During The Boys‘ season 2 Comic-Con At Home panel, it was announced by executive producer Seth Rogen that the series had an early pick-up for a third season, much to the delight of the show’s creator, Eric Kripke, and the show’s cast.

Perhaps I’m getting a little ahead of myself…but I was just so excited about a season 3 (to premiere…sometime in the future…WEAR YOUR MASKS SO WE CAN HAVE MORE OF THIS SHOW) that I had to share this news first.

Without further ado, let’s talk about the panel.

Earlier in the panel, the cast had revealed an exclusive clip from season 2…and…well…you should have a look at it yourself, because it’s a little unbelievable.

First of all…eww. Second of all, that’s not CGI. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) is driving the boat, and the whale is real…sort of. It’s a giant prop that’s propped onto the beach, making it a very realistic (and expensive, according to Kripke), special effect.

This kind of penchant for practical effects and gritty realism is what sets The Boys apart from the myriad superhero shows out there. While other shows may realize on out-of-this-world computer animation to sell a more heroic (and probably preferable to our current 2020 reality) world, The Boys embraces every flaw and defect and uses them to create a poignant and intense social commentary.

This season, according to Kripke, the show will focus on systemic racism and white supremacy, making its second season debut to have a very timely arrival. The season will also have higher stakes, according to Kripke, and if the sneak peek was any indication, I think we can expect a lot of blood.

The Boys returns on September 4.