Caution: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 1.
Upon achieving her goal of hitting the big leagues, however, Starlight’s outlook is sent crashing down to Earth, as she realizes that the majority of her super-powered colleagues are self-centered, corrupt vigilantes only seeking to further their own reputations and use their renown to gain sex, money and influence. The Boys’ comic series demonstrated this difference in ideals in no uncertain terms when, during her first meeting as a member of The Seven, Homelander, Black Noir and A-Train demand she perform sexual favors for them in order not to be fired immediately from her dream job.
In The Boys’ comic story, the three culprits get away with assaulting Starlight because that’s the nature of their business, but they eventually get their comeuppance in an indirect way through The Boys’ campaign against The Seven as a whole. A-Train in particular is punished for his part in the assault thanks to the boot of Wee Hughie.
Since The Boys was first published, however, the culture surrounding sexual assault has changed considerably, and The Seven’s actions were perhaps more in tune with reality than it appeared when the comic was first released in 2006. In recent years, the horrifying frequency of assaults on women by influential members of the entertainment industry has come to light, with Harvey Weinstein’s case lighting the fuse on an explosion of accusations and admissions.
Quite rightly, an increasing amount of scrutiny is being placed on the treatment of women by influential figures and, for this reason, Starlight’s story had to change. The Boys is no stranger to controversy, but showing The Deep’s assault in episode 1 and waiting until season 3 or 4 for justice to be served simply won’t fly in the current climate. Instead, The Boys finds a unique and culturally-aware alternative that’s still in keeping with the show’s black humor.
Some time after The Deep’s assault takes place, Starlight publicly outs his crime during a televised speech and receives a wave of support from fans. With their reputation at stake, The Seven and Vought American force The Deep to make a cringe-worthy, obviously scripted apology, parodying the admissions of several real-life celebrities. Following this satirical theme, Vought decide to cash-in on Starlight as a feminist icon without consulting her first.
The Deep is effectively demoted from The Seven and moved to a town with virtually no crime as punishment but, in true The Boys style, his suffering isn’t complete without something a little more nausea-inducing. During his exile, The Deep brings a woman to his apartment for a hook-up and the two are about to get down to business. It soon transpires, however, that his partner has some kind of aquatic fetish and, despite The Deep’s protests, she forcefully puts her fingers in his gills.
This very literal eye-for-an-eye punishment is hard to watch, but sends a clear message to the audience that The Deep is getting a taste of his own medicine. The deviation from the comics also preempts any accusations of depicting Starlight as the stereotypical meek female character of yesteryear, but does so in The Boys’ own weird and wonderful way.
More: What To Expect From The Boys Season 2
