If any company went through as much public scrutiny as Vought, it would surely be closed down or had some sort of legal ramification in real life. Maybe not, actually, as this show has done a great job of using social commentary as a tool of appeal, so this may not be that far away from the truth. In fact, the show has increased its social commentary over the last few seasons, and it feels like it's only going to continue upwards throughout this season. If this episode is anything to tell, this show is still going strong and showing no signs of slowing down.
The violence in this show has been the subject of much debate, and some felt that it was starting to find its way into the show simply for shock value alone. This episode certainly has a lot of graphic violence, and while some of its does feel earned and feels like a continuation of other things set up in the show, there are some things that are simply too much. A scene towards the beginning is probably a good example of that, despite being absolutely hilarious to watch. However, the show is luckily able to find its way outside of its violence and actually have some good storytelling. There are a lot of storylines in this episode, and it does a good job of setting up the state of peace that the world finds itself in, and showcasing where everyone is in life. Some have found a more peaceful existence than others, but it's clear that the show will not keep them in those safe frames for very long. Homelander has definitely not found that, though, and his arc is continuing to bring him down a spiraling pact and showing that he is growing more and more unhinged as time goes on. Hopefully it means that there are some deeper explorations of his character on the way, even though a full "redemption" arc may not be in the books. It also has a great ending which sets a few things back on its right course and finds our favorite hero in a very tricky situation.
"Payback" is a nice reintroduction to a world that is not as chaotic as it once was, but still has plenty of character drama. The storylines are all working great simultaneously and while it's definitely peacetime, there are still a lot of things going on and a lot of biting satire to go around.
