The Boys season 5, episode 8, was everything you could have wanted the series finale to be. As a writer, I can appreciate a good screenplay when I see one. It’s amazing how the writing crew managed to bring the series full circle, five “bloody” seasons after it began.
In the end, the story itself worked out who the real hero of all of this mess really was. I’ll try my best not to give too much away. If you haven’t seen the finale yet, proceed with caution.
The experiment finally worked
The Boys season 5, episode 8 picks up immediately after Frenchie’s death. Those of us who were holding out for some insane plot twist that revealed he was still alive were massively disappointed.
Fortunately, Frenchie’s death was not in vain. Following a modest funeral service for the fallen hero, Sage pushes Kimiko’s buttons, attempting to anger her. Kimiko, evidently grieving, reached a boiling point and unleashed a nuclear blast similar to the one Soldier Boy had (BTW, Soldier Boy did not make any miraculous escape).
The experiment finally worked as Sage, the recipient of the full force of the blast, lost her marvelous powers. Sage became “dumb” again, something she relished. That would be the end of her character. Sage reveled in her “quiet” brain, opting to go to Harry Potter Land to enjoy her freedom.
With the experiment verified, the time came to confront Homelander during his proclamation as the one true god on Earth.
Butcher and company get some unexpected help
Oh Father and President Ashley anticipate that Butcher and his crew would attempt to shut Homelander down during his Easter proclamation. The blasphemous event intended to elevate Homelander to the status of the Lord’s Second Coming during Resurrection Sunday.
The address Homelander was to deliver from the Oval Office was carefully planned and secured under Oh Father’s watch.
As expected, Butcher, Hughie, Kimiko, MM, and Annie entered the White House via a series of tunnels. The crew entered a chokepoint where they would be ambushed. There, in a moment of clarity, Ashley decided to assist the crew in getting out of the ambush.
It’s worth pointing out that Ashley had been struggling with her thoughts of helping Butcher take Homelander down. When she was unsuccessful in coaxing Oh Father to flip on Homelander, she did the only thing she could to help bring an end to Homelander.
That situation set up an epic battle, but it wasn’t the final one.
End of the line for Homelander
If you haven’t seen this scene, stop reading, go watch it, and then come back.
Well, since Kimiko’s blast worked, Homelander was rendered powerless. Butcher literally butchered Homelander in front of the rolling cameras. That was the end of the “god” that was about to bring a golden dawn on Earth.
On a personal note, it would have been better theatrics to have seen Homelander arrested and imprisoned. Killing Homelander, while an understandable reaction out of vengeance, kind of let him off the hook too easily.
Seeing Homelander spend the rest of his mortal life as a mere human, imprisoned, and wallowing in his own disgrace would have served as a more fitting end to a once-god among humans.
Kimiko’s blast, however, had some collateral damage. Butcher and Ryan, Homelander’s son, who arrived to assist in Homelander’s defeat, were also caught by the radiation from the blast.
Annie, MM, and Hughie were not in the Oval Office as they stayed behind to fight off Oh Father. Oh Father’s death was actually one of the most comical ones of the entire series.
The Deep’s demise is also an interesting footnote in the episode. Check it out in case you haven’t already.
Epilogue
There would be one more plot twist. As Butcher and his crew had a modest celebration, Butcher found his dog, Terror, had passed away in his room. Distraught from the devastating loss, Butcher took the canister containing the supe virus and made his way to Vought Tower.
There, the plan was to unleash the virus and kill all supes. Meanwhile, Hughie followed Butcher to confront him about the plan.
That’s where the series’ real hero was uncovered. Butcher bludgeoned Hughie in a struggle to prevent the virus’ release. Three gunshots later, it was Butcher lying on the floor, ready to meet his maker.
It was a touching scene, and a fitting one. Butcher, who had survived so much, ended up succumbing to his best friend. I suppose you could say that if it was anyone who would kill Butcher, it was good that Hughie was the one.
Following Butcher’s funeral, everyone went their separate ways. Even when the new President of the US (Ashley gets canned) calls Hughie to head the Bureau of Supe Affairs, Hughie turns him down.
In the end, Hughie ended up right where he started. The Boys’ real hero, with wife Annie now expecting, ends his full character arc on the same street corner where the entire saga began.
It’s incredible how life has a way of bringing you back right where you started. The hero’s journey that began with a crushing moment culminated with Hughie, now noticeably hardened by everything he had been through, finding peace.
One final note: There is room to continue the story if the writers and producers so choose. Stan Edgar returns to the helm at Vought, with experiments likely ongoing. Supes are still around, and, well, Homelander’s death didn’t really change much.
By failing to kill all supes, there’s always room for another Homelander to emerge. Who knows if that’s where the show's creators want to go? But it wouldn’t be a bad storyline to explore at some point down the line.
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