The Boys Season 5 Episode 5 Review: A Nonlinear, Uneven Mess with Moments of Brilliance

The Boys Season 5 Episode 5: A Mixed Bag of Nonlinear Storytelling

This review contains spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episode 5. The episode’s nonlinear structure, which weaves together a day’s worth of stories from different characters’ perspectives, makes it challenging to pinpoint where to begin. Unfortunately, while some segments stand out, the episode as a whole serves up a hot, uneven mess. Still, there’s one storyline that truly captivates.

Firecracker’s Descent into Betrayal

Firecracker’s arc takes center stage as she prepares to betray her faith and the few people who genuinely care about her.

Black Noir’s Loss and The Deep’s Petty Violence

Meanwhile, Black Noir loses his mentor, Adam Bourke, to The Deep’s petty and violent actions. The episode also includes a bizarre segment involving Terror, who grapples with his carnal desires and an odd obsession with chocolate.

Sister Sage’s Manipulative Ambitions

Sister Sage is repeatedly touted as the smartest person in the world, and in this episode, her intelligence manifests in manipulating the Ashleys and potentially sparking a global conflict. The writing here feels underwhelming, leaving much to be desired.

Soldier Boy’s Search for V1

The quest for the elusive V1 dose shifts to Soldier Boy’s perspective. His threats toward Stan Edgar yield a lead: Mr. Marathon, played by Jared Padalecki, a co-star from Ackles’s Supernatural. Marathon, along with his eccentric companion Malchemical (Misha Collins), shares a mansion filled with cocaine, nostalgia, and delusional dreams. One of these dreams involves killing Homelander and thwarting his plan to rule as a godlike figure.

Soldier Boy, adopting a paternal tone, dismisses Marathon’s ambitions, leading to carnage. While the return of Supernatural stars Padalecki, Collins, and Ackles is a nostalgic treat, the segment feels overloaded with celebrity cameos that hark back to This Is the End. Though the performances are amusing, the trope of celebrities playing wildly out-of-character roles has grown stale, especially in a season already criticized for filler content.

“Celebrities saying stuff that is wildly out of character with their public image” was funny 13 years ago. It’s grown stale, and Season 5 has been so filler-y already that it’s just more noise in the mix.

The episode features appearances from Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Forte, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Craig Robinson—talented actors, but their inclusion here feels like a tired gimmick. While rewatching the season later might shift my perspective, week-to-week reactions reveal a show that’s strayed from its once-edgy roots into millennial comedy tropes that leave me grinding my teeth.

Perhaps I’m being too much of a curmudgeon this week, but the uneven execution makes it hard to fully embrace the episode’s potential.