In ‘The Boys’, the Deep has been Homelander’s most faithful ally for years. No matter how bad or embarrassing things got, he always returned, hoping for the man, whom he considered to be the centre of his world, to approve of him.
However, in season 5 episode 7, it was finally broken most brutally. Chace Crawford’s The Deep now faces a hard truth: he never loved or respected Homelander at all, the actor says.
Chace Crawford Explains The Deep’s Painful Realization After Homelander’s Betrayal
In discussing the episode, Crawford said the Seven had given Deep life, which is why he’s been hanging around Homelander for several seasons. Despite the loss of friendships, betrayals, and the destruction of the sea life he loved, he felt that loyalty would eventually bring him acceptance.
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“He’s just really desperately clinging onto it, and he has been for the past three seasons. He’s trying to appease Homelander and be a sycophant. He’s just hanging on to the fast life that he’s got and trying not to lose that,” Crawford told SR.
Rather, Homelander tossed him aside like trash. “I think the big realization of that episode is that Homelander doesn’t love him. He’s chasing this ghost of a relationship with him, and he’s been in denial his whole life. It’s finally cracking, and he’s having to face real consequences in real life,” he added.
That emotional breakdown is even more devastating because the Deep truly doesn’t know himself outside the Seven. He’s a man who’s very insecure under all that arrogance and stupidity, who wanted to be validated by a father figure like Homelander.
The actor even went so far as to say Homelander had a “father complex” with the Deep, so many of their scenes are even more tragic now. “To see the cracks in Homelander is probably kind of scary. It’s like seeing your dad be completely humbled and not be The Man all the time.”
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The episode is more of a kick in the teeth, as the Deep is rejected not only by Homelander but by the ocean creatures he was closest to. After a hammerhead shark warns him he’s no longer welcome in the sea, the character is left completely isolated.
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It’s a harsh punishment for years of selfish decisions. One of the most significant moments was when the Deep killed Black Noir to remain on Homelander’s good side. That choice ended up ruining the only significant relationship he had. And now he’s beginning to see that it wasn’t worth it.
Homelander would never care for him as he wished. The narrative is surprisingly effective. Maybe for the first time in ‘The Boys’, the Deep is having to deal with the repercussions of all he’s done, and it seems like the show is leading him down a very dark path.
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