The Deep’s fresco obsession explained

The fresco The boys Gag is a weird ongoing joke in the superhero series that surrounds the character of The Deep. To the public, The Deep is a useless male model of a superhero, more concerned with Instagram likes and his hairstyle than saving lives. Behind closed doors, he is much worse, forcing Starlight to perform a sexual act on him to keep her job. The Deep is publicly exposed as a predator and quietly moves away from the Seven to a small town with minimal crime as punishment which is when The boys Fresca joke begins.

in The boys Season 2, The Deep joins a cult. Now indoctrinated by the team’s community, The Deep is encouraged to confront his self-esteem issues And earn back his place in the seven. Deep is accompanied on his journey of self-discovery by Eagle the Archer and Carol, and the trio delight in doing some soul-searching over a cool, refreshing can of Fresca. The fresco references in The boys Season 2 are so blatant and repetitive, it’s natural to imagine that there must be some significance behind them.

Eric Kripke says the Boys Fresca plot point is a joke

The drink exactly represents what a cult member would drink

The official word on The boys Fresca’s inclusion comes from showrunner Eric Kripke who says it’s nothing more than a joke. Talk to CinemablendKripke said that The writing team were trying to imagine what alcohol-free cult members would drinkAnd Fresca was the lucky winner, gradually turned into a running joke when the community of the team are on screen.

Taking the showrunner at his word, the fresca joke could be seen as a riff on the “drink the kool-aid” trope. When someone buys into a conspiracy or cult, they are said to be “Drink Kool-Id“And the community of the team’s obsession with fresco may be The boys‘ own spin on the familiar phrase. The term “Kool-Aid” comes from the real Jim Jones cult, where the self-righteous minister led his followers into the desert, and he let them drink poisoned Kool-Aid, all of them dying.

What the Boys’ Fresca joke could really mean

It may represent “Kool-Aid” or it may be drugged

The boys Fresca joke isn’t the first random, unexplained running gag in the series. When Butcher and the Gang first debuted in 2019, season 1 included a fly prominently placed in several episodes, buzzing around the main cast. While Kripke rejected the insect as an excerpt that was included in the final draft for the comedy. Value, it has emerged as one of many The boys Fan theories with speculation that there is more to the fly, possibly an Ant-Man style superhero that keeps Vought’s enemies at bay.

Fresca seems to be The boys Season 2’s fly – something that could be an inconsequential in-joke or a tease to a future storyline. Heading into theory territory, perhaps the Deep is unknowingly involved in a Truman Show-esque reality series. Vogt may have sidelined Kevin from the Seven, but they would still be looking to make a profit from their biggest aquatic superhero. Tiff may be caught in an elaborate hidden camera deception, with Eagle and Carol willing participants.

In this setup, the running fresca joke could be product placement in the show, which Should be called “deep undercover.” Alternatively, perhaps the team’s community leadership is lacing Fresca with a drug to make their new recruits more compliant. The Deep seems to waver between skepticism and unquestioning devotion in The boys season 2, and Fresca could explain why, making him more susceptible to the insane teachings of his new cult friends.

The Boys Season 3 has the idea that fresco means nothing

Erik Kripke dismisses any old meaning

The boys Fresca bit may have been a big part of season 2 of the show, but season 3 suggests that it really was a meaningless joke. The show seems to have dropped this joke in season 3 with no mention or appearance of Fresca. In fact, the church of the team is no longer a significant part of the show as the Deep left the church to return to the seven.

In a way, the storyline suddenly dropped makes perfect sense. The deep is the kind of person who would surrender to a new religion only until he got what he wanted and quickly moved on. This may mean that the community of the team will no longer be in The boys And that the fresco mystery will remain unsolved. However, it may also be for the best as the jokes last long enough that it is still a fun and funny element of the show and not so long that it becomes distracting.

Even the cast boys don’t understand the fresco joke

The case seems confused as to what fresco was important

Even more uncomfortable is the fact that the show’s cast doesn’t understand why The boys Fresca gag is supposed to mean. It may be that Kripke’s explanation of the joke is really that simple, but the workshops are also waiting with a certain trepidation for the other shoe to drop. Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight, said:

“I think we’re all waiting for like, ‘Okay, they’re going to tell us what the fresco is about. We will get there.’ What about Fresco?“(by CBR).

Likewise, Crawford has admitted that even he doesn’t know what the fresco is really supposed to mean. This is another layer on which the joke works perfectly; With even the actors uncertain about it, Fresca can continue to be a humorous and mystifying presence in The boys Season 3 and for the foreseeable future.

Only time will tell whether the fresco references in The boys Season 2 and beyond are a harmless joke, or whether there is a deep meaning that Kripke is trying not to spoil. In the meantime, it’s certainly fun to speculate about the cult future of the Deep, and Fresca themselves benefit from the extra exposure – although whether they are happy to be associated with the community of the team is another matter.

Fresca meaning nothing is perfect for a show like the boys

The boys have many little jokes like this

The boys is more than just a superhero satire. The series, and the comics it is based on, is a satire of the world in general. The idea of ​​a major corporation using a superhero team as a marketing tool, and having its hands deep in the United States governing policies, ​​seems all too real. However, with all the issues and fun that the show pokes into the world, it makes sense that there would be just as many silly, meaningless jokes added along the way. The repeated fly in season 1 is just one example.

There are also other repetitive jokes, with the biggest being Homelander’s milk obsession. What started as Homelander’s creepy obsession with Madeline and her breast milk turned into ridiculous moments, including one of him with an actual cow in a barn. Much like with the fresco, Madalyn The boys Showrunner Erik Kripke just calls it a funny joke, and one that has no real meaning as something they add to the show to entertain fans who find it funny.