The Boys Season 5 Episode 7 Review: The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk
The Boys Season 5 Episode 7, “The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk,” gives its characters strong emotional moments. However, it still struggles to allow the plot to move forward in an authentic direction.
When Marie Moreau and Jordan of Gen V make an appearance, one expects them to aid The Boys significantly. Yet, that’s not even close to what occurs.
Instead, for some unknown reason, the episode retcons Marie’s ability to control her powers. Despite what’s evident on Season 2 of Gen V.
Genuinely, what is the point of creating and building a character like Marie Moreau if the development amounts to nothing?
It would have served as a natural plot progression for Marie to help take down Homelander as her powers easily rival his.
One can argue that Gen V is different from The Boys, but they’re in the same universe. It’s been established how much overlap takes place, whether it’s through certain character interactions or arcs.
Considering this is the penultimate episode of the entire series, it misses the mark on understanding what’s really at stake for these characters. In turn, it makes for a disjointed plot.
While this episode has its faults, there are pockets of complex moments that remind us of the show’s ability to illustrate the vulnerabilities of these characters in an engaging manner.
Antony Starr never wavers on his portrayal of Homelander, and his performance is especially exceptional this episode.
Homelander and Soldier Boy have always had a complicated relationship. On Season 5 of The Boys, Homelander’s consistent need for his father’s approval and acceptance illustrates a staggering look into his desires to be wanted.
So even when Homelander is screaming at his father: “I am God,” and Soldier Boy proceeds to take a step forward, Homelander takes a step back. It signifies his attempt to relinquish control in favor of attaining validation from his father.
In the end, Homelander never receives what he craves from Soldier Boy and is now truly isolated from everything and everyone.
It’s a masterful scene on subtly depicting the push and pull of the father-son dynamic and how integral it is to Homelander as a character.
In an unlikely pairing, Frenchie and Sage have a conversation that speaks to their different perceptions of love. This works to establish their individual perspectives on the messiness of life itself.
In Sage’s words, she initially believes “love is a logic error” which makes sense given the nature of her powers.
It’s interesting how Frenchie is the one to pull her away from the narrative that love is something that needs to be solved or figured out. So much of Sage’s existence is built on understanding the motivations of others. In this moment, she lets go of that in favor of helping Frenchie and Kimiko.
It’s kind of a bittersweet arc for Sage, as at the end of the episode, Frenchie dies in Kimiko’s arms.
As the camera pans to Sage’s face for just a moment, a look of terrifying understanding is etched across her features. It’s a reminder that The Boys knows how to do emotional moments. It has chosen to lessen the frequency of them in favor of exaggerated comedic bits and shock value.
It seems that The Boys may be headed for a rushed finale considering the amount of character arcs and plot points that need to be wrapped up.
Let’s see if the show pulls it off.
Stray Thoughts
- The Deep being ostracized by all bodies of water is deserving.
- Where is Ryan in all of this? He was there in the first half of the season. Now it seems like they’ve sidelined him until the finale.
- While M.M.’s monologue on the origins of his name is a well written scene, it makes me wary of his fate going into the finale.
What did you think of this episode of The Boys? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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New episodes of The Boys airs Wednesdays on Prime Video.
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Revati Gelda
Revati Gelda is a writer and journalist whose work focuses on the arts and their importance in today’s society. Her reporting has appeared in Hudson Valley Magazine, her alma mater’s newspaper Pipe Dream, where she served as Arts & Culture Editor, and more. Currently, she is an Assistant Poetry Editor for Decolonial Passage, a literary magazine.