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The Boys star Tomer Capon says Season 2 brings us closer to 'the real Frenchie'
Behind the veneer of his encyclopedic weapons knowledge and romantic accent, The Boys' Frenchie (played by Tomer Capon) is a very haunted man. In Episode 6 of Season 2 ("The Bloody Doors Off"), fans got to learn more about the character's backstory and how his decision to save a friend from a drug overdose helped result in the deaths of Mallory's (Laila Robbins) grandchildren. While his teammates agree that he wasn't at fault, Frenchie (real name: "Serge") plainly states that he doesn't want to be forgiven and even apologizes to Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) for trying to "save" her.
"He’s really, really looking for himself — he’s really kind of lost, I think, in Season 1," Capon told a group of journalists when SYFY WIRE visited the show's Toronto set last year. "He’s trying to hang on to whatever he can get ... I do feel that now, Frenchie is cleaning up and trying to find himself again and taking responsibility. Again, all of that is happening in this crazy roller coaster that is The Boys in Season 2. It’s hard to get yourself together when you’re flying up and down and biting stuff and stuff bites you."
In the original comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Frenchie is a little more of a mystery. Even when he does talk about himself and his background, you get the sense that he's not always being entirely truthful.
"In the comic book, I feel [like] he’s telling this crazy story to you about his past, and I feel like he lied," Capon said. "Like he was definitely lying, he was f***ing with [Hughie] ... And I feel like he’s lying the whole way through. He’s just telling him sh** because he heard M.M. tell [Hughie] his origin story before. That’s an interesting thing I think we saw a little bit of in Season 1. He is f***ing around a little, and we don’t get to really figure out, ‘What is this thing?’ I think in Season 2, there’s a big bridge for me and for the character to reveal to the audience. Who he is and what his motives [are]."
The actor (a native of Israel) also described his character as "the troubled teenager of the group" before adding, "Every teenager needs a father, and Butcher [played by Karl Urban] has his hands full with a lot of things this season. Revelations are crazy in terms of what’s going on with him, and that makes Frenchie grow up really, really fast. Everybody is starting to take on responsibility and bringing their game up to survive, which is interesting."
Even after removing such a guilty weight off his chest, Frenchie doesn't feel free of the burden that he let Mallory and the Boys down. That said, he can start to heal after facing his demons (personified by Shawn Ashmore's Lamplighter) head-on.
"In Season 1, he was down, he was out," Capon said. "He wasn’t the real Frenchie. He’s getting there. The Boys complete him and it’s happening. That’s what I think is so beautiful about the show in terms of the Boys and every story for every character. We are doing, with the audience, the journey together of the Boys. I guess it’s like this is their biggest, most important moment in life for them in terms of their mission. It’s happening right now, and I feel like we’re seeing it together and revealing it together."
When Episode 6 ended, Lamplighter had forged a shaky ceasefire with the Boys, having helped them escape from the phallic horrors at Sage Grove, but who knows how long that uneasy peace will last?
"Lamplighter sort of gets put between a rock and a hard place between Vought, The Seven, and the Boys. And so, he has to ... I don't know if 'choosing sides' is the right word, but he makes a decision based on his own sort of survival — to go with one faction and one side [over] the other. So I guess you can tell what side he goes with," Ashmore said in a separate interview. "And there's a very strained alliance between the Lamplighter and the Boys. Clearly, some of the members, Frenchie and [Mother's Milk], f***ing hate Lamplighter — and Mallory [hates him too], obviously. But again, there's a bunch of different tendrils and threads working so that there's this forced alliance and everybody gets something out of this deal, so he ends up aligning with the Boys."
Episodes 1-7 of The Boys Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video. The eighth and final installment drops next Friday (Oct. 9). Aisha Tyler (Archer) is hosting a special aftershow for all eight episodes. A third season has already been ordered, with Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) set to appear as the Captain America-esque Soldier Boy, who, according to Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), was the result of sadistic Nazi experimentation.
For more of SYFY WIRE's set coverage of The Boys' second season, check out the stories below:
- The Boys' cast had a bloody good time shooting an exceptionally biting Season 2
- Where do The Boys go from here? Laz Alonso and Karen Fukuhara talk growth and 'soulmates' in Season 2
- Erin Moriarty explains Starlight's 'little acts of defiance' in The Boys Season 2
- Is Black Noir The Boys' version of Batman? The guy who plays him says it's not that simple
- Shedding some light on Lamplighter: A fiery primer for Shawn Ashmore's The Boys debut
