In the first scene of Episode 2 of The Boys Season 5, Ashley’s fake husband, Oh-Father, leads a fake funeral for Reggie at Vought. He uses a loud voice to control the crowd and blames Starlight supporters for A-Train’s death. At the same time, Homelander seems to be on edge when he hears what sounds like a familiar voice, maybe Madelyn. President Calhoun gives the go-ahead for supers to arrest Starlighters, which raises tensions across the country.
The Boys meet up again at Butcher’s hideout in Pennsylvania, which is a run-down crack house. Sameer says that he has made a virus that will kill supes. He did this out of revenge for the deaths of Vicky and Zoe. Butcher plans to try it out on Rock Hard, a super strong person made of granite.
Hughie and Kimiko try to steal the virus while Butcher is gone to stop a lot of people from dying. But MM and Annie back Butcher’s plan, saying that killing thousands of supes is worth it to save billions of people. Frenchie agrees with them, which causes a split in the group and makes Kimiko very upset.
Later, Hughie goes to see Annie and sees that she has become more hardened. She doesn’t want to talk about what she’s done recently, so they find comfort in each other instead. Frenchie tells Kimiko that the only way he can protect her is by learning about the virus, and the two of them reconnect emotionally.
Homelander is alone with A-Train’s body and gives a disturbing speech about trust and being alone. Even though he is angry, he lets Soldier Boy go, which starts a new plan.
Teenage Kix, a group of young supes that Vought controls, lives with Rock Hard. The Boys get into their base, but Rock Hard is so big and heavy that he is almost impossible to move. Annie and Butcher decide to lock him up and let the virus spread there. Hughie doesn’t trust Butcher, so he leaves with Kimiko to get the virus.
Homelander wakes Soldier Boy up with an offer: find Butcher and Annie and fix his public image. Soldier Boy’s hatred for Butcher must be stronger than any anger he has toward Homelander for the deal to work.
Sage, on the other hand, says that they will arrest 10,000 Starlighters based on what they do online. President Calhoun is worried about the money issues, but Homelander stops him, showing that he is gaining more power over the government. He tells Soldier Boy that he is free and gives him the mission himself.
Annie tells Frenchie about her guilt over the deaths of her followers when they get back to the Kix base. She thinks she should die, but Frenchie tells her to honor them by living. MM, who is drunk and lost, meets Countess Crow, a sidelined super who is now making social media content. He tells her not to waste her life working for Vought.
Sameer warns that the virus might not just affect supes; it could also kill all of humanity. When they get back, Soldier Boy finds them and forces them to fight. Butcher takes advantage of the situation to test the virus on him, and things go crazy.
Soldier Boy gets members of Teenage Kix to join him during the fight. Jetstreak catches Hughie and drops him from the sky, but Annie saves him while Kimiko stops another attacker. The team meets up again at the Kix house, where Soldier Boy takes the virus. But Frenchie secretly gets it and lets it go.
The virus spreads very quickly. Jetstreak and Rock Hard die almost right away, but Soldier Boy lasts longer before being hurt. The Boys barely make it out, and some of them wear protective gear to stay alive during the outbreak.
Ashley tries to fight back against Sage’s aggressive plan at Vought Tower, but she is ignored. Ashley takes off her wig to show a second face on the back of her head. This face is her “voice of reason,” which tells her to take charge and carry out her original mission to save the world.
Frenchie tells Kimiko that they should run away because he is afraid he won’t be able to protect her from the virus. She says no and stays to fight, thinking it’s the only way for them to be saved. Hughie also begs Annie to talk to him and not to become like Butcher. She accepts his help without saying a word.
Butcher, on the other hand, is shown holding on to personal items like his brother’s trophy and taking care of his dog, Terror. This is a rare look at his human side.
The Deep tries to show that he is capable by cleaning up the mess at the Kix site. When Homelander gets there, he likes the plan, but he gets angry when Soldier Boy is made fun of. When Homelander is left alone, he breaks down and talks about how scared he is of being left behind. In the end, it turns out that Soldier Boy is still alive.
The Review of the Episode
Episode 2 is a messy and uneven continuation of the season premiere. The action scenes are still interesting, and the show’s trademark dark humor, especially among Vought’s inner circle, still works well. Every time Soldier Boy shows up, he stands out again.
Homelander is still one of the most interesting parts of the show. His acting is both scary and strangely funny because it mixes delusion, vulnerability, and menace. His monologues, especially the one he gives to A-Train, show how broken his mind is in a way that is both funny and revealing.
But the episode has trouble keeping the story straight. Some parts of the plot don’t seem fully developed or don’t make sense. The rush to make the virus seems unnecessary since it is already done, and the way it works raises questions that have not been answered. Also, the team’s plan, especially their reliance on Rock Hard’s breathing, doesn’t make sense given how strong the virus is supposed to be.
The episode has great character moments and big events, but it also has big plot holes and pacing that isn’t always right.
