Season 5 Episode 7 – WARNING: EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENTERING SOUNDSTAGE. PERFORMERS MAY BE USING SUPERPOWERS.
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. Oh Father, opening up episode with an absolute banger of a song. That’s how you open up an episode.
2. Homelander just casually kills the President. All because Ashley reads his mind, confirming to Homelander that the President is scared of him. He also believes Homelander is a tiny bit psychotic. It shows how much this power has truly gone to his head.
3. Is it bad I lowkey feel sorry for Deep?! Homelander explains to him that he’s disbanding the Seven, simply due to the fact that it’s become a running joke that there haven’t been 7 members for quite some time. Deep asks to run it based purely on loyalty. I mean, he’s right. He’s the only one still loyal to Homelander. He still gets shut down, though, and deservedly so.
4. The fish rocking up and further blaming Deep for the pipeline was hilarious. He didn’t even hold back against Deep as he just hurled abuse at him on top of it. Brilliant.
5. That promo teaser of Homelander and Jesus really does go to show how far Homelander has gone. The promo showed Jesus effectively handing the reins over to Homelander. Funny enough, the promo was pre-VFX, making it feel even more cringe. The direction was intended to make it feel that way, and it absolutely did that.
6. We see Homelander now choke out Soldier Boy. Soldier Boy explains he only provided the V1 because it’s what Stormfront would’ve wanted. He goes on further to explain to Homelander that he wants no part of this and still finds him weird. I wasn’t expecting this to fall this quickly, especially given how the previous episode ended.
7. A beautiful moment that’s hindered by the experiment. Kimiko struggles to contain it. Frenchie attempts to assist by showing her a photo of a dog, further explaining that he wants to settle down with 3 children. It’s touching. These moments in The Boys always had a much better impact.
8. The touching moments continue. MM explains to Annie how he got his name. He explains the relentless bullying he endured, even more so when he saved a pigeon from dying. It’s hard not to be so invested in the story but have a layer of sympathy for him.
9. Back in the theatre-style room, Oh Father confirms to the group that they don’t believe Homelander is God in their hearts, practically at this point ordering them to be killed. We get Annie vs Dogknott and MM vs Cate. It’s a pretty solid action sequence and very much welcomed.
What I Disliked
Nothing to report this week. To be honest, I am skeptical going into the finale. I fear how much time they have to conclude everything they need to. I did hope for just a little more during this episode. It’s not any shade on the episode itself, it was terrific, it’s just the finale I am concerned about time-wise.
Favorite Moment
Homelander heads to where Frenchie, Sage, and Kimiko are. Kimiko is still healing, and Sage has her hidden as per Frenchie’s request. He holds Homelander in the same cell, turning the machines on to protect her. Sadly, it results in him being mortally wounded. This is beyond devastating. I swear someone was cutting onions when I was watching this scene. Karen Fukuhara’s acting during this entire scene was a masterpiece.
Standout Character
Frenchie. It’s a straightforward decision for me this week. He sacrificed himself so that Kimiko could win, and then also sacrificed himself for the greater good. Frenchie has been an amazing character since the beginning, so it’s so sad to see him finally meet his end.
Verdict
A great episode in its own right, but with only one chapter left before the series concludes, I can’t help but feel a little concerned. As a standalone installment, this was another strong outing. However, when viewed as the penultimate episode, it didn’t do enough to build momentum or lay the groundwork for what should be a huge finale. With so many threads still left to resolve, the final episode now has a lot of heavy lifting to do.
Rating 8.8/10
The Review
Story - 9
Action - 7
Characters - 9
Entertainment - 9
Quality - 10
8.8
Great
A great episode in its own right, but with only one chapter left before the series concludes, I can’t help but feel a little concerned. As a standalone installment, this was another strong outing. However, when viewed as the penultimate episode, it didn’t do enough to build momentum or lay the groundwork for what should be a huge finale. With so many threads still left to resolve, the final episode now has a lot of heavy lifting to do.
