[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 3 finale of The Boys.]Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) isn’t exactly in the running for Mother of the Year after what she did to her daughter, Zoe (Olivia Morandin), inThe BoysSeason 3 on Prime Video.
In Episode 4, “Glorious Five-Year Plan,” Victoria decides it’s time for a new allegiance. After being adopted by Vought CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), Neuman (formerly Nadia) grew up to become a young congresswoman. While Victoria appears to have an admirable agenda, it’s ultimately revealed that she’s using her position of power to support Edgar and Vought. Given he’s a father figure who’s always done everything he could to protect her and her daughter, Neuman’s never had any reason to doubt him – until now. Has Edgar truly been lovingly protecting her or merely using her for his benefit?
When Edgar insists that Neuman speak out against Homelander (Antony Starr) in Episode 4, it’s a step too far. Fearing that this extremely dangerous request could put Zoe at risk, Neuman opts to betray Edgar instead. She tells the world of his corruption and, in return, not only does she avoid Homelander’s wrath, but she’s also given a vile of Compound V that she injects in her daughter.
RELATED:The Boys Season 3: Claudia Doumit on Victoria Neuman’s Internal Conflict
Now that the Season 3 finale ofThe Boysis available to watch, Victoria Neuman herself, Claudia Doumit, joined us for an episode ofCollider Ladies Night Pre-Party. After revisiting her journey from overcoming acting school rejections to scoring her part in the hit Prime Video series, Doumit offered some added insight into where she thinks Neuman lands at the end of the season.
Here’s what Doumit said when asked for her thoughts on where Neuman stands as a parent specifically. Are there any elements of Edgar’s approach to parenting that she’s doomed to repeat and are there others that Neuman will strive to do differently? Given that filming onSeason 4 ofThe Boysdoesn’t begin until late summeraccording toKarl Urban, this is likely conjecture at this point, but here’s where Doumit’s head is at on the matter:
“I think she’s going down the route more so of Stan Edgar than her own path right now. Oh gosh, what a question. I think her ultimate motivation and desire and want is to protect her daughter at all costs, and I think initially that protection was from even just the world of superpowers and superheroes and everything that comes with that, so I think she probably initially did want her daughter to just have a regular childhood and just grow up and have a regular job. And I think Neuman is also desperately someone who wants that for herself. She has the house, she has the daughter, you know? But this season, it goes over into that other world, which is very much — god, Perri, I don’t know how to answer this question! I don’t know. I really don’t know! I don’t know what Neuman will do. I think right now she’s actually stuck between a rock and a hard place and she made a decision out of desperation, so I don’t actually think she has a hold of what her daughter’s future looks like or what she plans for how to raise her, really, from this point on. I think she had a plan up until this point, but I think everything changes once she injects her daughter with Compound V. I mean, it changed her life entirely. She killed her parents because of it! I think she’s giving her daughter some incredible trauma and she knows that very completely fully well.”
Want to hear more about Doumit’s experience appearing onScandal, going through theTimelesscancelation and renewal process, what it was like working onCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, and so much more? you’re able to do just that by watching the video at the top of this article or listening to our conversation in podcast form below:
