The Boys season 3 episode 3 spoilers follow.
Sometimes, The Boys uses absurd shock tactics to comment on issues that are actually quite important. For example, season two went in hard on themes around misogyny and body dysphoria using extreme violence and yep, talking gills. But sometimes, shock tactics are just that; moments designed to freak us out and get us talking.
Case in point, the moment in season three, episode three, where The Deep maintains eye contact with an octopus while making love to his girlfriend. "You're so fucking wet," he says, but we know that he's not really talking about the woman he's gone deep in. The giveaway being a moment later when Chace Crawford's character says, "Jerk me off with all your arms!"
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That line in particular raised an eyebrow or two, both in the bed, and also for us watching back home. Because that's a lot, even for a character who's based on the "fish-fucking" hero, Aquaman (at least, if Peacemaker is anything to go by).
Given the special connection that The Deep has clearly developed with said octopus, you'd expect to see them connect again later on. But who would have guessed that this connection would go so wrong, so fast, just a few scenes later in the same episode. And no, we don't even mean in a sexual way either, although there is a lot of mouth action involved.
To re-assert his power over The Deep after inviting him back into the fold, Homelander sets out a special welcome meal that's exclusively made up of seafood AKA The Deep's best buds (and perhaps even lovers too...)
Oysters are devoured and lobsters are cracked open in a gross cacophony of sucking, slurping noises which would be too much for anyone, let alone someone who actively wants to have sex with molluscs.
Homelander, of course, knows exactly what he's doing. But he doesn't stop there, because what kind of monster would he be if he didn't? So then out comes the "special dish", a live octopus, and yes, it is the same one that The Deep eye-fucked while physically fucking his girlfriend.
It turns out that this delicacy is actually called Timothy, but Homelander doesn't care about that. And he doesn't care that Timothy is The Deep's "friend" either, because "Timothy is fucking delicious." Of course, our aquatic hero does everything he can to try and wriggle his way out of it, but Homelander is determined to see Timothy wriggle into his mouth, and given the power dynamics at play, The Deep has no choice.
Even his girlfriend urges him to "eat the fucking octopus", and whether that's out of jealousy or just a desire to see them both progress at Vought, The Deep ends up agreeing to her demand. "I'm so sorry," he then cries as Timothy jerks back with all his tentacles — which is the opposite of what he wanted when it came to all those little arms and any other kind of jerking motion.
Timothy sends out one last prayer, according to The Deep, and then he's in, getting chewed up in The Deep's mouth. Seafood can be an aphrodisiac, they say, but when Timothy's ink sac explodes all over his face, it's pretty far removed from the climax that either party was hoping for.
Well, except for Homelander. He was loving it, no doubt.
But what about Chace Crawford? He's the one who had to eat Timothy, after all.
"It was not as intense as it looked," Chace admits in our exclusive talk. "There was a lot of acting that went into that. But still, yeah, it was very…" Delicious? Disgusting, perhaps?
"It was amazing," says Chace, although he's specifically referring to the VFX team and their work at this point.
"There were different octopi, different little Timothys," continues Crawford. "There were mochi legs. One had some sugar stuff coming out of it – a maple syrup type of thing. But there was one where they just had these little taped… they had strings attached to my face. Someone was down there, pulling my face. It was so bizarre, dude."
That sounds like a lot of work, but the whole thing didn't take as long to shoot as Chace expected it to. "I think we nailed it in a couple of takes, for each little setup. And that was it. But it was gross. I saw some of the dailies, and it was intense."
Looking back, it's easy to explain this "gross, intense" scene away as just another excuse to shock fans who have grown numb to exploding wangs and awkward hand-jobs. But to be fair, there's more to this than just a sentient being begging for his life while in the throes of being eaten.
That might not be a huge consolation for Timothy's children, who he reminds The Deep of just moments before his death, but as a viewer, this all says a lot about the power dynamic between Homelander and The Deep, not to mention how fucked up they both are.
So yes, we're all collectively freaked out, and yes, this scene has got us talking, but crucially, it also says a lot about manipulation and abuse in the workplace. And fish fetishes, for that matter, too.
The Boys seasons 1 and 2 are available to watch in full on Amazon Prime Video. Season 3 starts on June 3 with three episodes, and then rest of the season will air weekly every Friday.
![The Boys season 1 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1622816412-514ttJQYciL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Boys season 1 [DVD]")
![The Boys season 02 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1622816977-51OM9Coe2LS._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Boys season 02 [DVD]")
Dynamite Entertainment The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
Funko Pop! The Boys - Homelander levitating Funko Pop! figurine
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
