The Boys S5 Ep 5 "One-Shots": Cracks Are Showing
Wednesday night dropped "One-Shots," easily one of the most entertaining episodes of The Boys' final season so far. Eric Kripke borrowed a comic book trick: pick one character per beat, sit with them, move on. The result is the most character work the season has done in one sitting. SPOILERS BELOW!
Soldier Boy and Homelander
Last episode Soldier Boy was willing to let Homelander die. This episode he isn't. The show isn't framing it as a redemption arc, and Soldier Boy isn't suddenly trying to be a father. But something is shifting. When he chose to attack Mister Marathon and Malchemical, that was a real choice, as well as informing Homelander about his relations with Firecracker. Whatever is between him and his son isn't nothing anymore.
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The Supernatural Reunion
The episode put Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins onscreen together under Eric Kripke. Fifteen years of Supernatural history in one frame. As a fan, that alone made the episode worth it.
I just wish the writing had given Padalecki and Collins more to do. The team already knew Bombsight has V1 going in, so the trip to Mister Marathon and Malchemical ended up being a check-the-box confirmation instead of a real expansion of either character.
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Sadly, we won't know what more they had to offer as Soldier Boy and Homelander made quick work of the two, crushing Collin's neck and brutally breaking Padalecki's legs before squashing his head into mince meat.
Even with that note, the original Supernatural boys onscreen together was the moment of the night.
Homelander's Inner Circle Is Cracking
The throughline is the people closest to Homelander finally seeing what we've been seeing for years. Ashley, Firecracker, Sister Sage. All three got moments where the cracks showed. The more Homelander leans into the god routine and the Democratic Church of America, the less his loyalists can pretend they don't see it.
Sister Sage and Ashley are the ones to watch. Sage was the smartest person in the room when she signed on. She still is...to a degree, while Ashley's other face has been working to turn her core counterpart around. Now that the two have linked up, I think we are heading towards seeing them work to take Homelander down from the inside.
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Then of course we got that ending with Firecracker. She spends most of the episode in her own personal crisis, trying to come to terms with this new religion around Homelander while still believing in God. After being forced to denounce, accuse AND ridicule her former pastor and friend, it seems like she's cemented herself as a Homelander crony, only it seems too late as HL has already heard about her crisis and doubts from Soldier Boy spilling the beans on their "Pillow Talk".
HL tells her to leave, but sadly Firecracker insists on her loyalty and devotion to him. But sadly it wasn't enough for this new "God" to care, with him quickly impaling her head on a nearby Eagle Statue, the episode ending with a final drawn out shot of Firecracker dead.
Three Episodes Left
The original comic ending was huge and absolutely not network-friendly. I'm watching to see how Kripke threads the needle. The Church, Soldier Boy, Butcher, the unraveling Vought core. Whatever happens next is going to be wild.
Either way, this season is gearing up for some crazy moments before the curtain falls.
Come Talk About It
Episode 5 dropped a lot to chew on. If you watched it, swing by the counter and let's get into it. The fan theory pile is thick on this one and we want to hear how you're reading the back half.
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