The Boys Season 5 Episodes 1 and 2 Review: Our Vigilantes Continue Their Crusade Against Homelander

The Boys Season 5 Episodes 1 and 2, “Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite/Teenage Kix,” waste no time plunging the viewer back into the ongoing battle between Homelander vs our beloved vigilantes. 

From the first two episodes alone, it is clear that the concept of devotion will be a significant aspect of Homelander’s characterization this season and perhaps lead to his ultimate downfall.

Episode 1 opens on a Homelander more insistent than ever that a “golden dawn” is approaching as he continues to perpetuate the narrative that Starlighters are a terrorist organization.

It reflects his own masked insecurities involving his ability to maintain power and control over the world.

What Homelander doesn’t know, though, is that a “golden dawn” is closer than he thinks. It comes in the form of Starlight infiltrating the meeting to leak the Flight 37 video from The Boys Season 1 Episode 4, “The Female of the Species.”

The leak, which bruises Homelander’s ego, is quickly spun as a tale of nonsensical misinformation. Sister Sage goes so far as to deem the video an AI-generated campaign against Homelander, which speaks to the current climate of AI content plaguing the internet.

Perhaps the most intriguing thread to come out of this sequence of events is Homelander’s genuine confusion about the anxiousness people feel around him.

It’s laughable that Homelander holds the notion that what he thinks he’s doing falls under the category of “saving people” when he’s been doing the opposite entirely since the beginning. Homelander’s perception of himself is so utterly skewed, and instead of looking inward, he continues to point the target, without any hesitation, at anyone who goes against him and his values. 

Homelander is an absolute menace, and Antony Starr continues to prove that he’s a powerhouse in depicting a vengeful and ruthless antagonist. 

Meanwhile, Hughie, M.M., and Frenchie are imprisoned at a Vought Freedom Camp where they’re attempting to escape.

It’s worth noting Hughie’s calm demeanor and how much he serves as a reassurance to those around him. It’s a testament to the never-ending atrocities he’s faced thus far and, for better or for worse, how he’s come to acclimate to them. 

Hughie’s character development is further shown when he comes face-to-face with Homelander amidst a bloodied scene of dead bodies at the Freedom Camp.

Instead of killing Hughie (because that would be too easy), Homelander questions how individuals like Starlight and Butcher are so unapologetic in their loyalty toward him.

Homelander sees something in Hughie that he will never have, which makes him crave it all the more. No amount of power, rage, or force can lead to Homelander’s ultimate desires because his current qualities, which he will never let go of, are built upon a foundation of selfishness and greed.

Everything comes to a head when Starlight, Butcher, and Kimiko show up, as well as A-Train, who makes a not-so-surprising appearance.

Homelander has such tunnel vision of the world that when he finally catches A-Train after chasing him, he’s so far off in his expectations of the encounter.

A-Train is a character that’s slowly slipped from the grasp of Homelander’s manipulation throughout the seasons, and in this moment, he looks at his now adversary and says, “What was I so afraid of?”

It’s a simple phrase, but it’s effective in cracking Homelander’s image because it dismisses what he’s been trying to emulate for so long. 

Yes, Homelander kills A-Train with a snap of his neck right then and there, but there’s a cloudiness in his eyes that reflects how unsatisfactory the kill was. In the end, A-Train doesn’t give Homelander what he wants, and in this way, he dies of his own volition. 

Episode 2 picks up at A-Train’s funeral, and what does Homelander do to cope with his growing isolation? He awakens his biological father, Soldier Boy, from his deep freeze in an effort to make him find Butcher.

As Hughie, M.M., and Frenchie seamlessly lure Soldier Boy into Kix Crib, they watch as he instantly becomes affected by the virus’s contents. 

However, even as Soldier Boy is withering away, everything is not always as it seems, and for a show like The Boys, it’s not always straightforward when it comes to major character deaths. 

When Homelander arrives on the scene, long after The Boys are gone, he’s clearly taken aback and on the verge of losing it. 

As Homelander turns to walk away from the Soldier Boy’s supposed corpse, we catch a glimpse of Soldier Boy rising from his body bag as if he just woke up from a long nap.

As the audience, we know Soldier Boy’s fate is not sealed, so moving forward, what does this mean for The Boys? More importantly, if Homelander finds out Soldier Boy isn’t dead, that’ll only reignite his perception of invincibility and exacerbate his plans for destruction.

Stray Thoughts 

• Since Homelander can hear heartbeats, will he pick up on Soldier Boy coming back to life? 
• Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Countess Crow is a fun addition, and I hope she’ll make an appearance in future episodes. 
• I understand Kimiko can talk now, but her dialogue is off-putting at times and comes off as out of character. 
• Hughie and Annie’s on-again, off-again relationship feels too drawn out at this point. How many times do we have to watch them have the same conversation? 
• Annie vaping is definitely a choice. 
• Kimiko and Frenchie’s initial reconciliation is a sweet moment.  

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New episodes of The Boys drop Thursdays on Prime Video. 

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