("You Got It All to Give" playing)
♪ They had to raise us up to listen ♪
♪ I had to pray to God they'd see ♪
♪ If you stand your ground ♪
♪ Ain't gonna hold you down ♪
♪ 'Cause you got it all to give ♪
♪ Baby, you got it all to give ♪
♪ Oh, ooh... ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Baby, you got it all to give. ♪
-(click) -(music stops)
Obviously, a lot of it's temp.
I love it.
If we're airing on TLC
between My 600-lb Life
and Little People, Big World.
But we're not.
'Cause we're not cheap reality garbage.
Sorry, Courtenay, I thought, um--
I-I was trying to go for something a bit more personable,
-down-to-earth. -Not this down-to-earth.
I need them to look like someone you'd want in the Army.
We here are not fucking Heidi and Spencer.
We are The Seven, James.
And why isn't there anything on Starlight?
She actually hasn't really made herself available to the crew.
Where the hell is she?
Has a heavenly body lost her luster?
Two weeks after Starlight's shocking appearance
at the Believe Expo...
Social media is still buzzing
about her controversial speech.
Was it a breakdown
-or a triumph? -Of course,
my thoughts are with Starlight,
and, uh, I support her in every way.
What I want to know, who's that dude
that stuck his (bleep) in her face?
She should (bleep) that (bleep)er in the (bleep)hole.
O-kay.
Of everything that I said, that's what they focus on.
Hey. Eye of the tiger.
You and me, we have a Panera gift card to win.
-No distractions. Come on. -EMCEE: Ah, good one here.
Before joining The Seven,
which hero led a search-and-rescue team...
-Mm... -Oh, my God. -...after the 1994
Northridge earthquake?
Isn't it your job
to know this kind of stuff?
Eh...
-It's Lamplighter. -Thank you.
Yeah, I had all the trading cards.
Of course you did.
-(chuckles) -ANTHONY: Hughie?
-Hey. -Where the hell have you been?
After Gary's store,
we all thought that...
Oh. H-Hi.
Uh, Anthony.
Hughie's best-looking friend since fourth grade.
(chuckles) Hi, I'm Annie.
It's nice to meet you.
You look familiar.
-Did you go to Kennedy? -She's, uh,
-new in town. -Mm-hmm. -Fantastic.
So, what are we drinking, New-to-Town Annie?
Mmm.
So, uh, Gretchen Scaramucci...
-No, no. (groans) -...she was bigger
than all the guys. Like,
André the Giant-big. So when Gretchen says
she wants to beat the living fuck out of this guy
for making a crack about her girlfriend...
-Oh, you didn't. -...Hughie gives her
this Clint Eastwood stare, like... (grunts)
-(laughs) -And then, bam, runs,
like Forrest Gump-runs,
five blocks down into a pet store
where he hides behind this jumbo bag
of Kibbles 'n Bits for four hours.
STARLIGHT: Oh...
I'll be right back.
(laughing)
WOMAN: I know it! I know this!
(Anthony exhales)
Surprised to run into you here, man.
Yeah. Same goes for you.
I've been worried, asshole.
Ever since Robin, you...
you weren't answering your phone.
Like, for all I knew, you were chugging Drano.
I'm sorry, man.
Yeah, you should be.
No, really, I-I should've called.
You think?
I'm okay.
Really. I-I just...
n-needed a fresh start.
Fresh start?
(chuckles)
Your fresh start is way out of your league.
Um, you know that, right?
I am aware, yes.
(chuckles)
Annie's great, man.
Live your life.
That's what Robin would want.
(bells dinging)
-WOMAN: Sync mark. -(beep)
MAN: We're good.
-You rolling? -WOMAN: And... action.
My grandfather built this place with his bare hands.
He was, uh, an amazing man.
Oh, the old piano.
Every night, Mom would sit here
and she would play some songs and...
I got to be honest, most of the time, me and my dad would be--
we'd be making model planes.
I can almost smell the... silver paint.
(sighs)
I really wish he'd lived long enough
to see me fly with the Blue Angels.
That would have blown his mind.
That's me in the middle.
(chuckles)
Love you, Mom, Dad.
(tapping)
Welcome to my bedroom.
The Baseball Hall of Fame, you might call it.
Hasn't changed a bit.
Oh, there they are, the Tigers.
It's my little team.
I played shortstop. Of course,
I couldn't show everything I had.
But... let's just say we, uh--
we-we did a lot of winning. (chuckles)
This is just, um...
Really just, uh--
It's so special to come back.
Hmm.
Uh, I'm sorry,
why is that there?
PRODUCER: Sorry?
Who put the fucking blanket on the bed?
Uh, R-Randy Set-Dec, I think.
Who's Randy Set-Dec?
He's-he's over there.
Randy, why?
You fucking asshole.
-Uh... -Amateur fuck.
What just happened?
("Big Shot" by Billy Joel playing)
Samaritan's Embrace,
led by Ezekiel but bankrolled by Vought,
has been shipping Compound V
to 53 hospitals across the country
since 1971 and gift wrapping it...
(exhales)
...gift wrapping it
-as polio vaccine. -Are you telling me
God's not reaching up the twats of American girls
and blessing babies?
Butcher, can you leave God out of this?
H-Hold on, hold on. So, no hero was born?
None of them? They're all just kids dosed with the blue shit.
I mean, even...
Even fucking Starlight.
Do you think-- do you think they know...
what really happened to 'em?
What about Homelander?
Homelander's a black hole.
Never had any public records and never will.
However, every single other Supe--
juiced-up lab rats.
My God.
I'm trying to give
a tremendous fucking TED Talk here, and this...
Frenchie, can you control her, please?
I do not control her.
(scoffs)
Do you see what I'm dealing with?
Well, spot on, M.M.
We got Vought for child endangerment, drug trafficking,
and possibly the largest fraud in American fucking history.
Raynor's gonna love it.
MOTHER'S MILK: You better hope she does...
(continues indistinctly)
Uh, hi.
-(snarls) -FRENCHIE: Hughie, no!
(clicking tongue) No, no, no.
Not if you're attached to that hand, no.
It's okay. Yeah.
Well, you know, all of this, uh, it's...
But it's only part of the story, no?
I mean, what about our petite Lazarus here?
She's not an infant.
And she was injected in a basement, not a hospital.
And there is the small matter of that she rose from the dead.
Well, your feral pixie dream girl ain't exactly dictating
her fucking memoirs, is she, Frenchie?
I'm feeling she's trying to communicate.
I mean, she's been doing this for...
Maybe that means something, huh?
Yeah, maybe they're just fucking chicken scratches.
Let's find out.
Nah, you've been burned.
It's not safe out there for you.
M.M.'s right. You got to fucking stay put, son.
(scoffs)
Fantastique.
-All right, I'm off. -HUGHIE: Okay.
I'll just, uh, keep on Starlight then, right?
Her phone's been tits-up for a week.
You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
No.
But I can, uh... I can check.
All right.
You're with me.
-He is? -I am?
What, to the CIA lady?
No. We're gonna go on a little detour.
-You'll love it. -(patting)
Come on.
ASHLEY: No, I have been working with her!
I've been fucking working with her! I can't believe this.
Who the fuck are you gonna get to replace me?
I'd like to see what bitch that is!
You okay?
(chuckles ruefully)
(exhales)
You know that pledge you mentor during rush week
because she seems sweet and a little naive
and she doesn't know she's not supposed to wear UGGs?
(chuckles) And then, once she's active,
she stabs you in the back,
gets you kicked out of the house?
(scoffs)
-I'm sorry. I don't... -It was
my big idea to book you for the Believe Expo.
What could go wrong, I thought.
You were playing to your base.
At least I don't have to kiss
your ass anymore.
(knocking)
Come in.
Thank you for coming, Starlight.
You fired Ashley?
It was actually a mutual decision.
She wanted to explore different career paths,
and, um, we wished her well.
So, I would like you to take this
in the constructive spirit that it is intended.
Okay.
You are a selfish, arrogant child.
Wow.
Back in Iowa,
I bet you watched a lot of Queen Maeve's movies, right?
I did.
She was a rebel.
Didn't take anyone's shit,
didn't play by the rules.
That's what you wanted to be.
That's what American heroes are.
But it's a myth.
I should know, because I wrote it.
The truth is,
dozens of people in this company
spent hundreds of hours
to create the thing that is you.
I never asked for that.
Then why don't you burn the sparkly outfit
and become a cop?
You want to be a superhero.
You want to be famous.
But nobody's famous alone.
So, why don't you cut the petulant diva shit,
show a little fucking gratitude,
and let us do our job?
No.
I'm sorry.
I mean, I don't mean to be ungrateful.
But... no red carpets,
no reality TV,
and no Noxzema commercials.
And I want my old uniform back.
I'm gonna save people.
Then I think we may need to reconsider
your position in The Seven.
And I think that firing an employee
after she reported sexual assault on live TV
might tank your stock price.
(sighs) Well, I hope we can count on your discretion.
I'm sorry, I don't do discretion anymore.
If anyone asks me who did it, I'm gonna answer honestly.
Well, I think it's great that you want to tell the truth.
I just don't know to whom you're referring.
Oh, I think you know.
I think you've known for a long time.
Thank you so much for coming, Starlight.
I have a lot to think about.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(glass breaking)
Okay.
I mean, you take Tek-Knight's Knightracer?
Had a carbon footprint the size of a 727.
The thing literally shot fire.
Thanks to me, now he drives a hybrid.
That's what the Green Crusader initiative is all about.
To respect what's, what's beautiful in the world.
-What's up? -Hi.
So... everything.
(sighs) So beautiful.
COURTENAY: Good. Let's reset.
Trash back on the beach, please.
Background, put the trash back on the beach.
All right.
Um, well, we lost my dad at a young age,
and my mom, she worked two jobs,
so, it was, uh, my older brother Nathan who,
who pretty much raised me up.
And when I was three, it's like these guys started shooting
in front of my building
and I outran the damn bullet. (laughs)
That's kinda how I figured out...
Can I, can I stop you right there for a second?
What if we ixnay the gun violence?
Maybe make it a click more upbeat?
(laughs) Yeah, yeah.
NATHAN: All right, little bro, I know you're the fastest man
in the world and all that, but your work ain't done.
Set. Go.
♪ Ring the alarm... ♪
Nope. You're off, bro.
Go again.
Go.
Nope. Go.
No.
No?
What is going on with you, man?
(exhales)
Here comes the A-Train! (grunts)
COURTENAY: Hey, you knew Popclaw, right?
What? I don't, uh...
COURTENAY: You guys were in Teenage Kix together?
You, you heard she passed away, yeah?
Yeah, they're, they're saying it was a stroke,
but between you and me,
I think it was probably a drug overdose.
You want to maybe say a little something in her honor?
I haven't seen her in years, so, you know...
(elevator bell chimes)
Boy, you're really milking this thing for all it's worth.
-Excuse me? -This empowerment act.
I mean, every time I'm on a red carpet now,
they're asking me how I'm supporting Starlight.
But, hey, as long as you're trending, right?
I know that you might not get this,
but it's not an act.
I'm just trying to be honest.
Okay. Yeah.
When I was younger,
I read your autobiography so many times that I wore it out.
I had to buy a second one.
I wanted to live my life exactly like yours.
Because you didn't just break all the bones
in your right arm stopping that school bus
from falling off of a bridge,
but you also went to every kid's physical therapy afterwards.
Just to show the world that they were heroes, too.
You really stood for something.
(elevator bell chimes)
But now...
I'm pretty sure that was just written by the marketing guys.
MAN (on TV): ...hunting for his own food.
When fully mature, this immense predator of the sea
can reach sizes of up to 25 feet in length
and over 4,000 pounds.
They can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour...
Mon coeur.
Would you like me to change it?
Incroyable.
You talked to me.
-She talked to me. -That's talking?
Well, she communicated anyway.
-She likes Shark Week, huh? -I'll call BuzzFeed.
I wonder if she lived by the water.
You know, you can't fool me.
Who is she? What does she want? Why is she here?
She could be the key to it all.
-That's what you think, huh? -No, that's not what I think.
Yes, you do. It torments you. It's okay.
Listen, I got one word for you.
It's a surefire way to solve this puzzle.
Once and for all.
Tell me.
Mesmer.
Mesmer?
You want help from a Supe?
He despise Vought, hates them, hates the other Supes.
And the enemy of your enemy...
Frenchie, what part of "you're burned" do you not understand?
Oh, come on. It's a quick trip.
She and I will hide in the van.
Let's go. In, out, boom, bing.
Boom, bing? Look, I'll tell you what I can do.
I can... possibly
tattoo "fuck no" on your ass.
Ah, come on.
Best I can do.
You know...
I've seen you eat ice cream.
-Oh, my God. -Chunky Monkey, I believe.
-Where is this going? -Well, you know,
you take a spoonful-- a chunk of fudge, perhaps.
But then I see you with the surface is uneven.
So what do you do? You take another scoop,
you try to even it out, which, tragically,
creates a corresponding divot.
Ultimately, there is only but one choice for you, no?
To consume the entire pint.
No, you don't want to, you don't want to.
But you must.
And I tell you why, my friend,
because you cannot bear things out of order.
And she...
...she's out of order.
All right. You want to tell me where we're going?
You don't do it anymore.
-What? -You know that feeling you get
when you tip your chair back too far,
and you catch yourself just before you fall?
Yeah?
You used to look like that all day long.
-(laughs) -But now look at you,
neck-deep in shit, cool as a cucumber.
You ain't half the twat I thought you were, Hughie.
You know, you're always calling people "cunts" or "twats."
But I just-- I never really got how that's an insult?
They're flexible, take a pounding,
and they're the reason behind, like,
98% of my life decisions.
BUTCHER: You're doing good, Hughie.
And you're a good cunt.
Well, here we are.
Church?
Seek and ye shall find, me son.
Come on.
SHEILA: Uh, some days are harder
than others, obviously, uh...
You know, the other day,
I-I wanted to talk to my friend
about all this, but I couldn't.
That's why this group is-is so great.
It's so important.
I know it's wrong to feel angry.
After all, Tek-Knight saved me.
I-I just wish he'd been
a-a little more gentle with my spine.
LYDIA: It's about acceptance, isn't it?
Letting go. Moving on.
Seth, you're up.
(Seth clears throat)
Hey... (clears throat) Hey, everybody.
OTHERS: Hey, Seth.
Uh, so I'm kind of a writer.
Uh, I work in marketing.
Uh, there's this one hero, who shall remain nameless,
but has ice powers.
Ice Princess.
I'm not allowed to say.
Anyway, she, uh, took a liking to me.
It was heady, man.
Intoxicating.
No one wants to fuck the writer.
Needless to say, I fell for her, big-time.
(whispering): What kind of nobber falls for a Supe?
SETH: Anyway, we were, uh, you know, being intimate,
when she climaxed and accidentally turned into ice.
Just for a second,
but I was, uh,
still in there,
at negative 346 degrees.
Same temperature as liquid nitrogen.
As you can imagine, um...
...it snapped off.
(participants gasp)
The crazy thing is, I still miss her.
It's like, that's the cost of a mortal like me
for being with a god like her.
If a Supe done that when she was happy,
imagine what one would do if she found out
you'd been lying to her from the get-go?
LYDIA: Excuse me.
You have something you'd like to share?
No, no. A-Apologies.
Please do, uh, continue the Ice Capades.
LYDIA: We don't make jokes or judgments here.
Why don't you take the talking stick and tell us your story?
Nah, I'm good.
You know, I've seen guys like you before.
Oh, I seriously doubt that.
The smirk, the jokes,
it's all a defense mechanism.
But you don't have to do that here.
This is a safe space.
I said I'm good.
Time to move on.
Go ahead, Seth. Give him the stick.
(participants gasp)
You, back off, or I'll shove this stick
where your dick used to be.
You're a bunch of pathetic Supe-worshipping cunts.
I bet you'd thank a Supe if they shat on your mum's best china.
Did it ever occur to you that they split your spine
or broke your dick just for a laugh?
Where's your fucking rage?!
Your self-respect?!
Sitting here in your little share circle.
Having a little whinge and a moan.
Fuck "letting go."
You should be out there with a fucking chain saw,
going after 'em!
Just a bunch of scared fucking rabbits.
(stick clatters)
Supes are all the same.
Every fucking one of 'em.
(door opens and closes)
Uh, he's, um...
Sorry.
Oh, Ms. Stillwell, hey, you wanted to see me, right?
Yeah, I'm running late. Can you walk with me?
DEEP: Yeah, sure. Hey, look, I brought a little present
-for your little guy. -Ah.
Never, uh, too young to start saving the world, right?
I'm gonna need you to make a public apology.
And you're going to be taking a sabbatical from The Seven.
-What? -We are going to be stationing you
in Sandusky, Ohio for a while.
Okay, okay, look, I-I know, I know, I know my brain wasn't
in the right place, but, but my heart was.
And it's just that, that damn Oceanland.
-They wouldn't let me... -This is not about the dead dolphin.
This is about Starlight.
Starlight? What are you... (chuckles)
What about Starlight?
Everybody seems to want to know
who she was referencing in that speech,
and it is not going away.
It's only a matter of time before she, or, let's be honest,
some of the other women, speak up.
-So we need to get ahead of it. -Okay.
There may have been a misunderstanding, I know that,
but can't you just...
you know, handle it? Like, like you do?
This is the way we are handling things now.
I'm in full support of women
and their ongoing bravery in speaking out.
(sighs)
(clears throat) I'm sorry... let me start that over.
I'm in full support of women and their ongoing bravery...
Fuck, I'm sorry.
Yeah, let's just cut. I'm sorry.
MAN: Scene take two. Alpha mark.
Starlight, I hope you can forgive me.
-Harder to sell. -To sell it. Yeah.
-Just a little harder. -Perfect. Let's do that.
Speaking out. We can all become stronger...
by listening. Okay.
I realize that my behavior
has caused Starlight a great deal of pain,
and I sincerely apologize for this.
Though at the time I believed
that our encounter was consensual,
I now realize that, um, I misread the moment...
Our new movie, Insurrection, it's really exciting.
It's my first, uh, movie with the, uh...
in the Vought Cinematic Universe, uh, the VCU.
NARRATOR: New York. The hearts
of seven million men and women beat inside this city.
But there's only one person who can see inside their hearts
and read their minds.
This man is the rapist.
(siren wailing)
There are no secrets from me.
(indistinct chatter)
("Fame" by Irene Cara playing)
♪ Baby, look at me ♪
♪ And tell me what you see ♪
♪ You ain't seen the best of me yet... ♪
♪ Give me time, I'll make you forget the rest ♪
♪ I got more in me ♪
♪ And you can set it free ♪
♪ I can catch the moon in my hand ♪
♪ Don't you know who I am? ♪
-♪ Remember my name ♪ -♪ Fame... ♪
Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Okay. "There are no secrets from me."
-There are no secrets from me. -There are no secrets from me.
Hey.
What number am I thinking of?
867?
Fucking amazing.
This guy's fucking amazing.
So, what am I thinking of?
I'm thinking the same thing.
Cool. (chuckles)
-Now, why don't I put this down. -Okay.
-Yeah. Okay. -Cool.
-Thank-thank you. -Yeah.
-Mr. Mesmer. -Ah, just-just Mesmer.
No "mister" necessary.
-You know, I'm a big fan, man. -Thanks.
-Weren't you in Teenage Kix with A-Train? -Yep.
Yeah. Yo, A-Train's really blown up, hasn't he?
-Yeah. -He's doing his thing.
Yeah, he's great. I'm-I'm really happy for him.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
You a fan of the show?
Oh, nah, man. I've never seen it.
-Okay. -You know what I'm a fan of?
Your insider trading.
(exhales)
The way you brushed your hand up against that Wall Street guy?
Brother, that shit right there, now, that was ruthless.
I mean, Vought dropped you like a hot potato afterwards,
which I think is some bullshit, but with the SEC coming...
Who the fuck are you?
Why don't you take a peep and see?
How do you know about Cleo?
There are no secrets from me.
Well, I work for Child Services.
My colleague Tina, she owes me a favor.
See, she, just like I, believe in second chances.
Cut the shit.
I lost custody three years ago.
Nobody believes in second chances
for fuckups like me.
(panting)
(exhales)
She's waiting on you.
Tina. Hey.
-TINA: Hi. -MOTHER'S MILK: It's good to see you.
TINA: Good to see you, too.
Five minutes. Next time you owe me.
MOTHER'S MILK: I do.
Hey, Cleo.
(sniffles)
You remember your old man?
Hi, Charles.
I'm-I'm sorry that, uh...
I'm gonna try and be in your life a little bit more.
Would that be okay?
I guess.
TINA: Okay, Cleo.
We got to get back.
-Bye. -Hey, uh...
I-I just...
I just want to know you don't hate me.
I don't really know you.
Hey, wait, um...
So you can know me a little better.
I don't have a DVD player.
Bye.
Thanks again. I'll call you next week.
Okay. You all right?
(sniffling)
I can see her every month?
One hour, supervised.
You clean?
-I-I can be. -Good.
Who do you want me to read?
What are we doing here?
My wife, Becca, used to hum the Spice Girls.
Drove me round the fucking bend, you know.
All day long,
walking around the house, humming.
She was happy.
Now, fuck know why she was happy with me, but...
she was happy.
Homelander raped her.
Jesus.
I-I'm sorry.
Not long after that, she came and sat right here.
I know this 'cause she got tagged
in that security camera right there.
She sat here for three hours.
Didn't move a muscle.
Then she just got up and walked away.
That was eight years ago.
And nobody's seen her since.
Either Homelander killed her
or she killed herself. Same difference.
You see,
I know what it's like to lose someone.
You and me, we're in this together.
For Robin...
and Becca.
That is why you can't allow yourself
to be distracted by another bird.
Especially not a Supe.
Just remember...
...who your friends
and who your enemies are.
(sniffles)
That is gonna kill somebody when it lands in Boston.
Look, I heard what happened.
I am so, so sorry.
What kind of place did you grow up in?
Well, I moved around a lot,
so, uh, it was a bunch of condos.
So, what if I took you to a house
you'd never seen before, full of photos
of parents you never met,
toys you never played with,
Hardy Boy books that you never read?
And then I asked you
how much all that fake fucking bullshit meant to you?
How would that make you feel?
I wouldn't like that.
I'm really sorry about the blanket.
It never should have been there,
and Randy Set-Dec has already been terminated.
But right now...
we need to finish that tour
and to show how down-to-earth
and ready to serve you are.
And I need you to tell the mother story.
Please.
Please do it for me.
(exhales)
It was actually my mom who dragged me along
to my first Little League practice,
and, uh, pretty soon after that,
I-I just loved the game
more than anything else in the world.
So every year
she would bake me a birthday cake
in the shape of a baseball diamond.
And... oh, I got to tell you, it was perfect.
Perfect.
Everything, down to the last minute details.
Just like her.
MAN: Cut. Perfect. So great.
-So we're done? -Uh, yes.
Great.
MESMER: So...
she can't talk or won't talk?
That's what you're gonna tell us.
Anything in particular you want to know?
-Everything there is to know. -Well, that narrows it down.
Mon coeur.
Will you come?
Have a seat.
It's okay. Have a seat.
Gentle.
-Hmm? -Yeah.
(takes deep breath)
(Mesmer sighs)
(gasps softly)
(grunts)
-(screams) Jesus fucking... -MOTHER'S MILK: Goddamn it.
-Relax! -No.
Everyone relax!
-Just-just go walk it off. -Walk it off?
She broke my fucking wrist!
She didn't intend any harm.
Oh, could have fooled me.
Get out! I'm going to the hospital.
Not till we get what we came for, Mesmer.
-Fuck you! The session's over! -Sit down!
(panting, sobbing)
Okay, listen.
-I was a field medic. -(groans)
Don't look at her. Look at me.
I can patch you up better
than any of those oxy junkies in the E.R.,
or I can break your other wrist. You decide.
(crying)
Good. Now, do you have any bandages or a splint?
No, I don't have a goddamn splint!
(ringtone playing "Ride of the Valkyries")
-(panting) -It's Butcher.
(whispers): Be quiet.
-Butcher. -Where are you?
Shake Shack.
Really?
Fucking magic, that place.
-What'd you get? -ShackBurger,
uh, cheese fries,
-cookie dough concrete. -Sounds good.
Does it taste like lies?
I got your phone linked
to my Find-Your-Shithead-Friends app.
Now, where the fuck are you?
♪ ♪
Yes, this... this is a superhero.
-This is good. -Okay.
-We just keep...? -Yeah, yeah.
Well, people are always asking me, you know,
what it's like to live with my coworkers, and...
the truth is, we're all great friends,
you know, behind the scenes just as much as we are to the...
uh...
Oh, hey, Elena.
-Hey. -This is my friend.
I left a pile of messages for...
Yeah, that's what we are. We're friends.
Can you ask them to turn that off, please?
I'm gonna need five minutes, okay?
(indistinct conversation)
Yeah, we're, uh, doing a reality show.
-That's invasive. -What are you even doing here?
MAEVE: I would never turn up to your work.
-I was worried about you. -I had a bad night.
This Teflon shit, it might work for everybody else,
-but not with me. -Will you keep your voice down?
Just tell me what's going on.
Did you ever think that, um...
...maybe I was just looking for a hookup?
I know you think you know me...
-I used to. -Yeah, used to. I've changed.
Yeah.
I still know you.
-Oh, come on. -Afraid to be seen with me.
Afraid to ask for help.
Just... afraid.
Are you filming, Courtenay?
I told you to turn the fucking cameras off!
We cut... we cut a while ago.
We're setting up a shot for later.
-MAEVE: Fucking bitch. -B-roll on the building.
All right, you can cut it, guys.
FRENCHIE: It's okay.
Everything is okay.
(knocking)
(sighs) Gentlemen.
Wow. Mesmer.
Hello.
Big fan.
Be with you in a minute.
(quietly): Well, now we got to kill him.
No, we don't have to kill him.
Look, we made a deal with the guy.
If he keeps his trap shut, he gets to see his kid.
He's just a dad with his kid.
He's a fucking Supe with a kid.
What the fuck were you thinking, coming here?
-You know better than that. -Sometimes you get further
with people by treating them like people.
BUTCHER: Nice decor.
'80s serial killer. Love it.
All right, then, let's get cracking.
There's a camp in a... in a jungle.
(indistinct voices in distance)
She's a soldier.
There's a-a flag with a two-headed snake on it.
Two-headed snake?
Like...?
Yeah.
-With red rays behind it? -What does that mean?
It's the flag of the Shining Light Liberation Army.
Frenchie...
you're dating a terrorist.
Is this true?
(indistinct chatter, birds chirping)
(takes deep breath)
♪ ♪
(laughing)
Ah.
(man chuckles)
FRENCHIE: There must be more to all of this.
She can't be a terrorist.
Yeah, well, you just fucking keep her under control.
Okay, so they smuggle in
a top-shelf extremist recruit
and pump her up with Compound V.
And then, when she's good and ready,
they cut her loose to wreak havoc.
-She wouldn't. -HUGHIE: Wait.
Why would Vought give Compound V to terrorists?
'Cause the only thing more dangerous than a terrorist
is a Supe terrorist, and the only way to fight it...
Is with Sergeant Fucking Homelander.
Got to let the cunts in the army now.
Those fuckers are creating super villains.
And maybe there's more of 'em, God knows how many.
Holy shit.
Okay, this is a clusterfuck, even for us.
No, listen to me, okay? Maybe that's what they want her to be.
But that's not who she is.
-That's not what she wants. -And you know this
'cause she bends your fucking ear off?
She saved my life! She's not bad.
She just want to go home.
She's a fucking Supe, just like the rest.
How many times do I have to fucking say it, eh?
Mon coeur, I know you understand me.
Please. Please.
Tell them who you are.
Tell them what I see.
No.
(sniffling, panting quietly)
(breath trembling)
The drawings are, uh, palm trees in front of the moon.
It's where she grew up.
-(automatic gunfire) -(woman screams)
(man shouts indistinctly)
They killed her parents.
They kidnapped her and her brother.
Forced them to be soldiers.
(indistinct chatter)
(automatic gunfire in distance)
No, Kimiko...
You eat it.
She just wants to go back and get her brother out of there.
Her name's Kimiko.
Kimiko.
Bonjour, Kimiko.
(Butcher sighs)
All right, take her back to the safe house.
MOTHER'S MILK Where you headed?
I'm gonna go see Raynor.
We've got more than enough to get the Feds on board now.
You tell anyone what you saw or heard here today,
and I'll cut your hands off and shove 'em so far up your ass,
your fingers'll give us a little wave out your throat, yeah?
Fuck off, wanker.
(door opens)
(TV news music plays)
NEWSMAN: Some controversial news today
as the Deep went public with his apology.
DEEP: I realize that my behavior
caused Starlight a great deal of pain,
and I sincerely apologize.
WOMAN: Fuck you, fish dick!
(tires squeal)
Keep speaking your truth!
DEEP: I'm in full support of women
and their ongoing bravery...
BUTCHER: Never got the point of these.
To me, they always looked like Granddad's bollocks
flopping in the wind.
Do you have the Compound V or not?
I've got the Compound V...
proof that Vought's injected babies right across the country,
and... something even more fucking diabolical.
Worse than dosing babies?
Let's just say, with these cunts,
there ain't no rock bottom.
Let's get it to the lab...
Not so fast.
(clicks tongue)
First things first, eh?
A list of your demands.
How in character.
Exorbitant salary. Same for your team.
Office space,
in the Flatiron Building, no less.
Security clearance. Indemnity clause.
Legal protection.
A formal guarantee that Homelander will be prosecuted
under the full extent of the law.
Any of that a problem?
No, gonna pass it up the chain.
And, uh, while they hash it out,
you and I go forward on good faith.
(Butcher chuckles)
I'm fresh out of good faith.
Now, you and I both know
that you can rubber-stamp all of that.
So what's it gonna be...
Deputy Director?
I can give you...
everything you want on this list...
Except?
Except Homelander.
You know what he's done.
(sighs)
I sympathize.
I really do.
-But it's suicide. -Yeah, well,
-that's a small fucking price to pay, isn't it? -Not for you.
For thousands of people if you push him too hard.
You're fucking scared.
I'm fucking terrified.
And you should be, too.
Butcher!
(sighs)
NARRATOR: This small-town girl-next-door
wanted to change the world.
STARLIGHT: Since when did hopeful
and naive become the same thing?
NARRATOR: But the world had other plans.
DEEP: Starlight,
I hope you can forgive me.
NARRATOR: Battered and beaten,
a phoenix rose from the ashes with a message so loud,
so raw, it couldn't come forth as anything less than a roar.
Witness her power.
Hear her truth.
And I'm done taking any more shit.
NARRATOR: Watch her stand up
and fight back for all of us.
Citizen Starlight, coming this fall from Vought.
-♪ You're gonna hear me roar. ♪ -The house always wins.
I'm sorry.
MAN (on TV): While little is known about...
(continues indistinctly)
...the blacktip reef sharks can be found mating
in the summer months
off the coast of Northern Australia.
I know you want to go back to your brother.
But the people who did this to you--
you know, they might be doing it to others.
We can use your help stopping them.
(TV playing in background)
(sighs)
It's your choice.
You give me a nod, and we go to the airport right now.
MAN (on TV): And is following her closely
in hopes of securing a mate.
When the female returns his feelings,
she will swim slowly
in a sinusoidal pattern...
MOTHER'S MILK: No.
Baby, why you want to do me like that?
'Cause if you watch that episode of Downton Abbey,
-then I'm gonna be one behind... -(door opens)
and we're not gonna be able to binge-watch together.
-(door closes) -Just-just hold off
until I get home.
Uhp, there's a fight in the yard, baby.
I got to go. All right.
How'd it go with Raynor?
BUTCHER: No dice.
What?
BUTCHER: Said she got cold feet.
Well, why? Did you tell her everything?
Yeah, I laid it all out, even the sample of V.
Said she couldn't fucking authorize
that kind of action against Vought.
Too much of a risk.
Hmm. Did she?
Fucking spineless cunt.
So we are royally fucked.
No, we ain't.
Fuck 'em.
We don't need 'em.
We got everyone and everything we need right here in this room.
We'll take down Vought ourselves. Yeah?
Yeah.
Where's Hughie?
-(panting) -(line ringing)
TINA: This is Tina Mitchell,
Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
-Leave a message. -(beep)
Tina, um, it's Mesmer.
You met me earlier.
(panting)
Um...
Cleo, uh, didn't really want to see me today.
She was just being polite.
I'm pretty good at reading stuff like that, so...
Um, you-you don't have to-to call me,
um, or any of that anymore.
Just, um... it's-it's okay.
Just... just... please...
uh, look after her.
Thank you.
(panting)
I'm sorry. The, uh, elevator was out.
Um, you... you probably don't remember,
but, um, we've met before.
Oh, I... I would never try and read you.
Let's be clear.
I don't know you,
and I don't want to.
A-Train said that you have some information.
Yeah, we, um... we go back to the Teenage Kix days.
-We-we still keep in touch. -Oh, golly gee shucks.
What makes you think I would give two fucks about that?
Now, do you have something for me or not?
MESMER: Yeah.
He said you were looking for a, um, French guy...
and a black guy...
a skinny white guy,
British guy.
Where are these from?
Shitty little $85 camera I put in my doorbell casing.
I know there's no reward, but I was hoping
you could put in a word for me at Vought?
I'll take any posting.
Uh, low five-figures would be fine.
I just want to be one of the good guys again.
(whooshing)
Oh, that's my phone.
-(crowd chatter) -(music playing)
STARLIGHT: I mean, I don't remember,
but my mom said that when I was born,
I almost blinded the doctor.
So, I had powers from the start.
Why?
No, no, I'm just, uh, curious.
Mm.
Do you mind if we just...
not talk about hero stuff tonight?
Yeah, yeah. Bad day at work?
Yeah. It's an understatement.
You know,
there's this beach in the Bahamas
where the sand is pink,
like, cotton-candy pink.
What's it called?
Pink Sands.
(both laugh)
It's not the most creative name,
but... let's just go.
Yeah. No, I can, uh...
learn how to play the steel drum.
You can get cornrows.
How about tonight?
Book that ticket.
Are... are we talking about this?
I don't know. I...
I just know that,
for me, New York has been such
an endless shit show.
Except for you.
Somehow, in the middle of it all...
...you found me.
BUTCHER: Hughie.
I thought that was you.
Ha. Oh.
Oh, I apologize.
I didn't mean to interrupt.
No. (chuckles)
Hi, I'm Annie.
Billy. Old mate of Hughie's.
Ah, boy, you really...
You have a lot of friends showing up here.
Yeah.
Seems like it.
You're that new girl in The Seven, ain't you?
Guilty.
Wow. It is a pleasure to meet you.
And I must say how marvelous it is
that so many more women are in positions of power.
-You know what I mean? -Mm.
You know, i-if I'm perfectly honest,
Translucent's always been my favorite.
What's he up to?
I think he's on a mission.
BUTCHER: Huh. Yeah, I think I read that, actually.
He's been gone a long time, though, hasn't he?
I do hope he's all right.
You know what?
I'm gonna go... get us a pitcher.
-Ah. -Billy, you like...
Let me guess. Guinness?
-I like what you like. -(both laugh)
All right. Be right back.
-Well, well, well. -Butcher...
She's quite tasty up close and personal.
-I get what you see in her. -That wasn't what...
I thought we had an understanding.
We do. We do.
-It... It's not what... -Not what it looks like?
'Cause from where I'm sitting, it looks like
you've got your tongue halfway down the opposition's throat.
She is not the opposition.
She's a good person, okay?
I mean, she could help us.
-Help us? -Yeah.
And what do you think she's gonna do
when she finds out you murdered Translucent?
When she finds out?
Give her my best.
("Big Shot" by Billy Joel playing)
Where'd your friend go?
♪ Because you had to be a big shot, didn't you? ♪
♪ You had to open up your mouth ♪
♪ You had to be a big shot, didn't you? ♪
♪ All your friends were so knocked out ♪
♪ You had to have the last word, last night ♪
♪ You know what everything's about ♪
♪ You had to have a white hot spotlight ♪
♪ You had to be a big shot last night ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ And they were all impressed with your Halston dress ♪
♪ And the people that you knew at Elaine's ♪
♪ And the story of your latest success ♪
♪ Kept 'em so entertained ♪
♪ Oh, but now you just don't remember ♪
♪ All the things you said ♪
♪ And you're not sure that you want to know ♪
♪ I'll give you one hint, honey ♪
♪ You sure did put on a show ♪
♪ Yes, yes, you had to be a big shot, didn't you? ♪
♪ You had to prove it to the crowd ♪
♪ You had to be a big shot, didn't you? ♪
♪ All your friends were so knocked out ♪
♪ You had to have the last word, last night ♪
♪ So much fun to be around ♪
♪ You had to have the front page, bold type ♪
♪ You had to be a big shot last night, oh ♪
♪ Oh, oh, whoa, whoa-oh ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, whoa, whoa-oh. ♪