Season 3, Episode 6 of The Boys, entitled “Herogasm,” pushed a lot of limits by showcasing things like an icicle dildo, taser nipple clamps, and an appearance by the supe M.M. (Laz Alonso) dubbed “Love Sausage.” However, one scene, in particular, was almost too much for Amazon executives, according to showrunner Erik Kripke.
The scene in question involved an octopus performing oral sex on Chase Crawford‘s The Deep. In a recent interview with TV Line, Kripke further explained Amazon’s reaction to the shocking scene.
“We had a lot of discussion this season about the scene with Deep and the octopus,” Kripke said. “For some crazy reason, Standards has a policy against bestiality. They’re so uptight, really. The discussion of that scene and how we pulled off that scene actually triggered a lot of alarm bells at a lot of different levels at Amazon because you’re not supposed to show people f–king animals, and I get it.”
Ultimately, the scene made it into the episode, thanks to some convincing by Kripke. “My pitch to them was always like it’s so absurd [that] it wouldn’t be out of place in a Farrelly brothers movie,” he said. “So it’s hard to call it prurient bestiality. It’s ridiculous. To my knowledge, I don’t even think octopi have orifices down there. So there was a lot of discussion of like what are the shots, and what can we do and what can we get away with?”
“Herogasm,” which premiered on Prime Video on June 24, 2022, was based on a spin-off miniseries of The Boys comic book by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, and Keith Burns. Featuring six issues in total, Herogasm centered around an annual orgy for Vought’s superheroes. The spin-off series was originally released in 2009.
The Boys originally premiered on July 26, 2019, on Prime Video and quickly became one of the most successful original programs on the streaming service. Based on a comic series of the same name by Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys is well-known for pushing the limits when it comes to violence and debauchery. The series features a stacked cast, including Alonso, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Anthony Starr. Other cast members on The Boys have included Aya Cash, Elisabeth Shue, and Jensen Ackles.
The Boys is available for streaming on Prime Video with the Season 3 finale set to ddrop on July 8.