The Hughie Prop Detail In The Boys That Just Doesn't Make Any Sense
For the most part, while watching The Boys, we experience the darker, bloodier reflection of DC and Marvel's universes through the eyes of everyman Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid). Hughie begins his time on The Boys as much of a fan of the supes working for Vought International as anyone else. That changes, of course, when he experiences the consequences of their neglect firsthand. But while critics and audiences alike seem to love The Boys, there's one detail about Hughie's journey from fanboy to supe-hunter that still bothers some fans.
First, a refresher: Hughie winds up on the radar of Vought and the ruthless Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) after the death of his girlfriend Robin (Jess Salgueiro) in The Boys' premiere episode, when she is unlucky enough to be right in the path of the speedster supe A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), leaving a cloud of blood, bone, and hands where she once stood. Not long after, it seems clear Hughie is understandably suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after his experience. While in a bodega, Hughie suffers a panic attack triggered by images of A-Train he can't seem to escape. He's already breathing heavy when he turns away from pictures of the speedster on six-packs of beer, only to find himself staring at drawings of the supe on boxes of "Frosted A-Trains" cereal. There's a photo stand-in of the supe, an ad for "A-Train Celebra" on the store wall, and finally Hughie is confronted with A-Train's face on the cover of the magazine the cashier is reading. He finally collapses on the shelves behind him, hyperventilating as he lowers to the floor.
Considering what he's been through, Hughie's reaction makes sense — but going forward, there's a detail that seems to make a lot less sense.
Why does Hughie still have A-Train collectibles, after that?
Two episodes later, in "Get Some" — shortly after the death of Translucent (Alex Hassell) — Hughie returns home to freshen up. As he's changing his clothes, he takes notice of the A-Train bobblehead still sitting on his dresser. He slowly surveys his room, noticing the posters of The Seven and other assorted memorabilia around his room. Starting with the bobblehead, Hughie goes on a brief tear — destroying his beloved collectibles and ripping down the posters.
The question on a lot fans' minds is, understandably, why does it take Hughie so long to throw that stuff out? It isn't clear exactly how much time passes between Robin's death and Hughie's bedroom "redecoration," but it's been days, if not weeks. Not only would you naturally expect someone to immediately get rid of any collectibles representing the man who killed a loved one, but in the premiere episode, we see that Hughie suffers a panic attack just by seeing images of A-Train ... yet, two episodes, later he still has an image of the supe on his dresser? That's not just strange — it's dangerous.
So yeah, on the face of it, it is a little weird that Hughie still has the A-Train bobblehead three episodes in. While there doesn't seem to have been any official explanation for what seems to be a discrepancy, we think there could be a fairly reasonable explanation. Ironically, the reason Hughie might still have the figurine may be the same reason it seems weird for him to have the figurine — the trauma.
Is there any reason why Hughie wouldn't throw away the bobblehead sooner?
Here's a possibility: The bedroom rampage scene is likely meant to act as a mirror to Hughie's panic attack scene in episode 1. A lot happens to Hughie between those two scenes, and his bedroom tear reflects that. Since his panic attack in the bodega, he has seen the inside of a decadent supes night club, infiltrated the Seven Tower at Butcher's behest, been attacked in his place of work by Translucent — and not long before the bedroom scene, he murders Translucent. In a very real sense, the Hughie who collapses in the bodega is not the same guy who trashes his own bedroom in "Get Some." While an image of A-Train causes him to have a panic attack in episode 1, by episode 3, an image of the same guy triggers him to lash out and destroy.
As to why he doesn't throw out the bobblehead sooner? That's a tougher question to answer, but if you dig deep enough it might not be that strange.
In spite of being somewhere in his mid-twenties, Hughie still lives at home with his father (played by Simon Pegg). His bedroom is the same one he grew up in. He's lived there for decades and when you spend enough time in a place, the specific details tend to blur into the background. It could very well be that while he knew, in the back of his head, that the bobblehead was in his room, it isn't until "Get Some" that he consciously notices it.
Plus, let's remember, the guy has been through a lot. While on one hand you might understandably ask "Why would you still have an A-Train bobblehead around after he killed your girlfriend?," a reasonable response might very well go along the lines of, "While coping with the violent death of a partner, why would you think anyone would care what bobbleheads they have sitting around?"