The second episode of The Boys season 5 wasn’t as intense as the first episode, but it laid down some of the crucial groundwork needed to advance the story.
Sure, we all love intense action scenes and heart-pumping cliffhangers. The story, though, has to keep going. And, that’s what episode 2 was all about. So, let’s get into the specifics of it without giving too much of it away.
Soldier Boy returns to The Seven
Soldier Boy, who had been frozen in a CIA dark site, returns to The Seven under Homelander’s auspices. Homelander’s purpose for bringing back his “old man” is to go after Billy Butcher and his crew.
That’s all well and fine, especially when considering that Homelander practically has the entire US government under his control. His installed elements as president and vice president (Ashley, former Vought executive) are all under his thumb.
That said, the roundups of purported Starlighters have grown into anyone dissenting with Homelander’s agenda in any way. That situation had led to random people getting arrested for no reason.
It’s the showdown between Butcher and Soldier Boy that opens the door for a stunning development.
The virus works… well, sort of
In the background, Butcher and the crew are working on a virus that could kill all supes. The idea looks promising on paper, but it needs to be tested to be certain.
So, the crew needs to find a guinea pig to test their bioweapon. Since targeting every supe is pretty much a fool’s errand, the crew decides to go after Rock Hard.
This particular supe has fallen on hard times. The crew discovers him to be a gigantic rock of hardened molten lava. Rock Hard has grown to disproportionate measures due to a quirky biological reaction (we won’t get into it here. It’s more fun if you find out on your own).
As Butcher, Hughie, and Kimiko ride over to test the weapon on Rock Hard, Soldier Boy confronts Butcher. The ensuing battle allows the crew to entrap Soldier Boy, Rock Hard, and a local supe.
The virus is unleashed. At first glance, it works. But episode 2’s ending suggests that might not have necessarily been the case.
Ethical dilemmas emerge throughout the episode
One of the key subplots in the episode is the emergence of ethical dilemmas. Since the virus will supposedly kill all supes, Starlight and Kimiko are afraid but willing to confront the possibility of their deaths for the sake of protecting humans.
Meanwhile, we see Vice-President Ashley struggling with her conscience. She has a split-personality moment in which she confronts herself about the internal struggle compelling her to do something to stop Homelander.
As for Homelander himself, his hypocritical tribute to A-Train at the beginning of episode 2 adds another layer of complexity to his fragile personality. It seems that being a full-blown psycho with over-the-top narcissistic tendencies has begun to catch up to him.
Homelander’s private displays of vulnerability seem to suggest that he might be breaking down. However, as the world’s most powerful supe, he is determined to quell his feelings by tightening his grip on the world around him.
Lastly, we see the humans in the equation, Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother’s Milk, wrestling with their own inner demons. Hughie and Frenchie struggle to come to terms with the possibility that they might lose their beloved supe girlfriends.
Mother’s Milk is clearly suffering from anxiety and stress, most likely stemming from post-traumatic stress. The subtext seems to suggest that the crew is hanging by a thread, hoping to get by long enough to finish the job.
We’ll see if episode 3 sheds some more light on the virus potentially killing supes. Otherwise, it’s going to be a nearly impossible fight against Homelander and his lot.