Why That Needle Drop In The Boys Season 3 Finale Is Perfect

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "The Boys" season 3 finale.

There are plenty of stand-out stars that have made their way onto "The Boys" throughout its three-season run. It is easy to single out actors like Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, and Antony Starr as these stand-outs, but it's also important to remember the hard work and dedication that the behind-the-scenes crew brings to the show.

Case in point? Music supervisor Yvette Metoyer, who has served as the show's music supervisor from its very first episode up to the third season's recently-released finale. She's been responsible for a lot of the wonderful needle drops throughout "The Boys," but one song featured in the finale might be the best of them all.

Elton John's discography has long been featured in movies and television shows, but one of his most iconic, 1973's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," had been featured sparingly, although whether or not it's because of royalties is unclear. That is, until now. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" helped close out the third season of "The Boys," which plays after a heartfelt conversation between the Supes formerly known as Starlight and Queen Maeve: Annie January (Erin Moriarty) and Maggie Shaw (Dominique McElligott).

Annie and Maggie have had a strange relationship over the course of the show's three seasons. The more seasoned Supe wasn't exactly the most welcoming to her new teammate back in "The Boys" season 1, telling her to ignore the abuses she's experiencing in order to appear strong. This, in turn, causes tension between them, as Annie thinks Maggie actively wants to protect the Seven — an assumption that turns out to not be entirely accurate.

Despite this tension, the two have slowly but surely grown closer. A lot of this can be attributed to the idea that Maggie is scared of Annie turning out like her: a hardened cynic who is prevented from actually helping people at every turn. After all, they both started their superhero career with a genuine desire to help people, only to have their ambitions whiffed out due to trauma and corporate exploitation.

In a weird, roundabout way, this fear brought them closer together. While never exactly friends, the two of them learned to trust each other because of their shared trauma at the hands of other members of the Seven: Annie was sexually assaulted by The Deep (Chace Crawford), while Maggie has been heavily suggested to have been abused by Homelander (Starr), recently being threatened with the forced extraction of her eggs. Annie and Maggie's relationship ultimately evolves from wariness to alliance and eventually solidarity, even if the road to get there wasn't the smoothest.

It's long been accepted that "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is about leaving behind conventional ideas of celebrity in order to live your true life. In a roundabout way, this is exactly what Annie and Maggie are doing in the season finale. Superheroes are celebrities in the "Boys" universe and are marketed as such, appearing in movies and at all sorts of press events. While the glitz and glam of the superhero industry might seem appealing to outsiders, the two former members of the Seven know that there is a deep-seated darkness that goes unseen.

Because of this darkness, which has become more prominent and celebrated with each episode, Annie and Maggie are doing the bravest thing they can do: leave. Their methods of leaving varied greatly, as Maggie is now presumed dead by the general public and Annie already quit the Seven in "Herogasm." However, the two of them are taking steps to separate themselves from superheroism, with the former moving to a secluded ranch with her on-and-off girlfriend Elena (Nicola Correia-Damude) and the latter officially joining the Boys.

While it's not something that has been given a lot of exposure on the show, Annie and Maggie seemingly had very similar upbringings. Both came from rural areas and worked relentlessly to become a member of the Seven. Annie had previously been known as a contestant at superhero pageants, while Maggie attended Goldolkin University, a Supe-only college sponsored by Vought. They weren't given everything on a silver platter; they put in the grueling work needed to achieve their dreams, even if they seemed inaccessible because of where they lived. Annie likely knew of Maggie's similar upbringing due to being a fan of Queen Maeve, thus creating that unspoken but still palpable understanding of how hard it was to accomplish what they did.

Given how "The Boys" taps into all sorts of sociopolitical commentary, it shouldn't be surprising that there have been instances where the rural backgrounds of these two have been weaponized against them. In the season 3 episode "Barbary Coast," Homelander threatens Annie to not mess with him by threatening to blow up what he calls "that little cousin-f***er hick town that Maeve's from" (as well as the White House, military buildings, and critical infrastructure). Other snide comments have been made about Annie growing up in a small town in the Midwest, particularly in threats made by Homelander threatening to send her back there.

It would be nice if Homelander and the Seven could crumble after Annie's departure and Maggie's supposed death. The problem, however, is that it's not that simple. If Vought is good at anything, it's making sure that any and all lineup changes to the Seven are not explained using the truth. After all, Annie was only selected to join the team because Vought claimed that Lamplighter (Shawn Ashmore) retired of his own accord instead of being forced out.

The fact of the matter is that they are disposable for Homelander and Vought, no matter their popularity or seniority. Starlight and Queen Maeve might be highlighted for just a little bit longer, but will otherwise be forgotten about and replaced by other plucky, aspiring superheroes. While it's likely that the cycle of abuse within the Seven will be repeated, there's also the sinister possibility that the new members will adopt this cycle for themselves, blindly worshipping Homelander so that they can be liked by him.

It would be ignorant to say that the peace that Annie and Maggie feel during these final moments of the finale will last forever. Almost certainly, they will get pulled into another cataclysmic situation in the upcoming fourth season that requires their abilities — whether they still have their superpowers or not. Still, they are currently off the yellow brick road known as Vought's twisted world of superheroes ... for now.

The Elton John needle drop is wonderful not only because the song rocks, but because it perfectly encompasses the relationship between Annie and Maggie. It's so satisfying to see Maggie walk out of that apartment with a smile on her face, despite her injury and her loss of powers, knowing how much she has gone through to get to that point. In a similar vein, it's been cathartic to see Annie's development as she becomes more and more disillusioned with the idea of being a superhero, precisely because of her continued determination to do the right thing.

"The Boys" season 3 is now streaming in full on Prime Video.