The wait was over yesterday. The last episode of “The Boys” has debuted on Amazon Prime Video. A massive, ridiculously violent story in 7 years. Fans expected chaos. Eric Kripke had some serious carnage on display. However, this morning, it’s a different discussion. The jaw-dropping twists aren’t the only thing people are now talking about. They have a dispute over the law.
The end was a bloodbath. Billy Butcher and his gang infiltrated the White House. Homelander was in the Oval Office, primping himself as a literal god. Then the trap sprang. Kimiko dispatched Homelander’s power via her new skills. Now he was simply a plain, normal man. Butcher didn’t hesitate. He picked up a crowbar and punched it through Homelander’s head. And he did it while the cameras were rolling. A broadcast of a particularly gruesome execution that was broadcast live to the whole of the fictional nation.
It was an unexpected TV show. Later Hughie had to shoot Butcher in order to prevent a global biological terror attack. Frenchie passed away a tragic death from radiation poisoning. Sea creatures devoured the Deep to pieces. Oh Father, his head had been blown open! The amount of killing was overwhelming—even in the sick sense of the show.
Pushing The Legal Boundaries
Things get complicated here. The show has always hid behind the shield of satire. It ridiculed celebrity cultism, corporate greed and right-wing fascism. No one could have foreseen how much reception a well-illustrated, get-to-the-point attack on the White House would get in an environment like today’s politics.
Lawyers groups are issuing a warning about the law. The days of public order are extremely delicate ones. You have a gigantic international broadcast channel broadcasting the assassination of a president. You are in charge of characters who are actively conspiring to unleash the Godolkin virus, a bio-weapon that is meant to destroy a targeted population of people. Some legal experts are saying this is an important line to cross. The question is one that is easy. When does dark political satire become a threat to public order?
In the U.S. the First Amendment does not only protect the real, but nearly all fiction. However, Prime Video is streamable globally. There are very strict laws in different countries with regards to what can be displayed on screens. Laws on matters of public decency and incitement of violence.
The Public Order Debate
Examine the details of the ending. It’s a very disturbing image. A populist leader who was killed by beating with a flatter instrument in the seat of government power. The threat of a terrorist attack using radiation weapons. It’s no longer a superman-clichéd concept. These are anxieties in a package that is supposed to be fun.
Attorneys versed in the broadcasting standards continue to follow closely. In some countries around the world other than America, officials may censor material if they feel it could lead to disorder and/or rioting. A show that encourages the destruction of government institutions by force is in a very grey area. The defense never changes. It is based off a comic book written by Garth Ennis. It’s completely made up.
Yet, the acting was too believable in “Blood and Bone. Lacking the “goofy and over the top” campiness you’d find in previous seasons. The end of Butcher’s life was sad and funny. He was making the decision to kill in the mass if he chose to use the supe-killing virus. It was not a celebration of it. Hughie could only prevent a genocide by literally killing his mentor. But, it’s the raw portrayal of such acts that has politicians and conservative groups enraged. It is their template for anarchy.
Lets get a Headache For Streaming Giants.
Amazon had no doubt about what they were investing. It took them millions of dollars to make the blood look real! They purchased the marketing billboards, and they hyped it. Now it’s a matter of their lawyers handling the consequences.
There’s been a lot of freedom enjoyed by streaming platforms. This is a script that traditional tv networks would never touch. The regulatory boards would destroy it without hesitation! However, streaming is in a huge legal gray area. They use age appropriateness and warning labels. A “18+” badge should remove any moral and/or legal responsibility from the platform. Now critics are saying that’s not sufficient anymore. A warning label is just about as funny as a show that portrays domestic terrorism on such a grand scale.
There are opinions battling everywhere on social media these days. The climax of the series is being hailed by half the internet as the best modern TV show ever. The other half is really troubled. The discussion is gaining momentum in the hour.
The Fallout Begins
No one is hoping Amazon is going to cancel the episode. It’s already available in the wild. It was viewed by millions of people until 3 AM on Wednesday. This is served by the servers. The Boys’ saga has now officially come to an end.
However, this ending could have left a legacy that was not the story itself. It could be the precedent it sets within the law. It’s an important test for digital broadcasting legislation. This incident will be a talking point for lawmakers. They would like more restrictions on the content that can be streamed. They wish that violence against the state institutions be portrayed according to strict rules. The apocryphal battle between Billy Butcher and Homelander could be over. The battle for censorship, public order and the boundaries of satire, however, are far from over.
