The Boys’ final season is here, and what a wild ride it has been to get to this point. Things are finally reaching a climax, and I am here for it. This show has delivered several solid seasons of television and has been one of Prime Video’s best series to date, but all things come to an end. While The Boys has had a good run, this feels like the right place to start bringing the madness to a close, and with what Season 5 has shown so far, it has no plans to slow down as it edges closer to the final episode.
But I am getting ahead of myself. I was sent Episodes 1-6 of Season 5 of The Boys, and it hits the ground running. If you have watched up to this point, you know how Season 4 ended, and if not, you should stop reading, because we need to set up a few things from last season to really talk about Season 5.
Season 5 picks up a little while after the events of last season’s finale, with everyone now split up and many of the human members of The Boys locked up in a freedom camp. The symbolism is not subtle, I know. Most of the superpowered members are also split up, each working on a separate mission to strike back at Vought International and Homelander.
Homelander is now acting as the de facto leader of the U.S., with the actual politicians bowing to every one of his demands. With the country now in complete disarray, Butcher (Karl Urban) has decided now is the time to bring the team back together and make a final strike at Vought. As all superhero or heist-style shows do, the season takes time to bring everyone back, with some well-placed and well-timed jabs at the crew, where they have been, and how most of them really do not trust or like Butcher. Despite all of that, and despite some of it feeling a bit old as tropes go, it works here.
The cast’s chemistry is what elevates The Boys from an average, violent, well-written superhero show into something people tune in to every year. Everyone from Jack Quaid (Hughie), Erin Moriarty (Starlight), Laz Alonso (MM) and Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko) to Tomer Capone (Frenchie), and even Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), delivers a solid performance that helps the early episodes move at a strong pace. I especially like seeing Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko finally able to talk this season, with her blunt commentary providing some much-needed levity.
Even on the Vought side of things, Antony Starr (Homelander), Chace Crawford (The Deep) and Susan Heyward (Sister Sage) all deliver captivating performances, and help paint the picture of just how unhinged all of these characters truly are. We are also given much more time with Valorie Curry‘s Firecracker, which gives her much more depth than she had in past seasons. She is still reprehensible in many ways, but at least she feels realistic this time around, with plenty of her own demons and misgivings to help her feel real, and not just like a cartoon version of right-wing shock jocks, only this time with powers.
The Boys also keeps up the social commentary, and it feels more biting than ever, with some aspects of the universe feeling oddly mirrored in reality. The fact that the show started filming before some of the crazier news stories of the past year feels insane, but here we are. The Boys Season 5 also does not spare the violence the show has become known for, with some scenes this season going over the top in their insanity and overall vulgarity, yet despite everything, it all feels cohesive, and the many aspects of the show come together well in this final season.
It helps that The Boys Season 5 brings back Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, with the character riffing off the energy of the rest of the cast perfectly this time around. Do not get me wrong, he worked very well the last time he was on screen, but this season we get to explore a bit more of the character’s depth, what makes him tick, and even though he is just as overpowered as ever, he feels more human. That gives the season some of its more touching scenes, and I actually found myself feeling sorry for many of the most heinous characters in the show’s history.
“The Boys Season 5 also does not spare the violence the show has become known for…”
The real story is the showdown between Homelander and Butcher, and that dynamic is still going strong. Both are horrific monsters who have done some truly horrible things, and Karl Urban and Antony Starr are clearly having fun in the roles. They make them likable in their own horrible ways, and give the audience a chance to explore their many flaws as they race to destroy each other.
That gives Season 5 some good moments of introspection and helps humanize these monsters in ways I did not expect the series to go. Do not get me wrong, I do not see a world where either of these characters walks away happy, but Season 5 gives them moments of vulnerability that help us understand them, even if we do not sympathize with their actions.
There is a lot to like about The Boys Season 5, and had they streamlined some of the episodes, it would have given more room to shine. As it is, there is a lot that feels like filler up to this point. Six episodes in, and the show is still bringing together all the elements of its conclusion, with plenty of the side plots feeling underdeveloped and wasteful when there is a main conflict that still does not feel fully fleshed out. This is a show that has always been about its characters, but with such a big cast, some of the threads feel a bit too superfluous to really help build out the whole, but we will see.
While not everything worked, The Boys Season 5 feels well-positioned to be a solid end to a fantastic series. The writing is sharp, the characters feel well-realized, and the buildup is intense. Many series fumble their final act, trying to please too many masters as they try to cap off the stories, but The Boys feels like it is sticking to its concept and pushing toward the finish line on its own terms, and it is better for it.
Not everyone will like where the season is going, but it feels inevitable in the best possible way. I am excited to see where the story takes us, and from what I have seen up to this point, I am excited. The Boys is ending, and if the rest of the series keeps up this quality, it should be one monumental season of television.
