The first episode of The Boys season 5 delivered big time. In case you haven’t seen it, we’ll try not to give too much away. But, without a doubt, the premiere came out swinging for the fences.
The story resumes immediately after the conclusion of season 4. Homelander has managed to co-opt just about every power structure in the United States, installing a type of totalitarian regime that would have made George Orwell sit under the shower with his clothes.
The 1984-esque internment “Freedom” cap is where we find Hughie, Frenchie, and MM (Mother’s Milk). While Homelander takes his victory lap during a Vought shareholder’s meeting, Starlight, in disguise, manages to hack the video system (with some help) and plays the video of the infamous Flight 37.
The stunned crowd almost immediately turned on Homelander after seeing the footage. Had it not been for Sage’s intervention, the audience would have been toast.
At that point, Homelander and his army of minions go into full damage control, with Sage leading the efforts. After an intense disinformation campaign, Vought seemingly manages to weather the storm.
But knowing Homelander, that wasn’t going to be the end of it. He vows to get revenge on Starlight, designating for followers, the “Starlighters,” as domestic terrorists. The hunt is on to make Starlight pay by any means necessary.
Commando mission doesn’t go quite according to plan
Knowing that hunting down Starlight and Billy Butcher for that matter would not be an easy task. So, Homelander decides to use Hughie, Frenchie, and MM as leverage. The plan is to execute the trio at their internment camp in order to flush out Starlight.
Butcher recruits Starlight and Kimiko (who surprises everyone with her new skill) to conduct a commando mission to rescue the trio. In particular, the most important rescue is that of Frenchie, who’s the only one who can help Butcher get the weapon to defeat Homelander… and every other supe along the way.
While the mission ultimately achieves its main objectives, it’s not without its fair share of casualties. Specifically, one supe, a former member of the Seven, hits the end of the line.
A-Train, who initially refused to join Starlight, Butcher, and Kimiko in their rescue operation, ends up joining the fray. A less-than-pleasant encounter with The Deep, who’s sent by Homelander to hunt A-Train’s family, convinces A-Train to face Homelander.
Ultimately, A-Train becomes the bait that allows the rest of the protagonists to escape. Homelander, clearly delusional at this point, hunts down A-Train with the erstwhile world’s fastest man, meeting his demise in the final cut of episode 1.
While A-Train has clearly met his end, there’s always the hope that won’t be it. But who knows? It won’t be until we catch the remaining episodes that we’ll find out if A-Train is really gone for good.