- "Well, well, well, if it ain't the invisible cunt."
- ―Billy Butcher
| "The Name of the Game" | |
|---|---|
| Series The Boys Season 1, Episode 1 | |
| |
| Air date | July 26th, 2019 |
| Writers | Eric Kripke |
| Director | Dan Trachtenberg |
| Producers | Nick Barrucci; Cory Bird; Anne Cofell Saunders; Garth Ennis; Gabriel Garcia; Evan Goldberg; Hartley Gorenstein; Eric Kripke; Ken F. Levin; Ori Marmur; George Mastras; Neal H. Moritz; Jason Netter; Darick Robertson; Seth Rogen; Craig Rosenberg; Phil Sgriccia; Pavun Shetty; Rebecca Sonnenshine; Michaela Starr; Dan Trachtenberg; James Weaver |
| Starring | Karl Urban; Jack Quaid; Antony Starr; Erin Moriarty; Dominique McElligott; Jessie T. Usher; Laz Alonso; Chace Crawford; Tomer Capon; Karen Fukuhara; Nathan Mitchell; Elisabeth Shue |
| Episode guide | |
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"The Name of the Game" is the title to the first episode from season one of the Amazon Original series The Boys. It was directed by Dan Trachtenberg with a script written by Eric Kripke. The episode premiered on Amazon Prime on July 26th, 2019. The world is populated by Superhuman beings... but they ain't all heroes. In fact, the majority of them are murderous psychopaths. After electronics store clerk Hughie Campbell suffers a devastating tragedy in his life, he finds himself drawn into the world of one mister Billy Butcher - a man obsessed with bringing down the Supes - no matter the cost. Meanwhile, Annie January realizes her life's dream as she is inducted into the premiere superhero team, The Seven. She quickly learns however, that membership may require more than what was written on the brochure.
Cast[]
Starring[]
Note: Listings marked with a (†) symbol indicate cast members who are credited in this episode, but their character does not make an appearance.
Guest Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Simon Pegg | Hugh Campbell |
| Alex Hassell | Translucent |
| Shaun Benson | Ezekiel |
| Ann Cusack | Donna January |
| Colby Minifie | Ashley Barrett |
| Jaden Martin | Jamie |
| Jess Salgueiro | Robin |
| Bruce Novakowski | Doug Friedman |
| Paulino Nunes | Mayor of Baltimore |
Co-Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jack Mosshammer | Gary |
| Deshay Padayachey | X-ray tech |
| Aldrin Bundoc | Bodega clerk |
| Scott Baker | Big Game |
| Brendan Shoreman | Security guard |
| Jaiden Cannatelli | Mason |
| Anton Gillis-Adelman | Benjy |
| Kamil Orzechowski | Desperate thief #1 |
| Nneka Elliott | Female news anchor |
| Gary Grennan | National Defense Expert |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Boys was created by writer Garth Ennis and artists Darick Robertson & Tony Aviña. They were introduced in the first issue of The Boys ongoing comic book series published by DC Comics under their WildStorm Productions imprint. Following issue #6, publication of the series transferred over to Dynamite Entertainment, who completed the run for a seventy-two issue count.
- This episode is rated TV-MA. It contains scenes of graphic violence, adult content and strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.
- This is the first episode of the series; first TV appearances of all characters.
- This is the only episode of The Boys from season one directed by Dan Trachtenberg. He is also known for directing the 2016 sci-fi/thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane as well as the "Playtest" episode of the British anthology series Black Mirror.
- This is the first of two episodes from season one of the series written by Eric Kripke. His next episode is "Cherry". After that, he write the season two premiere, "The Big Ride".
Allusions[]
- A-Train's accidental murder of Robin is adapted from The Boys #1. The scene played out exactly the scene, including Hughie holding Robin's severed arms, but it took place in Scotland, not New York City.
- Billy Butcher compares recruiting Hughie to the red bill/blue pill scenario from The Matrix, which was a 1999 sci-fi action film by The Wachowskis starring Keanu Reeves, which dealt with the subject of virtual reality.
- In this episode, The Deep forces Starlight to perform fellatio on him. In The Boys #3, which was Starlight's first appearance, it was actually Homelander who blackmailed her, forcing her to fellate himself as well as A-Train and Black Noir.
Quotes[]
- Billy Butcher: Well, well, well, if it ain't the invisible cunt.
....
- Billy Butcher: This is like that scene in The Matrix. Now, you could take the fucking red pill, right? Spend the rest of your life jacking off, crying into your chai tea green latte, what the fuck. Or... you could take the blue pill. Or is it the red pill? Anyway, take the other pill and quit being a cunt.
....
- Robin: Hi. I'd like to make an appointment for you to come over and lay some cable.
- Hughie Campbell: Okay. Uh... oh, Robin. Oh, dear, dear, Robin. Um, that doesn't mean what you think it means.
- Robin: Um, "laying cable" means sex.
- Hughie Campbell: No, "laying pipe" means sex. "Laying cable" means you want me to come over your house and just take a big, old shit.
....
- Translucent: So who are you? Fucking spy? For who? Huh? You're gonna fucking tell me, or I'm gonna smash your fucking scalp off! Who the fuck are you?
- Billy Butcher: I'll tell you who you are. A fucking moron. "Translucent" doesn't even mean "invisible." It means "semi-transparent."
Body Count[]
- Robin - 'Sploded when A-Train ran through her.
- Steve - One of many passengers killed when Homelander destroys airplane.