her. You’re not a monster, Butcher. You are a motherfucker, but you a motherfucker with a heart.
[A-Train calls M.M. to inform him about The Seven's murder of Cameron Coleman]
MSMother's Milk
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Where are you?
Toronto, so we could talk. They killed Cameron Coleman because they thought that he was the fucking leak!
MSMother's Milk
Oh, shit.
Listen, I can’t do this shit anymore, man. I’m done!
MSMother's Milk
Alright, no one ever said this would be easy. Think about your brother, your nephews. They’d be so proud of you, man.
Who cares what my family thinks if I’m already fuckin' dead?!
MSMother's Milk
Calm down. Now walk me through everything, and let’s process this shit together, alright?
[Cut to M.M. talking to Hughie and Annie]
MSMother's Milk
This is so fucked! So before Cameron got beaten to death, Homelander was seen putting Supes together like a…
MSMother's Milk
[nods] Mm-hmm. And then A-Train saw Tek Knight talking to Sage. Looked like they were planning something.
You–You wanna talk to Tek Knight?
MSMother's Milk
Now, he’s having a Federalist Society party tonight at his estate.
AAnnie
I cannot believe that this is about to come out of my mouth, but… we could use Butcher.
MSMother's Milk
Motherfucker’s MIA.
AAnnie
[to Hughie] Hey… Maybe you should sit this out, you know? You’ve just been through so much with your dad–
I’m fine. Focusing on work is exactly what I need to do right now, okay? Just trust me.
Okay. So, how are we supposed to sneak into an alt-right cocktail party?
MSMother's Milk
Thought you’d never ask. [holds up a Vought record file on…]
MSMother's Milk
Come on out, kid.
You guys are gonna laugh.
AAnnie
No one is gonna laugh.
[Hughie sighs heavily and walks out wearing Webweaver's supersuit. M.M, Annie, and Kimiko are unable to contain their laughter.]
Guys, come on. You–You promised!
[texting to Hughie] You're like a Times Square Elmo.
AAnnie
[laughing] Oh, my God.
Okay, you know what? [removes mask] Fuck you guys.
AAnnie
[coughs] How did a junkie like Webweaver score an invite to this anyway?
MSMother's Milk
Don’t know, but A-Train said he’s on the list.
God, why does he wear it so tight? [sniffs] Smells like ass sweat and broken dreams in here.
MSMother's Milk
Good. It’ll hide your scent from Tek Knight. You don’t wanna give him any tells.
AAnnie
Wait, Tek Knight has super smell?
MSMother's Milk
Yeah. Smell, vision, taste, touch. He’s like Sherlock Holmes on meth.
AAnnie
I don’t like this. He’s gonna make Hughie–
MSMother's Milk
How else are we gonna find out what Sage is cooking? [to Hughie] Just gotta work fast, kid. Take these bugs, put ’em all over the party, and lure Tek Knight back here as soon as you can.
MSMother's Milk
We’ll take care of the rest.
AAnnie
Oh, God. Okay, comm check-ins every two minutes. Just say something, okay? Anything.
MSMother's Milk
In Webweaver’s voice, motherfucker.
[The Boys are discussing A-Train's latest information on Sage when Butcher walks into the office]
MSMother's Milk
Where the fuck you been?
[coughs] Shittin’ a kidney. Alright, listen up. Now, don’t get your knickers in a twist, but…
[Kessler appears at Butcher's side]
You remember Neuman’s dearly departed virus bloke, Dr. Sameer Shah?
I’m serious, Butcher. Don’t.
Well, funny story. Turns out he ain’t that dead. He’s been workin' for me, makin' some more of that virus.
MSMother's Milk
What the fuck?
Wait, all they found was…
Did you cut off his leg?!
Alright, alright. Keep your hair on.
MSMother's Milk
So, basically, you’ve been amputatin’ motherfuckers while working on a secret bioweapon, and we’re the ones that are supposed to chill?
You are pissing away our best shot.
Now, the trouble is, we’ve hit a slight snag. He can’t make it deadly enough to top Homelander without causin' a global pandemic.
AAnnie
Wait… Genocide. You’re talking about Supe genocide. That’s…
Yeah, Butcher, even for you this is…
Which is why I’m fuckin' tellin' you, innit? You think I want that much blood on me hands?
Yeah, you do. You wanna fuckin' swim in it.
[to Kessler] No, I don’t! [pause; to the Boys] No, I do not. So to keep the bug from burnin' through you lot like wildfire, I thought ol’ Sameer could do with a bit of a hand.
A question both insightful and germane, my son. [pause; turns around] Ah, here he is. Speak of the devil.
[The Boys are in shock when they see Frenchie, who Butcher bailed out of jail, walk inside]
MSMother's Milk
How the fuck did you get out?
I had Mallory pull a few strings.
Just to be clear, this was against my will. I’d rather fuck a jar of fishing lures than to be free.
Alright, then. Happy reunions. So, Frenchie will help sort the virus. We’ll use it on Homelander and the VP, and that’s it. No one else.
MSMother's Milk
Listen… You should go on ahead.
MSMother's Milk
Without me. I gotta talk to Monique. It’s–
Oh, come off it. Don’t leave me alone with this lot.
[to M.M.] You’re not going? Why?
MSMother's Milk
Alright, so we gonna make this official? [to Butcher] Take a knee, I’ll knight you with my dick. You’re back in charge of The Boys again, alright? I’m better off doing research anyway.
AAnnie
No, you can’t do this.
Yeah, he does. This is good for us.
AAnnie
You can’t. Things are bad already without this fucking asshole back.
Look what I gotta deal with.
MSMother's Milk
Listen, it ain’t a debate, you guys. I passed out during a mission. I ain’t cut out to be a skipper… but he is. So, it’s him. [to Butcher] It’s you. End of story.
Oh, wow. Your skin is so oily, like hugging a McRib.
AAnnie
Wait, did you—Did you just... How?!
Speech therapy and fucking therapy therapy and so much fucking TikTok.
AAnnie
Well, you sure sound like you're on TikTok.
Sixteen-hour flight and not a fucking peep.
'Cause all you can say is "Oi, oi, oi. Cunt, cunt, cunt".
I liked her better with her mouth shut.
AAnnie
Took you long enough. Slowing down in your old age?
[laughs and hugs Annie] Fuck you, JonBenét.
AAnnie
Reggie's been helping us out for a while.
[takes drink from Annie] Thanks. Where is everybody? [pause] I heard about the Pittsburgh raid last month. Go Marie Moreau. How's her team doing?
AAnnie
Yeah, they're scoring a few wins, but not nearly enough.
AAnnie
Hughie, M.M. and Frenchie are gonna be executed tomorrow, so we need your help to break them out.
Of a Vought prison camp? You're fucking crazy.
AAnnie
Listen, you don't have to fight, okay? We just need you to run them to the extraction point. It's easy.
Easy. Right. You know Homelander's gonna be waiting. I can't.
AAnnie
We know how to kill him, okay? But we need Frenchie to do it.
Great. Well, good luck with that.
AAnnie
Hey, are you gonna keep running forever? I mean, if we're gonna really take him out, we need your help.
So what, I'm just supposed to join this little fucking supergroup?
AAnnie
I mean, we are down one asshоlе, so… Yeah, maybe.
AAnnie
I know you're scared…
No, I'm not fucking scared! I got a family to protect. [Annie sighs] I can't.
AAnnie
I get it, I do. Me, too. [pause] Keep them safe.
[Annie and Kimiko watch A-Train run off]
We shouldn't have let him go.
AAnnie
No. Homelander fuckеd him up. Fuckеd me up, too. We're gonna need an Exit Plan B.
[Hughie and Annie are laying down on the hood of his car looking at clouds together]
It’s like a rabbit, but it’s got way too many feet.
AAnnie
Really? I see a frog eating a dick. This is definitely in my top five.
AAnnie
Things to do with you.
You’re saying that like… this is the last time we’re gonna get to do this. Hey, listen to me. The guys are gonna find Bombsight, they’ll get the V1. You’re not dying. We will have plenty of time to look for filthy shapes in the clouds.
AAnnie
God, I don’t know where it comes from. This… unshakeable hope.
Whenever I’d get upset as a kid, which was a lot… my dad would always say, “You know, son, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.” And that was infuriating. But then, I spent a year in an internment camp, and I had no control over anything. I’d just lay there at night, just… so fucking angry, hearing my dad’s voice in my head… but then I finally understood what he meant. ‘Cause the only thing I had left was… hope. And it is really fucking hard to hang on to, but I… I’m trying.
AAnnie
I think… you might be low-key the strongest person I know.
I’d prefer high-key… [Annie chuckles] but thank you.
AAnnie
[beat; points at the sky] Look, it’s–it’s Big Bird eating a dick.
You see an unsettling amount of dicks up there, I’m just saying.
The Boys · 278 quotes
