The Boys

When I first started watching The Boys, I had no expectations. I was just intrigued to watch another show from Eric Kripke, the creator of one of my favorite shows, Supernatural. The Boys takes place in a world where superheroes are treated as celebrities and political figures, but behind their public image many of them are corrupt, selfish, and downright evil. At the center is Homelander, the terrifying leader of The Seven, and the vigilante group determined to bring him down. I immediately loved the show. This was such an interesting and original concept where you can see similarities to the leaders of the real world today. Homelander is a complete psychopath and you never really know what he will do next. He feels untouchable. He wants to take control of Vought and the world, committing heinous acts in secret to get there, while simultaneously craving love and fame. He is one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen. Anthony Starr's acting was without a doubt the show's biggest strength. He was always the highlight of every episode. His facial expressions and intimidating presence often said more than words ever could. Even in the weaker later seasons, he remained consistently excellent. His portrayal of Homelander is legendary. The characters overall are great, and every actor fits their respective role perfectly. Another thing I love about the show is how fearlessly it pushes boundaries. It combines graphic violence with absurd, inventive scenarios that feel unlike anything else on television, and somehow manages to make the brutality genuinely funny. The series has a very unkempt, brutal, and daring use of language which also adds a lot to the comedic aspect. It's also fantastic at building tension and throwing unexpected situations at you that you never saw coming. The action is brutal and effective, and extremely entertaining. Seasons 1-3 are the show's peak, with each season improving on the last and culminating in an outstanding third season. Season 4 made me a bit disappointed for the first time. It just wasn't that entertaining, lacked tension and felt like the story was treading water. Season 5, the final season, made me even more disappointed. They have built up so much that this season will be nothing like we have ever seen before. Homelander will be crazier and more powerful than ever. The final season never carried the weight of a true ending. It lacked the sense that everything was building toward an epic conclusion. Where were the high stakes, the tension, and the action? All the talk about scorched earth never amounted to anything. All the posters I saw hyping up the final season were lies. Homelander never went off the rails. I wanted something darker, something more psychopathic and evil, more death and destruction! Most of the season was spent on exposition, with characters simply talking about things to fill out the episodes. I almost got bored many times. When Soldier Boy hands over the V1 to Homelander, the Boys just stand idle, watching, instead of trying to stop it. I screamed at the TV "Do something! Butcher, shoot your tentacles and grab it!" Instead they run away as Homelander injects himself with the V1. Now he is immortal, and now he truly is unstoppable. Sister Sage, the smartest woman alive, was sure that Soldier Boy would never give Homelander (his son) the V1. She never took into account that they actually are father and son, and that it might happen this way? Really? The show is known for the gory and brutal deaths, so when Frenchie dies, one of the main characters, he is killed by Homelander OFF SCREEN. We never saw what Homelander did to him, which really undermined the emotional impact of his death. He just crawled out and left a trail of blood, and died in Kimiko's arms. What happened with the build up from Gen V with Marie Moreau and her gang? They were supposed to help out in the final season of The Boys right? The help they provided was to escort some people away? They did nothing, and since Gen V is now cancelled, this is their ending. So, now when Homelander is injected with the V1 he should be unstoppable right? Apparently the Boys came up with an idea that they can give Kimiko the same power that Soldier Boy has, to remove other supes powers with the chest beam, in like a day with the help of some notes and experimentation? I'm supposed to believe this just because they had Sage on their side? The smartest woman alive? That did not count on love being a factor earlier? This was a really boring and rushed way to take down Homelander. The V1 didn't even seem to change anything? Homelander was just the same way as always, except he built a theme park moments after the injection. The V1 storyline was a complete waste of time. And then in the final fight in the oval office, they take down Homelander with such ease that it feels ridiculous. Why can't Homelander fly away from Butcher's tentacles? He just flew to space and left a billionaire there in like a second. He also escaped and crashed through the roof in the fight in Herogasm in season 3. Why could he not do that now? He has the speed to catch A-Train, so leaving the oval office should not be an issue with his strength and speed. Kimiko first needs rage to charge, and then in an instant she is not mad at Homelander anymore, and it's all about the love for Frenchie? Homelander's death was so satisfying though. There were so many characters that got such a bad resolution. The Deep's death was particularly silly. A character with his abilities should have had no problem escaping that situation. You're telling me he can't escape that water, and gets killed by a super strong octopus? Starlight fighting crime while pregnant and Sage lives? One second Butcher agrees to save Starlight, Kimiko and other supes, but as soon as he gets rejected by Ryan and his dog dies he wants to kill everyone? The biggest joke was how Soldier Boy went out. A neck grab by Homelander and he falls asleep in five seconds, so Homelander can put him in the can again? This was just beyond stupid. Come on. Overall, The Boys is a great show dragged down by a disappointing final season and ending. Of course both season 4 and season 5 had their moments of gore and fun. I really enjoyed seeing so many actors from Supernatural make an appearance, especially the scenes with Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins now in the final season. It's just such a shame that they wasted the potential this show had. By the final season, Homelander no longer felt like the unpredictable force of nature he once was. The writing repeatedly weakened him whenever the plot required it, undermining much of the fear and tension that made him such a compelling villain. It's for sure not the worst ending I've experienced, but it's pretty bad and disappointing. After season 3 the show was a solid 10/10 for me. Now it's a vague 8/10.