The Boys' Chace Crawford Was Afraid One Of The Deep's Best Scenes Would Get Cut
"The Boys" is a show that could have easily gone wrong many times, a disaster in the making that somehow became not only the best superhero show on TV (outside of "Legends of Tomorrow"), but one of the best TV shows in recent years.
This is in part due to the meticulous balance of tones in the story. The over-the-top gore, sex, and violence could easily risk veering into glorification, yet it is always in service of a biting satire. In this way, the show is a vast improvement over the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic, because "The Boys" TV show never forgets that the violence is not supposed to be cool — because all superheroes are bad. Add in timely social and political commentary and you get a rather special and unique superhero story.
And yet, it is still a deeply weird, absurd, and funny show that uses its over-the-top violence in smaller, comedic ways, too. Take the character of The Deep, who starts out committing heinous crimes while becoming the comic relief of the show. Every one of his interactions with marine life is hilarious, and also so cartoonishly violent that even actor Chace Crawford thought one of his best scenes in season 1 would get cut.
Speaking with Esquire, Crawford talked about the scene where Deep frees a dolphin from a SeaWorld-like theme park, before being forced to brake abruptly — which causes the dolphin to fly through the windshield and die under the wheels of a trailer. "Everyone was kind of like, 'I don't know if this is going to work,'" Crawford said. "I was afraid it was going to get cut. So I'm like, 'I'm just going to go for this thing.'"
RIP Timothy
Despite Crawford's fears, he knew the scene was special based on the reactions from the crew operating the dolphin and shaking the van. "I look over and they were just dying laughing," he said. "I knew I was on to something, so I just ran with it." In the end, the scene did make it to the show, and we are all better for it.
The Deep is the secret MVP of "The Boys," a character we love to hate because of how grounded and real his evil is. He is not overpowered and cartoonishly evil Homelander, but a loser who abuses his power. And that is scarier. And yet, Deep is also a giant idiot, and everything goes wrong for him, which makes it delightful to watch him. It's easy to see why he is the writers' favorite character.
Of course, The Deep is a clear parody of Aquaman, and also a deranged twist on his friendly portrayal in the show "Superfriends," a kind of Aquaman who just keeps killing every sea creature he comes across. This resulted in one of the best subplots of the show — Deep's relationship with the octopus Timothy, who Homelander later forced Deep to eat alive. It is one of the most grotesque scenes in all of the show, and a scene that ruined pancakes for Crawford. Still, Timothy is not forgotten, as Deep later created the Timothy Foundation to honor his friend.