The Boys Has Finally Gifted Us With A-Train's Full-Length Turbo Rush Commercial
"The Boys" Season 3 dazzled critics, in part by doubling down on its social satire. Amazon's anti-superhero superhero show has always been keen on exploring the ways in which its world is not so different from our own, laser eyes and human gills aside. While Season 3 took aim at everything from political corruption to streaming services, some of the show's most scathing critiques were reserved for corporations who pay lip service to social causes while actively undermining those goals behind the scenes. That criticism is emblemized by many of the season's small details, such as the social justice-themed food stands at VoughtLand, the in-universe parallel of Disneyland. But among the show's characters, few represent that kind of hollow pandering to greater effect than A-Train.
Played by Jessie T. Usher, A-Train has been a series regular on "The Boys" since Season 1. In fact, he caused the inciting incident that kicked off the show's events when he used his powers of super speed to accidentally kill Hughie Campbell's (Jack Quaid) girlfriend. In Season 3, the character goes through a transformation. At first, he cynically attempts to rebrand himself as a symbol for the Black community, only to later find that the power structure of Vought prevents him from enacting any real changes he might want, despite the company's willingness to parade his identity around for a quick buck.
One of the most egregious examples of that double standard is the commercial A-Train shoots to promote his own brand of energy drink, Turbo Rush, in Season 3, Episode 4. And now, fans can see the full-length Turbo Rush commercial in all its glory.
A-Train's Turbo Rush commercial is an uproarious Kendall Jenner parody
"The Boys" took to YouTube, releasing the full, two-minute version of A-Train's commercial for Turbo Rush. The fake advertisement is a pitch-perfect parody of a similarly unfortunate promotional spot from several years ago.
In 2017, many Americans felt that a reckoning for racial justice was long overdue. And who better to make that change than a reality star in league with America's third-favorite soft drink? Kendall Jenner was roundly rebuked for a TV commercial where she calms tensions between protesters and police by handing a fresh, cold Pepsi to one of the cops, who was apparently being such a grumpy little Gus only because his thirst wasn't quenched with Pepsi's proprietary blend of carbonated sugar water. Pepsi quickly pulled the ad, but it was too late to remove it from public consciousness. That same week, Saturday Night Live parodied the spot, and as recently as last year, BuzzFeed declared, "Here's Why Kendall Jenner Will Never Escape The Backlash From That Pepsi Commerical."
A-Train's Turbo Rush ad is a nearly beat-by-beat recreation of the unfortunate Pepsi promotion. It begins with A-Train filming a different project when he sees a group of protesters headed downtown. He brushes off his director, telling him, "This is important." Arriving at the protest, he sees a stand-off between protesters and police. Using his super speed, he places himself between a police officer and a woman with a megaphone, then hands the cop a Turbo Rush. Music plays, everyone dances, and A-Train offers a limp, "We gotta listen to each other," into the camera while holding a can of the beverage.
Fans will undoubtedly be thrilled to see the full clip of the hilarious scene, and now, only one question lingers. Where can we get our hands on a can of that peacemaking Turbo Rush in real life?