PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   I’ll openly admit that my relationship with The Boys is a complicated one. Eric Kripke’s ultra-gory superhero satire was groundbreaking in its first few seasons, and its spinoff, Gen V, adapted that core concept incredibly well for a younger audience. However, once The Boys hit Season 3, a clear problem became impossible to miss: the entire show had been building toward a final confrontation between the Boys and Homelander, but with every new season and renewal, that climactic battle just got pushed further down the line, and it was impossible not to notice the plot was treading water.

Now, the Boys are back for one final outing, and the promise of a definitive ending is exactly what the show needed. With an epic conclusion to build toward, every part of the series falls perfectly into place: the story’s stakes feel urgent, the satire takes a completely fresh new angle, and even the series’ format itself evolves. The Boys may be coming to an end, but that ending is exactly what it needed to cement its legacy as one of the greatest superhero shows of all time.

By the end of The Boys Season 4, Homelander (Antony Starr) had reached new heights of his already-unmatched power. With a puppet leader installed in the Oval Office, nothing stood in the way of Vought — and by extension Homelander — achieving world domination, while Hughie (Jack Quaid), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), and Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) were sent to a “freedom camp”, where they have remained for the past year. But when Annie January (Erin Moriarty), formerly Starlight, makes a bold move against Homelander, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) sets out to reunite the entire crew for one final mission — one that could eliminate supes for good.

Meanwhile, Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), who was just recently infected with Compound V, now holds the position of Vice President of the United States, but she is so completely under Homelander’s control that even though a part of her wants to do the right thing, she is terrified to cross him. And her fear is well-founded: Homelander is on a more violent rampage this season than ever before, to the point that you can often predict an episode is about to end right after he kills a major character. As established in Episode 1, no one is safe, and it’s incredibly rare for every character present at the start of an episode to make it to the end credits alive.

But Homelander still makes time for his personal projects, including reviving his father, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), who gets one of the season’s best storylines, likely because his upcoming prequel series, Vought Rising, will carry the franchise forward after the main show ends. Homelander has also chased a new ambition, the only major title he has yet to claim: God.

One of the biggest criticisms of The Boys’ later seasons is that the series had become unrecognizable from the sharp satire of other superhero franchises it originally set out to be. While a little of that issue remains — there’s a self-indulgent running joke about how hard it is to write a good finale — most of the problem is resolved by the season’s focus on religious satire, which often feels more similar to The Righteous Gemstones than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the center of this plotline is Oh Father (Daveed Diggs), a superstar supe preacher who immediately aligns himself with Homelander’s new goal, much to the frustration of Firecracker (Valorie Curry), who is unwilling to throw away the faith she was raised with.

Out of the seven episodes provided to critics for review, one is an obvious standout: Episode 5, which takes an anthological deep dive into characters that don’t usually get the spotlight, including the new Black Noir, Sister Sage, and even Terror, Butcher’s dog. In each of its many segments, we get the most nuanced storytelling we have ever seen on this series. It is also by far the most star-studded episode, and the most narratively satisfying one of the season.

In a way, every episode this season works as a fitting wrap-up for the whole series, exploring themes of sacrifice, closure, and questions about the nature of normalcy — all the core themes you would expect from a final season. The end is never treated as something to dread, but something to look forward to, and that positive outlook is what makes all the difference.

While critics have not gotten to see the finale, even these seven episodes have repaired my relationship with this show. I still have a few small nitpicks, but I can’t deny the truth: this is the superhero show that will define the last 20 years, and frankly, no other story could do this era justice.

The Boys Season 5 premieres on Prime Video on Wednesday, April 8.