The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-2 Review: A Grim New Era Begins

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-2, which are available to stream now on Prime Video. While you might prefer a spoiler-free perspective from IGN, this The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-2 Review dives deep into the endgame of Billy Butcher's saga against Homelander and the Vought empire. We have officially reached the final chapter as we know it; future spinoffs like Vought Rising may exist, but the core conflict is definitively ending with this season. The gloves are off immediately in Episode 1, which delivers a shocking death scene that sets a grim tone for what promises to be a brutal finale.

These opening two episodes present a mixed bag of high-stakes drama and familiar tropes. While Episode 1 serves as a powerful, politically charged opener perfectly timed to our current climate, Episode 2 regrettably falls back into a dull status quo. It seems the saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same" holds true for this series, even as it approaches its conclusion.

Hughie’s Hope and A-Train’s Heroic Sacrifice

Episode 1 works because it is depressingly relevant to the current political climate, making it a standout entry in any The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-2 Review. Viewers see Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) locked away in one of Vought’s patented "Freedom Camps." These brutal locations hold anarchists, resistance members, and anyone who dared post something mean about Homelander on social media. Showrunner Eric Kripke noted the season was largely written before the most recent presidential election, yet the sharp political commentary here feels incredibly timely.

The character reactions to this imprisonment are fascinating because they defy expectations:

  • Mother’s Milk appears oddly chill and zen about his status as a political prisoner, likely aided by prison moonshine, finding peace in focusing solely on the fight ahead without family distractions.
  • Hughie finally proves how far he has come from being a weak, timid character, showing that even without Temp V, he possesses the most important superpower of all: hope.

Jack Quaid gets ample room to shine in Episode 1 as Hughie bonds with a fellow prisoner and demonstrates how rare and valuable hope is in this climate. Later, a standout scene features Hughie facing off against Homelander, proving himself one of the few capable of staring into the face of Vought’s all-powerful overlord without flinching.

The most important sequence arrives late in Episode 1 when Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Butcher, and A-Train spring a trap to bust their friends out. What begins as a fairly comedic jailbreak quickly devolves into a desperate battle for survival, resulting in A-Train’s final, heroic stand. This character’s death is easily the high point of these two episodes and feels incredibly fitting within the context of a The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-2 Review.

In his final moments, A-Train finally does exactly what he couldn't or wouldn't do back in Season 1: he dodges a civilian to derail his momentum, giving Homelander the edge needed to win their race. From there, A-Train can only bleed and laugh in the face of the man who once inspired overwhelming fear in him. This powerful death scene serves as a stark reminder of just how weak and vulnerable Homelander is, despite everything seemingly going his way.

Homelander’s Madness and the Soldier Boy X-Factor

Sadly, the momentum generated by Episode 1 and its major death do not completely carry over into Episode 2. It feels as though Hughie and friends were broken out of prison merely so the series could revert to a more familiar setup. Once again, everyone is reluctantly serving under Butcher while they hatch a scheme that will supposedly bring down Homelander once and for all. Season 4’s ending suggested a radically different and more dangerous game plan for the final season, yet here we seem back where we were before the arrests.

The narrative then pivots to standard The Boys relationship drama and lovemaking scenes before the team tests its newly completed supe virus on members of the Teenage Kix. This new storyline is entertaining enough, particularly once it becomes clear how far gone Rock Hard has become, but it feels like the series is dragging its heels. It seems too early to take the fight to Homelander directly, so the plot chooses to kill off these social media-addicted losers instead.

Although the episode attempts to find an emotional throughline with the Countess Crow/MM subplot, that thread ultimately feels half-hearted and underdeveloped in the end. The burden of Episode 2 falls heavily on Homelander himself, who is being carried by Antony Starr’s portrayal of a character rapidly spiraling into madness while he seemingly has the world at his gloved fingertips.

It is a joy to watch Homelander hold a one-sided conversation with A-Train’s coffin, only to convince himself that the answer to all his woes is bringing back dear old Dad. Naturally, this reunion immediately goes south in a way only The Boys could manage. Equally fun is having Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy back in the picture, especially given the added tension now existing between father and son.

Will this character help Homelander along his path, or will he be the ultimate source of his undoing? We do not know yet, which makes Soldier Boy a welcome X-factor in this conflict. Though initially, it does not even appear that Soldier Boy will make it out of this situation alive. The tension between these two figures sets the stage for a chaotic and unpredictable conclusion to the series, leaving us eager for what comes next in this dark finale.