Apr 09, 2026 5:21pm IST
‘The Boys’ Season 5: First Episode of Anthony Starr-Led Series starts Strong, Second is Middling
It’s been a “lap around the sun” since the events of the Season 4 finale which sees some of the eponymous heroes get captured by Vought & co. As the events of Season 5 Episode 1 & 2 unfold, Homelander (Anthony Starr) is no closer to getting a hold of Starlight (Erin Moriarty) or Billy Butcher (Karl Urban).
But the Supes backing Homelander to the hilt have managed to put Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) in an internment camp with no escape in sight. That doesn’t stop them from trying, though. It doesn’t stop their friends on the outside from trying to break them out either. As Butcher brings in Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) for an emotional reunion with Starlight as they chart out a plan.
Meanwhile, Homelander is running the government as master puppeteer with brute force and reinforced fear in his minions. Vought shareholders are not immune to his “quick to anger” whims either. A leaked video flusters him to end, pushing him to do something extreme.
Episode 2 has the now-escaped ‘Boys’ spend quality time together before heading out to infiltrate the Teenage Kix HQ and try out a Supe-killing ‘solution.’ Easier said than done, as they run into a number of obstacles head-on and hit it with everything they got.
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The irony is unmissable as the new season careens into uncomfortable territory that hits closer to home than expected. Freedom Camp becomes a euphemism for detainment centers. Fundamentalist preachers and the use of religion and social media alike to keep the masses in line to be led as sheep to inevitable slaughter is something that pops up on feeds daily.
The politician-business-media-religion nexus machinery is laid bare in full view. The implications of what follows when power goes unchecked is at the heart of every season of “The Boys” and the final season is no different. Creator Eric Kripke doesn’t hide behind subtlety. However, the thinly veiled barbs and references and some outright cusses have had to be beeped for Indian audiences. Interestingly, there are moments when you squirm in your seat when some scenes play out while the more gory ones leave you cold and unaffected.
You know something bad is going to happen when even the lovemaking scenes feel like the participants are simply going through the motions. It feels awkward, just as much as it seeing Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (as Countess Crow) this season beat a hasty retreat after a short appearance in the second episode that goes nowhere.
Anthony Starr, of course, carries the show, smirk firmly in place. And that’s part of the reason most people gravitate towards this show. But it is Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, who makes his presence felt even with limited screen time. And if one is asked to pick between the women who prop up Homelander, I feel that Jessica “Sage” Bradley aka Sister Sage (played by Susan Heyvard) has the strongest arc at the moment and while Firecracker (played by Valorie Curry) is the loudest, it is Colby Minifie (as Ashley Barrett, the US Vice President on the show) who will end up being the scene-stealer as the season wears on.
Early days, of course. “The Boys” has a habit of creeping up on you and taking you by surprise every chance it gets. The second episode feels like an in-betweener between the packed-to-the-gills first and likely a more ‘active’ third, dropping the next week. In the run-up to the upcoming series finale (episode 8), expect several more rug-pull moments that will keep you hooked as the season wears on.
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