The Instant White-Hot Wild

"**The Instant White-Hot Wild**" is the eighth episode and 16th newly recorded episode of the third season of *The Boys*. It was released on July 8, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video. It is the twenty-fourth episode overall.

## Summary

Calling all patriots! Let’s show Homelander we’ve got his back and we’re not going to let Starlight and her Starlight House of Horrors get away with trafficking children and drinking their adrenaline! It’s time for real Americans to fight back! Join the Hometeamers and Stormchasers tomorrow at Vought Square! Stand back and stand by!

## Plot

Ryan throws a fast ball and Homelander shows up to compliment him. Grace runs outside and tells him to stay away. Homelander admits that a certain Congresswoman (Neuman) tipped Ryan’s location off to him. Ryan asks Homelander if he’s mad at him for what he did and Homelander assures him that it wasn’t his fault- accidents happen. Ryan hugs him.

A “Believe Starlight” rally goes on.

Ashley and The Deep go to the basement where Maeve is. Ashley argues with The Deep, telling him someone is coming with a search warrant to look for Maeve. Gas floods in through the vent in Maeve’s cell and Ashley mouths “I’m Sorry” as Maeve starts coughing and collapses to the ground. Maeve gets taken in a truck to get moved to another location, but she wakes up and flights her way out.

Frenchie brings MM a present - a dose of Novichok, a weapon against Soldier Boy, hidden in a bottle of Starlight’s Wish perfume. Frenchie gives MM some life advice - to let Janine see all of him instead of trying to hide parts from her.

Vought’s stock crashes after Starlight’s live social media post revealed Homelander’s true temper. Ashley admits what happened with Maeve. Meanwhile, Noir enters Vought headquarters to talk to Homelander. On a piece of paper, he wrote “Soldier Boy Will Come - We Kill”. They hug and Homelander tells Noir he knew he’d come back.

Butcher punches Hughie in a gas station restroom and locks him inside, leaving him behind intentionally. He drives with Soldier Boy to New York.

A-Train tells his brother about his new heart. He tells his brother he needs him and to come back coaching. Nate asks A-Train if he killed Blue Hawk and A-Train denies it but Nate knows the truth. He is furious because he wanted Blue Hawk to be held accountable and yells at him to get out.

Starlight picks up Hughie from the gas station. She tells him that temp-V is fatal and is furious with Butcher. Hughie realizes Butcher saved his life. He and Annie talk and make up. Annie gets a call from Maeve who is at MM’s house.

Maeve tells Annie where she was this whole time. She admits that her #FreeMaeve campaign is what saved her in the end.

Hughie tells Maeve, MM, and Annie that Soldier Boy is Homelander’s father and that they’re headed to New York. Annie calls Vought to tell them to evacuate the tower but they don’t listen,

Grace Mallory calls Butcher but he rejects the call. Soldier opens up to Butcher about his past and his father, how he became a superhero - but that his father wasn’t even impressed then because he took a shortcut. He tells Butcher he always wanted kids. Butcher emphasizes that Homelander isn’t really his son because he didn’t raise him.

Black Noir sharpens his knives to prepare for Soldier Boy’s visit. Homelander asks what he was like and Noir writes “Bad”. Homelander admits that he’s his father. Noir writes “Must Kill Him” but Homelander says he’s not sure he wants to. He asks Noir if he knew that he had a father this whole time. Noir admits he did. Homelander asks why he didn’t tell him and then kills Noir by punching him in the stomach and letting him bleed out.

Maeve and the rest of The Boys show up at Butcher’s, demanding to know where Soldier Boy is. Maeve throws away the dose of Novichok and tells them that Homelander needs to die no matter what. Butcher orders the group into the safe.

Ashley, A-Train, and The Deep listen to Starlight’s warning and talk about evacuating but Homelander tells them not to. Homelander whispers an order to The Deep in his ear and The Deep questions if it’s treason but agrees. He tells Ashley next to take off her wig. He tells them he doesn’t need any of them and that they are not his family.

Lamar Bishop, the potential nominee for Vice President, takes a swim and The Deep kills him. He seems to feel guilty about it.

Frenchie has an idea to get more neurotoxin at a lab in New York. He agrees to go while the rest go to Vought Tower. They pack up and Hughie sees one dose of temp-V and takes it with him.

Butcher, Soldier Boy, and Maeve go find Homelander. Homelander tells them that he killed Noir. He tells Soldier Boy he just wants to talk. Homelander tells Soldier Boy he is his son, his blood. He brings out Ryan and introduces Soldier Boy to his grandson. Soldier Boy tells him he wish he raised him so that he could be better. Homelander is moved by Soldier Boy's words until he declares him to be a "f\*\*\*\*\*g disappointment" and grabs him by the throat. Ryan lasers down Soldier Boy with his eyes but gets knocked over. Homelander tries to help him.

Soldier Boy looks like he’s going to hurt Ryan so Butcher fights him so he backs off, explaining that Ryan is his wife’s son.

Maeve fights Homelander and he tells her now isn’t the time. She doesn’t relent. His nose bleeds, showing weakness.

Soldier Boy beats up Butcher and almost kills him until Starlight shows up and fights back. Hughie alerts the building to evacuate. Everyone starts to leave.

Frenchie and Kimiko break into the lab and Kimiko fights off a few security guards. Frenchie gets shot in the leg. He gets the dose of the neurotoxin and tells Kimiko to go and bring it.

Hughie sees Soldier Boy face off against Annie and he grabs the temp-V, but instead decides to increase the lighting in the room to give Annie more power. Annie floats up off the ground, fueled by the light, and she knocks down Soldier Boy. The Boys grab him and let him inhale the neurotoxin. It doesn’t knock him out.

Maeve stabs Homelander in the head with a steel rod. Soldier Boy, refusing to be imprisoned again, begins charging up a potentially destructive blast. She sees that Soldier Boy is about to explode and makes eye contact with Annie. She grabs Soldier Boy and jumps out the window with him while he explodes, saving everyone else and sacrificing herself.

Ryan tells Homelander he wants to leave. Butcher pleads with Ryan. He touches his noses and passes out, presumably from the temp-V.

“Remembering Queen Maeve” airs on TV at the hospital where Butcher is being treated. The doctor tells him he has 12-18 months to live. He tells the doctor to f\*ck off.

MM opens up to Janine about his past and the truth about superheroes. He tells her about her grandfather who spent his life fighting for justice. Janine tells MM he’s her hero.

Annie walks into an apartment and sees Maeve, who is alive and healing. She doesn’t have powers anymore thanks to Soldier Boy. She asks Annie if she should get a pirate patch. Elena walks out and Annie asks where they’ll go. She tells Annie somewhere far away from Homelander.

On security footage, Ashley sees MM and The Boys helping Maeve up after the fight with Soldier Boy. She and Anika look at each other and delete the security file, protecting Maeve’s secret.

Grace Mallory sees Soldier Boy returned to the sealed neurotoxin security tube.

The Deep watches Cassandra talk about him on TV and how no one would like him if they knew the real him. He tears up.

Annie throws away her Starlight costume. MM tells Annie the office rules if she’s gonna be working here now, as one of The Boys. Butcher shows up.

On TV, Victoria Neuman is announced as Dakota Bob’s Vice Presidential candidate. “That bitch has definitely got to go,” says Butcher.

A Soldier Boy statue gets toppled by Camp Stormfighter. Homelander shows up to the rally and introduces the crowd to Ryan. The crowd cheers except one guy who calls Homelander a fascist. Someone throws something and it hits Ryan. Homelander kills him on the spot. Todd is at the rally and looks shocked, as does the rest of the crowd. Todd screams in support and then the crowd goes wild. Homelander looks very pleased. Ryan smiles.

## Cast

* Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell
* Antony Starr as Homelander
* Erin Moriarty as Starlight
* Dominique McElligott as Queen Maeve
* Jessie T. Usher as A-Train
* Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk
* Chace Crawford as The Deep
* Tomer Capone as Frenchie
* Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro
* Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir
* Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
* Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman
* Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy

* Katy Breier as Cassandra Schwartz
* Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin
* Laurie Holden as Fox Crimson Countess
* Jack Doolan as Horse Tommy
* Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
* Nicola Correia-Damude as Elena
* Ana Sani as Anika
* Kristin Booth as Horse Tessa
* Ryan Blakely as Lamb Mindstorm
* Laila Robins as Grace Mallory
* Jim Beaver as Robert Singer

### Co-Starring

* Grey Griffin as Two Birds
* Gattlin Griffith as Pig Gunpowder
* Matthew Gorman as Todd
* Liyou Abere as Janine
* Sabrina Saudin as Also Ashley
* Graham Gauthier as Lamar Bishop
* Richard Lee as Doctor

* Sacha Stewart as Starlighter
* Nneka Elliott as NNC News Anchor
* Blake Johnston as Stormchaser
* Ryan Manning as Water Bottle Guy
* Leigh Bush as Hailey Miller
* Simon Wong as Reporter
* Zahir Gilani as Reporter

## Quotes

―Soldier Boy to Homelander

―Billy Butcher, seeing that Neuman would be the next target

## Trivia

* The shot of Vought Tower almost destroyed and Soldier Boy's statue being toppled by Homelander supporters mirrors the Bourke Cut of *Dawn of the Seven* where the Tower and the statue was destroyed by a fictional Stormfront.
* The Episode is named after Issue 38 of the Comics.

## Media

### Photos

KimikoJanine and Mother's MilkThe Deep and AshleyFrenchie, Kimiko, and Queen MaeveSoldier BoyRyanButcher and RyanButcher, Ryan, and HomelanderButcher and HomelanderA-Train and Nathan