The Season 2 Detail That Makes No Sense To The Boys Fans
Hughie (Jack Quaid) on Amazon's The Boys has been through a lot. In the first episode of the series, he watches his girlfriend get turned into a puddle of blood and guts after A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) runs into her at full superhuman speed. From there, he gets recruited by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), who's on the warpath to take down Supes and Vought International all in one go.
Hughie goes through a lot over the course of the first season, learning how to properly fire a gun and to seek out his own happiness by pursuing a relationship with Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty). By the end of season 1, Hughie may not have the same "shoot them all and take names later" mentality as Billy, but he's coming into his own nicely... or at least, some fans think so.
Based on a recent Reddit thread started by u/Terrible__Ted, it seems as though some fans think Hughie had some inconsistencies of character during season 2.
Some fans don't understand why the Boys went out in public after making a big deal about being seen
Redditor u/TheIfritSun points out, "Hughie did have some growth/inner voice inconsistencies in S2," before going on to explain, "Biggest inconsistency to date is the fact that we start out with him sneaking out for an intricate rendezvous on the subway, under high stress of being seen only to say f*** it a few episodes later, and all the boys hit the street like it owes them money."
When season 1 ended, the Boys became fugitives of the law; it's why they spend so much time in season 2 stuck in a basement. When Hughie does breach the surface in the second season premiere, he's careful about revealing his face too much and only meets with Starlight in a subway where their phones can't be traced. In the next episode, the Boys have zero qualms about making a huge ruckus in the streets to take in Kenji (Abraham Lim). A little while after that, Hughie, Starlight, and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) go on a road trip to learn more about former Supe Liberty. They grab a bite to eat and stay at a hotel, not really caring about being seen.
It feels like an oversight, with Hughie wanting to keep a low-profile initially only to do away with it almost immediately. Other fans try to offer a possible explanation, with one chiming in, "The second season showed [Hughie] as a weathered man beaten into submission by pain and loss. He wanted to be the leader the team needed with [Butcher] gone but he did not know how." With this explanation, it makes a bit more sense seeing Hughie change beliefs so quickly because he's trying to adapt to each new situation, which leads to inconsistencies.
Hughie's been through a lot, and the end of season 2 of The Boys saw him wanting to better the world in a more legal manner by getting a job with Congresswoman Neuman. We'll just have to wait until season 3 to see how Hughie continues to adapt to ever-changing dangers.