The Boys season 5 continues to deliver on various levels. And episode 4 was no exception. While the season remains in that sort of “groundwork” phase, the overall feeling of the episode was hardly laborious.
The episode is over an hour long. But for someone like me with a relatively short attention span, it was just the right pace between exciting and chill.
So, let’s get down to business.
Family reunions don’t go quite as planned
An interesting storyline involved Starlight finding her estranged father. Now, this storyline doesn’t necessarily contribute to the overall plot. But it does serve as a way of bringing Starlight’s character full circle.
If anything, Starlight (Annie) reconnecting with her father helps fill in some of the gaps in her backstory. In this part of the story, Annie discovers that her father remarried and has another son.
Annie’s half-brother, unfortunately, is brainwashed as a result of attending Homelander Academy. He calls the police to tell them Starlight is at his home. That’s when Annie’s father attempts to make amends for failing to protect her when she was a child.
Starlight’s father manages to persuade the police to leave them alone, revealing to his law enforcement colleagues (yes, Annie’s father is a cop) that he is the father of the most wanted terrorist in the United States.
Annie vows not to walk out on her loved ones at her father’s bidding. The episode ends with Annie reconnecting with Hughie.
Meanwhile, Homelander has a none-too-charming reunion of his own with his father, Soldier Boy. The duo heads out to Fort Harmony in search of the infamous V1 compound. Their search leads to Soldier Boy attempting to kill Homelander by locking him up in a cell filled with enriched uranium. The radiation from the uranium would have killed an average human in seconds. However, Homelander resisted the radiation long enough to escape the “supe-proof” cell.
Episode 4 exposes the resentment that Soldier Boy has for his son. Paradoxically, Homelander tries to shake off Soldier Boy’s insults by hurling hate back at him. But the scenes make it clear that Homelander is stuck in a dynamic where he’s dying to get his father’s approval.
Fort Harmony proves to be a dead end
Homelander and Soldier Boy were not the only ones heading out to Fort Harmony. Billy Butcher and his crew head out to Fort Harmony to find the V1 compound, or any that might be left of it, before Homelander gets to it.
However, the crew discovers that there’s a parasite in the environment that makes everyone turn on one another. The episode offers plenty of action as the fighting becomes a battle royale.
But there’s one person immune to the parasite: Frenchie. It turns out he’s immune to the parasite, making him the only individual who manages to keep a cool head. He manages to persuade everyone to work together, though his efforts don’t last very long.
Inadvertently, Frenchie discovers the source of the parasite. It’s one of Soldier Boy’s former Army buddies, Quinn. Quinn was an unfortunate recipient of Vought’s early experiments, turning him into a horribly disfigured creature resembling a type of fungus spreading throughout Fort Harmony.
While Homelander remains locked up in the cell, Frenchie bumps into Soldier Boy. Frenchie manages to lure Soldier Boy to where the parasite’s origin is located. There, Frenchie manipulates Soldier Boy into unleashing a firestorm, killing the parasite.
The in-fighting immediately ceases, allowing Butcher and his crew to escape. It was too bad for all sides because no one came away with the precious V1.
Homelander officially off the rails
In episode 3, Homelander has a “revelation” in which he believes he is the anointed one, or whatever he thinks that is. So, he orders Sage to figure out a way to make him a type of Christ figure.
The blasphemous plan goes into effect with the creation of a new church in which Homelander is proclaimed as Jesus Christ’s prophet. The aim is to turn Homelander into a messianic figure to comply with his delusions, but also to win approval among other demographics that don’t really see him as a sort of savior.
The episode concludes with the launching of Homelander as the Lord’s prophet. Now, it’s worth pointing out that it’s not really marketing. At least from Homelander’s perspective, he really believes he’s a messiah or even a redeemer-type figure. He’s completely gone off the rails, as Homelander considers himself to be a sort of second coming.
Episode 5 will likely delve more into this new cult formed around Homelander’s messianic figure. But that idea depends on Homelander becoming immortal thanks to the V1 compound. Episode 5 should provide a good dose of excitement as it feels the story is beginning to come full circle.
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