The Deep Isn’t So Deep on ‘The Boys’ Anymore

The big picture

• The initial shock factor of The Deep on
  the boys
  revolved around his assault on Starlight in Season 1, but has had no development since then.
• The Deep has become a shallow, one-dimensional comic relief character with little to no progression in later seasons.
• The Deep's identity loss arc lacks the depth and likability seen in other characters, such as A-Train or Ashley.

Over the course of four seasons, the boys has had a lot of great characters, often improving them from the comics or even making them their own. Not all of these characters have adapted gracefully, however, and The Deep (Chace Crawford) has been deliberately denied the kind of arcs given to others. In the first season, he made a big splash with the audience by sexually assaulting Starlight (Erin Moriarty) on its first day, but its story remains in limbo after the scandal resurfaces.

While other characters have increased their complexity in later seasons, TIronically, the Deep has become even shallower, losing its identity and purpose just as its plot became less important to the show itself. Unlike Ashley (Colby Minifie) or Train A (Jessie T. Usher) in Season 4, who both seek to better themselves but are either limited by their circumstances or forced to keep their actions secret, The Deep rarely gets the sympathy or tragedy to make their story worth following . While this may not be the product of bad writing and seems deliberate for a show known for being self-aware, it also makes her character stand out from her more developed contemporaries, and can also be seen as an opportunity lost to make The Deep, well, much deeper.

The Deep made a big splash in 'The Boys' Season 1

Arguably, A-Train literally creates the biggest impact by killing off Hughie's girlfriend, Robin (Jess Salueiro) in the boys', but the second most defining moment during the series premiere happens when Starlight is sexually assaulted by The Deep through coercion. While it remains toned down from the original comic book version, this vile introduction to the Seven proves a foundational moment for Starlight's moral identity. one that comes back to haunt The Deep and its reputation. During most of his scenes, The Deep remains rather one-note in a similar way to most of the Seven. We occasionally get insight into his own insecurities, specifically during the hallucination scene involving his gills and conversations with his therapist, but we very rarely learn more about his struggles.

Even in the first season, there were signs that The Deep wasn't paying enough attention compared to the other members of the Seven. After his exile in Toledo, he has little left to do and his scenes feel like filler in a show with deeply layered plots. While watching A-Train become addicted to Compound V is both unfortunate and endearing for viewers, Thand Deep has no moment of self-reflection while at its lowest point. As Homelander (Anthony Starr), The Deep remains unable to claim responsibility for his actions, but lacks the inherent terror or narcissistic tendencies that make Homelander so memorable as an antagonist.

The Deep has become a pure comic relief character in 'The Boys'

In later seasons, The Deep's flat nature as a character began to stand out as other characters evolved. In season 3, Homelander becomes more unhinged and Maeve (Dominique McElligott) regains his faith in superheroes, while A-Train begins his own road to redemption. Conversely, The Deep has remained largely the same and never progressed as a character. However, it simply goes from relying on one authoritative figure to another, but even that is hardly explored in great detail. During her time in the Church of the Collective, most of her scenes are comedic in nature and revolve around her uneasy marriage. Even after leaving the Church, The Deep has simply switched his allegiance back to Homelander in Season 3, where he becomes an afterthought who doesn't even participate in the final battle.

The growing irrelevance of The Deep has become even more apparent in Season 4, where his growing status as a Homelander sycophant reaches new heights. Unlike previous seasons, however, this time he barely has any scenes to himself, and most of his encounters with other characters say more about them than him. On the very rare occasions that The Deep take the time to reflect on their decisions, they ultimately still play for laughs above all else. Both his conversations with Ambrosius, for example, specifically included Tilda Swinton as a humorous moment on the part of the writers, not dramatic, and his own emotional conflict is handled without the gripping drama that A-Train is simultaneously experiencing.

The lack of a story for The Deep in the boysThe fourth season is also notable for how much the show has grown since then. At this point, Vought now seeks to expand his influence on a political level, as well as world domination itself. With the stakes so high, any journey that The Deep might still follow, if it even happens, will likely feel pointless. In short, any potential development for him would be too little, too late, especially with the boys'last season on the way. Maybe that's the intention, and the Deep is meant to be the only loyal character who stays loyal to Homelander until the end, no matter what. This isn't exactly a horrible writing choice, though it still turns what could have been an interesting character into the shallow archetype Homelander has already noticed.

The Deep has an arc in 'The Boys', but it's anticlimactic

Although he is not as likable as other characters, it would be a mistake to say that The Deep is a completely flat character. On the contrary, hThis story seems to be about the loss of one's own identity, just as it also becomes less important to the plot of the show itself. What little personality The Deep had is now gone, replaced by total loyalty to Vought as he is relegated to marketing material in real life as well as the show. The fact that he was almost forced to do the same thing he originally did to Starlight just as a test, and would have forced it, is the perfect testament to how far his character has fallen.

This all sounds perfect in principle, but here's the problem It's hard to relate to The Deep as a character, and others have already gone through the same arc. In stark contrast to The Deep, Ashley struggles with similar questions of loyalty, but is more sympathetic due to conflicting emotions and issues surrounding the power imbalance in the workplace that women like her often face. Also, he has enough willpower to try to leave and subtly defies Homelander by keeping Maeve's survival a secret, even if he can't afford to risk sabotaging it like A-Train is doing now.

Both characters have shown two very different ways of undermining the leader of the Seven, but The Deep simply doesn't have the fortitude to even attempt a similar move. Since he's already unlikable as a character and doesn't make much of an attempt to change, it may seem almost impossible to root it in the same way A-Train or Ashley have earned the public's respect. With so little conflict, The Deep's arc isn't even tragic compared to Ashley trying to escape but finding herself blocked at every turn. However, the boys he's left us with a major character who has no purpose for himself or others, probably doomed to fade into obscurity, but maybe that's the point.

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