The Boys Recap: A Proper Chat

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From around season three, and possibly even earlier, The Boys has faced a challenge: how to make the conflict with Homelander last. The show follows many characters and storylines, but ultimately, the main goal is defeating Homelander – something that probably won’t happen until the very end of the series. This raises the question: what’s holding back the final showdown? Why doesn’t Homelander just eliminate the rebels right away?

The show keeps building towards a showdown with Homelander, like it has in recent seasons, but repeatedly highlighting this setup also points out that it’s not going to happen immediately. While that’s understandable, the constant reminders are becoming frustrating. Recent episodes, like “Teenage Kix” and “Every One of You Sons of Bitches,” have actually stalled the progress by first revealing a problem with the virus meant to kill superpowered people, and then by disrupting its supply. After three episodes, it’s becoming clear that the season is intentionally stretching out this storyline.

I understand why things needed to change, particularly with Ryan’s return. This episode essentially sets up what’s coming next in the final part of the story: the urgent search for V-One and the effort to prevent Homelander from becoming immortal. This all fits together, especially considering Homelander’s growing belief in his own god-like status this season.

First, let’s address the situation with Soldier Boy. Homelander is really seeking his father’s approval now that Soldier Boy has been brought back to life. Vought announced that Soldier Boy is the newest member of the Seven, falsely claiming Starlight was responsible for the attack on Vought Tower and that she’d been a Kremlin agent for years. While we don’t see much of the public reaction, it’s safe to assume many people don’t believe this explanation. Soldier Boy is enjoying his new role and loves to point out to Homelander that he’ll likely live much longer and eventually lead the Seven. Homelander is on edge, and one more insult might be enough to push him over the edge and cause a global catastrophe.

I couldn’t believe it when Homelander started talking about Madelyn Stillwell appearing to him as an angel. It’s like she’s promised him eternal life, and he thinks that makes him a god, giving him the right to wipe out anyone who doesn’t worship him. It didn’t exactly inspire Soldier Boy to help him find V-One, though. Surprisingly, Firecracker might be willing to. It seems she’s the first woman Soldier Boy’s been with since Crimson Countess, and he’s using her, honestly. But she convinced him Homelander is fixated on him, and that actually seemed to make Soldier Boy feel a little less awful about his son.

This episode focuses on the heroes preparing for the search for V-One, and they seek guidance from Stan Edgar at the same facility seen in the show Gen V. There are a lot of connections to Gen V throughout the episode, reminding us of how V-One was first introduced as an unstable version used in Project Odessa. We also see Maverick, Translucent’s son, who was a minor character on Gen V. Edgar seems interested in recruiting young superheroes like those from Gen V, possibly to gain allies for what’s to come. However, Maverick’s main purpose in this episode is to make Hughie feel guilty about killing his father back in season one – a key moment in Hughie’s early development. Hughie tries to help Maverick move forward, which is awkward to watch, but Annie is impressed by his genuine desire to do good, and even considers giving Maverick a dose of V-One.

While researching old Vought documents, Mother’s Milk uncovers Fort Harmony – the secret hospital where V-One was tested, and where the team is likely headed next week. Before they can investigate further, the Deep arrives with Black Noir, Cindy, and Dogknott (who previously fought Starlight in an episode of Gen V). Though Maverick’s invisibility could have helped them escape, his strong cologne gives him away to Dogknott’s super-sensitive sense of smell. The Deep then reveals a crucial truth: it was Hughie, not Homelander, who killed Translucent, giving Maverick a new person to seek revenge against.

Watching Jack Quaid perform fight scenes against someone you can’t see is really entertaining, and his character, Maverick, serves its purpose this week. There’s a quick turn of events where Cindy kills Maverick, then Annie is accidentally killed while trying to eliminate Hughie. Meanwhile, Edgar survives, giving Deep a much-needed victory alongside Homelander.

While this episode feels a bit slow on major plot developments, it’s surprisingly focused on the characters. We see Frenchie and Kimiko starting to drift apart as they consider their futures – Frenchie still craves the life of a fugitive, while Kimiko wants a peaceful life and a family. This difference becomes clear when they visit Butcher’s hideout and unexpectedly find Zoe and her father. Meanwhile, Sameer discovers Butcher and his team lied about Homelander killing Victoria Neuman and her daughter, leading him to destroy the lab and its dangerous virus samples. Frenchie immediately reaches for his gun, but Kimiko convinces him to let Zoe and her father go, hoping for a more normal life for the girl.

This episode gives Butcher and Ryan a much-needed chance to talk, though Butcher’s main goal is to convince Ryan to undertake a dangerous, likely fatal, mission. Ryan disappeared after unintentionally killing Grace Mallory, but a conversation with Butcher leads him to vow to either kill his adoptive father or die trying. Butcher heavily manipulates Ryan throughout, exploiting his fears about his powers to convince him that eliminating all supes is the best solution.

Despite Sameer’s actions disabling the virus, Ryan is determined to stop Homelander on his own, which is a brave but risky plan. Their ensuing fight is incredibly violent, even if Ryan manages to survive. Once Ryan provokes Homelander, the outcome becomes tragically clear: Homelander brutally overpowers his son. What’s most unsettling is how slowly and methodically it happens. It will be a satisfying moment when Homelander finally falls – whether through death or the loss of his powers.

Extra Frames

I’m writing this the day after Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo for being “weak on crime” and shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus – and the similarities between the two events are quite noticeable.

Sage mentioned the first test subjects from the V-One experiment who lived and stopped aging: Soldier Boy, Stormfront (also known as Liberty), Bombsight, Torpedo, and Private Angel. Interestingly, these are the same characters who will appear in the upcoming Vought Rising prequel series to The Boys!

I understand why the superheroes on the show would use V-One to protect themselves from the virus, but I wonder if Annie and Kimiko truly want to live forever, knowing their loved ones will age normally. It feels like the show isn’t really exploring what it means to be immortal.

I really enjoyed the scene with Maeve and Edgar talking over cigars. Edgar asks the very question I’ve been thinking about – what happens after Homelander, Vought, or even all superheroes are defeated? It’s good to know the show is also considering this. Edgar’s speech about how capitalism always survives perfectly sums up the show’s main idea.

Edgar intends to regain control of Vought once things calm down, which is a logical next step.

• “It smells like an Abercrombie got fucked by a 7/11 while Arby’s jerked off in the corner.”

• Many of the close-up shots of Maverick’s “face” made me laugh.

Did anyone else see similarities between the fight between Homelander and Ryan and the ending of Invincible? It felt very similar to that finale.

This episode featured some particularly strange and unsettling moments involving Homelander and bodily fluids, including his bath, a water bottle, and a scene with Angel Madelyn. The most disturbing part for many viewers was when he deliberately tasted the water from his bath – which appeared to be milk.

Annie suddenly flying away at the end, after nearly losing Hughie, felt a bit out of place. It didn’t quite fit, considering everything they’ve already been through – it seemed a little forced.

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2026-04-15 19:59