The Boys “Blood and Bone” Review

Season 5 Episode 8 – Easter Sunday. 2PM. Live on @VoughtNews. Bear witness as Homelander reboots the universe.

Please note, our reviews are based on likes and dislikes. These contain significant spoilers. If you haven’t already watched the episode, we recommend that you click off the article and come back once you have watched the episode. Enjoy!

What I Liked

1. The Homelander and Ryan interaction was interesting. Homelander almost feels defeated at this point as he’s lost everyone around him, literally. Ryan explicitly tells him this and explains he wants nothing to do with him. It’s one of those moments where Homelander felt oddly predictable. He walked away, something he doesn’t usually do as he’s normally explosive.

2. Sage is hit with a blast from Kimiko, showcasing that Frenchie’s work was successful. Sage is weirdly pleased with the outcome. She’s no longer smart; she prefers it. She instead goes to Harry Potter World instead of going for the last fight. I really liked this entire sequence.

3. The Boys head through the secret tunnels only to be ambushed. Thankfully, Kimiko and Starlight protect the others whilst being peppered with bullets. Ashley surprisingly saves them as she sprints through the tunnels. It’s about damn time, Ashley has assisted. This has been a long time coming.

4. The showdown begins. Starlight and Deep finally fight again after a long time. She doesn’t hesitate as she takes him out of the building. It’s now Hughie and MM vs Oh Father. Hilariously, Hughie trying to mimic Butcher was definitely what I needed to hear.

5. Starlight stands up to Deep, fully explaining that Homelander has never respected him, along with a few other expletives. After a brief exchange of punches, Deep is pushed into the seat by Starlight. It ends up being his own kind that kills him in the end. I really did like how this ended. It began with Starlight, and it effectively ended with her.

6. As Hughie’s about to be mauled by Oh Father, MM puts the sex toy gifted to him by Ashley earlier in the episode in his mouth as he readies his power. Naturally, the blast backfires, and Hughie gets a face full of blood as always. It wouldn’t be The Boys without Hughie being covered in blood.

7. Homelander loses it in his live speech. He goes off record and begins explaining to everyone watching that they will basically die. Butcher makes a superhero entrance as the cameras are still rolling. It’s now Homelander vs Kimiko and Butcher. The exchange is already fantastic, until Homelander fears Kimiko’s blast. He attempts to fly off until Ryan intervenes and prevents it from happening. The fight becomes so much more intense. Incredible!

8. I’ve noticed a pattern of things ending as they started. Hughie tries to stop Butcher from releasing the virus. A fight happens in the Vought Tower, but Butcher gets the upper hand, but pauses as he looks at a wounded Hughie, seeing his brother. Butcher attempts to pull back on the trigger; however, Hughie takes the shot. Butcher goes down, and we get a brief emotional moment between the pair before Butcher succumbs to the gunshot wound. What an emotional twist.

9. A beautiful ending. MM is back with his family, and Ryan is being taken in. Kimiko heads to France. Hughie goes back to opening an electrical store, with a pregnant Starlight. It ends how I wanted it to end. Homelander and Butcher are dead, with happy endings all around.

What I Disliked

1. Well, the Gen V characters were a complete and utter waste of time. They cancelled the show after building Marie up, only for her to do absolutely nothing. What a joke.

2. Soldier Boy. Man, what a waste. I can’t stress enough how poor Soldier Boy’s arc ended up on. He literally got choked out by Homelander and was placed back into the cryochamber. No mention, nothing, even after Homelander is killed. We had to hear from the Directors that episode 7 was the last we’d see of him in The Boys. I can’t stress enough how pathetically poor this is.

3. This is a small dislike on the list. I would’ve liked to see the group exonerated. We know they mostly all get happy endings, but I wish we could see how that happened and the conversations along with it. I guess we can all speculate, and the show did a good job wrapping up our actual main cast. Screw any other character, though.

Favorite Moment

A touching moment as Kimiko struggles with the blast, she sees Frenchie, who explains to her that it’s not about rage that makes her powerful. In the end, she hits the blast as Butcher and Ryan hold Homelander down. After a brief moment, we see Homelander attempt to use his powers but fail. Butcher doesn’t let up with his punches. It’s absolutely brutal. Homelander pleads for mercy; the cameras are still rolling from earlier, but after a couple of minutes, Homelander is finally dead.

Standout Character

For the first time in my entire reviews, I’m going to give it to the entire main cast. Homelander, Butcher, Ryan, Starlight, Hughie, MM, Kimiko, Deep, Ashley, and everyone else. They have provided some fantastic entertainment over the years, and I am incredibly thankful for this entire journey they have taken us on.

Thank you.

Verdict

I was concerned about how poor this ending was going to be. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite a few annoyances about side characters, they got the main sections perfect. The right people died, the show ended on a happier note, and the mission is finally complete after 7 years and 5 seasons. What a journey it’s been.

I’m glad The Boys didn’t have a Game of Thrones-level ending. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was enough, and that’s okay with me.

Of course, the finale is predictable; they played it safe. I would’ve rather they did play it safe than completely ruin it.