The Boys – Season 5 Television Review
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AMAZON Prime’s irreverent and satirical critique of superhero media and corporate greed returns for one final outing in season 5 of . Those who have followed the story of this truly unique series since its first season in 2019 undoubtedly know what to expect from this final season.
However, those innocent souls who have not yet borne witness to the gory, unholy and entirely offensive nature of need only know that this is not a superhero show for the kids. I’m not even sure if it’s suitable for adults either. Safe to say, those who enjoy trademark brand of dark comedy and ultra-violence will find plenty of everything they love in season 5, while those who prefer their superheroes on the safer side should probably steer clear of this.
While the first three seasons of delivered increasingly entertaining and wickedly intelligent writing, season 4 left a little to be desired and felt like eight episodes of meandering and repetitive storylines before setting the stage for a dramatic final season. Thankfully, season 5 is a triumphant return to form that builds towards a satisfying finale that feels simultaneously unpredictable and tragically inevitable. With top-notch performances, hilarious dialogue and a brilliantly conceived storyline that provides remarkably insightful commentary on today’s political climate, this is The Boys at its very best.
As previously mentioned, existing fans of know what they are in for already, but the uninitiated may find themselves wondering what exactly this show is about. imagines a society where superheroes exist and are heralded and marketed as celebrities. Managed by the corrupt Vought International corporation, these ‘superheroes’ abuse their powers and celebrity status, prioritising profit and fame over saving lives. While most of the world believes the rose-tinted lies pedalled by Vought, depicting these corrupt ‘supes’ as heroic figures, a small group of vigilantes, known as The Boys, sees through the corporate veil and commits itself to exposing the truth about the superpowered elite.
Throughout the entire series, the most despicable of all the ‘supes’ has been Homelander – an all-powerful superman-like figure with the face of a movie star but the mind of a deranged sociopathic narcissist. With each consecutive season, Homelander’s already fragile psyche has seen greater and greater fracturing until this final season, where he finally reaches unbridled mania.
Having already imposed himself as the autocratic leader of the United States and placing opponents in heavily guarded ‘freedom camps,’ Homelander now sees himself as a literal deity who should be worshipped as such. Ordering a new religion to be established in his name and made the official faith of the United States, Homelander takes the country from autocracy to theocracy. With his infantile desire for adoration and his complete and total intolerance for ridicule – especially memes at his expense – it is no challenge to guess which current world leader Homelander is a parody of.
Season 5 sees devise a last-ditch plan to finally kill Homelander and rid the world of ‘supes’ once and for all. Central to this plan is a lethal virus that, when unleashed, will kill every ‘supe’ on the planet, including some of their allies. While The Boys’ ruthless leader, Butcher, has no qualms about committing mass genocide for his ‘greater good,’ others in the team question the morality of this plan. Meanwhile, Homelander descends further into his psychosis as he envisions his ascension as a god.
From the first season, one of the highlights of has been the iconic performances of its cast. Antony Starr continues to steal the show as Homelander. Starr’s performance is one of the rare cases where the villain is so compelling and fascinating to watch that he, frankly, eclipses every other character. That is not to detract from the other performances, but Starr’s Homelander is so brilliantly portrayed as an unhinged megalomaniac, whose next move you can never predict, that he has easily become one of the greatest villains in television history.
Meanwhile, Karl Urban returns as the cockney-twanged, morally grey antihero Billy Butcher. Urban expertly walks the tightrope of charismatic rogue and cunning villain, bringing an equally unpredictable nature to his character. Urban once again is gifted with some of the best comedic lines in the series and delivers each one with perfect timing and nuance, making for some truly hilarious moments. While the rivalry between Homelander and Butcher serves as the central character dynamic in The Boys, the supporting cast all bring an essential element to the story, with excellent performances coming from Jack Quaid as the eternally hopeful Hughie and Tomer Capone as the charming, free-spirited Frenchie.
What is most impressive about this final season of is how critically scathing it is of current events, despite being written and filmed over a year ago. While political satire has always been a core ingredient of the series’ alchemy, some plot points in season 5 feel so unbelievably reactive to recent events that the show has become less of a parody and more of a prophetic parallel to current world politics.
A common flaw in the final season of many television series is their lacking a feeling of finality. Countless excellent series have been let down by a lacklustre final season that struggles to wrap up character arcs and deliver satisfying emotional payoffs. Thankfully, season 5 of
does not fall into this trap. From the very first episode of the season, a sense of dread and doomed finality is palpable. With each episode, it becomes more and more clear that not everyone will be making it out of this story alive and by the time the climactic eighth and final ever episode arrives, it is obvious that this will not be a typical fairytale ending. But what else would you expect from The Boys? All eight episodes of
season 5 are streaming now on Amazon Prime.
