This review contains spoilers for The Boys season 5 episode 8.
I could sit here and go over all the ways that this season of The Boys has been disappointing, but I’ve touched on basically all of them in my previous episodic reviews. The only other thing that’s been bugging me is how small this season has felt, given its stakes. Most scenes have taken place inside on set, with two or three characters sharing dialogue. Occasionally, the show has ventured out to a field, a beach, a street, or a wooded area for a bit. But aside from the Freedom Camp-set premiere, it feels like the show’s been pretty tight with its budget. I guess I was always wondering whether Prime Video had given the makers of The Boys fewer bucks to spend on its much-touted final season or whether they were saving the bucks they had for their big finale. Now that I’ve seen it, I’m frankly none the wiser.
Our final episode starts with a touching found-family burial for Frenchie, and we learn that something is wrong with Kimiko. Even Butcher looks a little scared of her. The payoff to this setup works better than anything else in the episode. Pushing away the expectation that becoming way more powerful might make Kimiko villainous, it turns out she’s just too sad about Frenchie dying to rev up the necessary rage to hit someone with her new “tit blast.” Butcher has Sister Sage savagely provoke her until she reluctantly unleashes, taking away Sage’s powers (for what they were worth).
Later, Kimiko sees a vision of her dead lover when she fails to go off. A really sweet moment ensues as Frenchie gently tells her that anger was never her power, but her big old heart, pushing Kimiko to key into the depths of her love. Is this The Boys’ equivalent of a Care Bear Stare? Sure, but I loved it regardless. Sue me!
Prior to this, we learn that Homelander is planning to “reboot the universe” with a live announcement of his second coming on Easter (complete with an empty-chair countdown dig at Marvel). When he finally addresses the nation, the Boys implement their plan to creep into the White House and take him out. Of course, they walk straight into a trap, but are saved by a desperate, rebellious Ashley. They then split up. Mother’s Milk and Hughie take out Oh-Father with Chekhov’s ball gag, while Starlight takes out The Deep by blasting him into a furious ocean. Neither of their deaths is particularly impactful; merely inevitable.
Following a rebuff from Ryan, Homelander is also triggered by the word “Father” in his big speech, and goes off message, threatening America until Butcher and Kimiko arrive in the Oval Office, along with a courageous Ryan, to make their final move. Kimiko, spurred on by that vision of Frenchie, hits all three Supes with a blast that drains them completely. As the world watches, Butcher kills a powerless and grizzling Homelander.
After five seasons, is Homelander’s long-awaited death satisfying? Not really. It’s gross enough, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been such a slog to get here this year, stuffed with so much “I’m god now” nonsense that his death actually feels like as much of a mercy on all of us as the people he’s terrorized.
When someone evil dies, the monstrous things they’ve done don’t just go away; the impact of those actions lives on. We won’t get to see that, so The Boys shows us Ryan’s grim reaction to Homelander’s murder. Meanwhile, Butcher feels nothing after his brief sense of triumph has worn off. Like us, Butcher looks upon Homelander’s corpse and only feels empty inside. Homelander’s Trump substitute (and the man himself) has simply proved that it only takes one powerful, charismatic person to quash the country’s freedoms, greasing the wheels for anyone else who fancies giving it a go later.
The Boys isn’t interested in dwelling too much on any of that. We cut to Ashley taking credit for the plan and immediately being impeached, while Ryan rejects Butcher’s offer to become a family. After Terror passes away in his sleep, Butcher is plagued by the knowledge that Homelander’s death won’t be enough to stop Vought and is unable to rest. He decides to use the virus by loading it into the sprinkler system at the company’s HQ. It’s up to Hughie alone to stop him, and he does. Butcher makes peace with Hughie and his fatal choice before succumbing to a single gunshot wound.
There are happy endings for everyone else. Ryan goes off with Mother’s Milk, Kimiko heads to France to honor Frenchie, Singer is back as President, and Hughie and Annie start their own family. They’re naming their unborn daughter after Hughie’s dead girlfriend, which feels a bit weird, but whatever.
As a finale, it’s surprisingly low-key and predictable. Still, it’s generally fine. The emotional beats hit, and there’s room for the story to continue one day, with Soldier Boy and the Gen V crew still alive and well. We’ve been hearing how many characters and stories there are to wrap up, and that’s been blamed for why so much of this season has felt slow and infuriating, but in the end, it all happens in short order.
Does this finale, such as it is, make me forget what a slog this season has been? Hell no. I just spent hours of my life yelling “oh come on” at every hackneyed plot point, convenience, line of dialogue, and Vought Rising breadcrumb thrown my way. And although it’s a decent hour of television, there’s a lot of restraint at work that feels like exhaustion behind the scenes. The razor-sharp era of The Boys has been in our rearview for a while, and there’s none of the show’s admirable viciousness at work here to surprise anyone as this five-season-long story wraps up.
I’ll stop yapping now, but as we say goodbye to The Boys, which has given us so many fantastic moments over the years (and at least three stellar seasons) it’s hard not to compare it to that other violent Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced superhero comic book adaptation on Prime Video, Invincible. Having just released an incredible fourth season with remarkably deft storytelling that’s kept fans on their toes, despite not killing any of its main characters, Invincible has remained consistently good throughout its run. In comparison, The Boys has rather faded away. Is that better than burning out? Time, and indeed you, will be the judge of that.
All eight episodes of The Boys season 5 are available to stream on Prime Video now.
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