Warning: This review contains full spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episode 5!
The Boys hasn’t enjoyed the strongest track record since returning for its fifth and final season. While the premiere got things off to a solid start, the subsequent three episodes have failed to establish much momentum for the series. It really feels as though The Boys is stalling for time until the final showdown. Episode 5 doesn’t necessarily address that fundamental complaint as much as it could, but this latest installment is just so entertaining that it’s hard to find too much fault with it.
“One-Shots” shakes up the structural formula in a fun way, opting for an almost “22 Short Films About Springfield” approach and giving us a series of interconnected vignettes focused on a variety of characters. Even Terror gets his moment in the sun, as we learn what exactly he sees when he humps his precious, tattered Homelander doll (kudos to Antony Starr for being such a good sport in this episode). Again, it’s not the ideal way of pushing the Season 5 narrative forward, but it allows for some welcome character development on several fronts.
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Most notably, we get a surprisingly engaging subplot focused on Valorie Curry’s Firecracker, as she reunites with her old pastor (W. Earl Brown) and finds herself torn between her loyalty to her childhood mentor and the needs of the nascent Democratic Church of America. As the aggressively racist mouthpiece of an omnipresent multimedia conglomerate, Firecracker is easily one of the most despicable characters in the series. This episode doesn’t necessarily change that, but it does humanize her significantly. We finally get a sense of the real person beneath the character she’s constantly playing, and of the profound toll that role takes on her psychologically. Curry is great here, particularly during the scene where she’s forced to go on the offensive against Reverend Dupree on live TV.
The Firecracker storyline ultimately pays off very fittingly, as she learns the hard way there’s often no reward in debasing oneself for a tyrant. Even after everything she’s sacrificed, Homelander doesn’t give a second thought to killing her simply for annoying him. The series was overdue for another major death, and this one fits the bill nicely.
The other noteworthy subplot here involves Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Homelander’s little field trip to the home of Mister Marathon (Jared Padalecki). Finally, we get that long-promised reunion between the two Supernatural stars, with Misha Collins’ Malchemical thrown in for good measure. The result is an uproariously fun sequence where numerous real-world celebrities meet a grisly, goopy end. Unsurprisingly, Ackles and Padalecki are very effective together here, drawing on those years of finely honed chemistry. It’s getting to the point where Soldier Boy’s shtick (the bravado, the constant homophobic wisecracks) is starting to wear thin, but at least this episode gives him someone other than Homelander and Firecracker to play off. There’s just the nagging frustration that, once again, the series is spinning its wheels on the V1 front.
What We Thought of The Boys Season 5, Episode 4
“The Boys reaches the low point of Season 5 so far in Episode 4. This episode does little to advance the show’s overarching narrative, instead settling for sending heroes and villains alike on a field trip of little consequence. There’s plenty of bickering and character conflict, but most of it comes across as forced and unnecessary. Nor does the Starlight subplot do anything to add energy to a bland installment. The focus on supporting villains like The Deep, Black Noir, Ashley, and Oh Father does help this episode, but not enough to make “King of Hell” feel like anything other than a pointless detour.” -Jesse Schedeen 04/22/2026
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Elsewhere, Black Noir II (Nathan Mitchell) gets his opportunity to hog the spotlight for a bit, as we learn that he’s really just an actor in search of the perfect role to wow the world. He finally finds that role with a little help from disgraced director Adam Bourke (P.J. Byrne), only for The Deep to come along and spoil everything in the most graphic way possible. It’s an entertaining subplot (despite the somewhat heightened, sappy nature of the scenes between Noir and Bourke), and I’m also happy to see the rivalry between Noir and Deep take a darker turn. The latter has had his chance for redemption in the past, and now he’s doubling down on being a backstabbing sycophant. His comeuppance should be satisfying to watch.
Finally, this episode addresses the relative lack of focus on Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) in Season 5. Sage and Ashley (Colby Minifie) wind up making a surprisingly effective pair in their own right, with this episode mining plenty of comedic gold out of their drunken bonding session. Minifie also gets to show off her physical comedy skills when Back Ashley enters the stage. Most importantly, this subplot offers some much-needed insight into what Sage actually wants in Season 5. Having been gilted in love in Gen V Season 2, she’s ready to watch the world burn and go back to reading her precious books for all eternity. We’ll find out if she’s finally overestimated her ability to predict the future.