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THE BOYS Season 5 Episodes 1
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00:00The final season of The Boys has begun, and the fight to bring down Homelander and Vought once and for
00:05all is nearing its brutal end.
00:07Hey, welcome back to Screen Crush, I'm Colton Ogburn, and these are all the easter eggs, references, and little things
00:12you might have missed in the Season 5, two-episode premiere of The Boys.
00:16We are going to be breaking down Episodes 1 and 2, and we will remain spoiler-free for Episode 2
00:22until we get to that section of the video, and we have got that all chapter marked for you down
00:27below.
00:27So, last season we saw the newly elected Vice President, Secret Soup Head Popper, and adopted daughter of former Vought
00:34CEO Stan Egger, Victoria Newman, get ripped in half by a souped-up Billy Butcher in his scorched-earth approach
00:42to winning the war.
00:46With Newman dead and the President framed for said murder, the Republican Speaker of the House and Homelander supporter Steve
00:53Calhoun is now a puppet President under Homelander's control.
00:56So, we open with the sound of a tea kettle steaming.
01:03This is an audible cue to the boiling point that this war has reached, and how the political arena and
01:09the rhetoric surrounding it has reached an all-time high, both in this series and in our own real-world
01:15politics, with the political temperature being dialed to 11 and Americans being at each other's throats.
01:20Now, this commentary is something that this show has done since its first season, mirroring and playing out what American
01:26politics looks like and could morph into if we kept going the direction we were going.
01:31And unfortunately, this show has reached a similar challenge as shows like Saturday Night Live, with trying to parody the
01:38unparodyable.
01:39And guys, look, The Boys, it is a very political show.
01:42They take big jabs at both sides of the aisle, but it's no secret that the creators behind the show
01:48are super critical of the political far-right and the current presidential administration.
01:52And I know this kind of came as a shock to some fans who only began to catch on in
01:57Season 4.
01:58Wait, is this f***ing Clay about us?
02:00But again, that's the show.
02:02That's what they're doing.
02:03That's what they've been doing.
02:04Now, this is not a channel where we bombard you with our own personal political opinions, and it's still not.
02:09You can find me on Twitter for that.
02:11But I would not be doing my job correctly if I did not point out the comparisons, the details, and
02:17the opinions that the creators of the show are intending to convey with the allusions to the real world and
02:22our current politics that the creators are making as they see them.
02:26So, there's your warning that we will be pointing out the politics of it all.
02:30And if that offends you or it's just not your speed, you don't want to hear about that, I'd go
02:34watch something else.
02:35I hear Landman is good.
02:36So, we open at the Vought International Meeting of Shareholders, and they are parodying right-wing conferences like CPAC and
02:43Turning Point USA, as well as the rallies of President Trump with chants of USA and Red Hats.
02:49Granted, the DNC had chants of USA as well in 2024, but these chants are indeed a staple of a
02:54Trump rally.
02:55Now, while they are mimicking a right-wing conservative family value-style conference, they are also showing us the hypocrisy
03:02that can be found at the same events among their organizers and attendees when it comes to how they view
03:07and treat women.
03:08And this is shown here with their sexualization of these showgirls.
03:12Now, not that there's anything wrong with these girls showing what they got in their firecracker-inspired costumes, they look
03:17great, but there is that hypocrisy that comes with it when this political side of the aisle preaches things like
03:22modesty and abstinence, yet simultaneously they have these girls running around with their asses out.
03:27And a few minutes later, we even hear Homelander call Starlight a bitch and a whore, so it's clear that
03:33the creators are commenting on the hypocrisy here, the exploitation of women, and the Manosphere's disrespect for women and how
03:41they view them as objects.
03:42And this point is later emphasized with Homelander's disgust of firecracker and his lack of remorse for her heart being
03:49all screwed up from taking these medications to make her produce breast milk for his fetish in the absence of
03:54Stilwell.
03:55And this all, of course, amplifies how this naive crowd may be unintentionally hypocritical and just not smart enough to
04:01see the conflict and beliefs that they are holding.
04:04While Homelander, on the other hand, is just a straight-up con man.
04:07He has the morals of an alley cat, but he's able to put on a show and appeal to a
04:11crowd that would call themselves evangelical conservative Christians.
04:14And this is yet another comparison the creators are drawing between Homelander and President Trump.
04:19Many argue that President Trump holds no true political ideology and that he is far from being an evangelical or
04:25even a conservative.
04:26Yet, Trump was able to appeal to the evangelical conservative base, but he was able to slowly let his mask
04:32slip over the years without losing his grip on that base.
04:36In fact, that grip became even tighter.
04:38President Trump nowadays acts more like his true self from his pre-president days, openly cursing and saying more crude
04:44and vulgar things than usual, and all without apology.
04:47Things that once would have hurt a candidate's poll numbers with this same group of voters now seem to be
04:52overlooked and even admired, thus making President Trump feel all the more emboldened and untouchable, especially following his re-election
04:59and court case dismissals.
05:01And I tell you all of this because that is exactly what we're seeing happen with Homelander.
05:05He feels untouchable.
05:07He feels free and emboldened.
05:08After coming out of his murder trial unscathed and receiving cheers for murdering a man and saying the cruel things
05:14that he says,
05:15Homelander is no longer afraid to show his true self.
05:18Well, at least part of that true self.
05:20The vitriol, the anger, but never the weakness.
05:23Now, Homelander, he did this whole act early on, going back to season one with his appearance at the Believe
05:28Expo, where he really laid it on thick and pretended to be something he wasn't.
05:32Wasn't I chosen to save you?
05:35Is it not my god-given purpose to protect the United States of America?
05:41Now, we also hear Homelander call the U.S. a god-fearing nation, but that's ironic considering that he views
05:47himself as a god and he rules the nation now through fear.
05:50Now, I also wanted to mention that when Homelander takes the stage, we see him descend from a single spotlight,
05:55which is very Christ-like imagery.
05:57This season is going to draw multiple parallels between Homelander and Jesus since his goal is to become a god
06:03and pose as mankind's savior.
06:05Happy Easter.
06:06Happy Easter, Jesus.
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07:25Now, back to what I was saying.
07:26Now, among the Firecracker showgirls is Annie January, Starlight, in disguise.
07:30And she is there to play the Flight 37 video for the entire crowd, hoping that it will persuade even
07:35Homelander's staunchest supporters to see him for the monster he is.
07:39Remember, this is the plane crash from season one, where Homelander and Maeve went to save this plane, but they
07:44were unable to do so.
07:45And Homelander refused to save even one of them, because it would shine a spotlight on their failure.
07:50And when people approached for help, even these two little girls, he did this.
07:54No, you stay back.
07:55You stay the f***ing back.
07:56I'll laser you, goddammit.
07:58I'll laser every f***ing one of you.
08:00Now, as we see Starlight walking down the hall, we see this poster for The Seven, which really no longer
08:05exists.
08:05And it was really always just a team that was never really a true team of heroes, like, in the
08:11first place.
08:11And instead, it was really just all for show and made up of these self-obsessed, unheroic celebrities.
08:17Now, as Homelander continues his speech, he talks about how they will be ushering America into a new golden dawn,
08:23which is a reference to President Trump's claims of America having a new golden age in his second term.
08:28Homelander then calls Starlighters terrorists, a political tactic found on the right,
08:33where anyone who challenges their ideology is labeled a terrorist or Antifa.
08:37A what?
08:38We then learn that a soup, General Mayhem, has been appointed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
08:43a reference to the Trump administration putting TV hosts and podcasters into positions of power,
08:48despite having little to no experience.
08:50Next, we get this fun nod to X-Men Days of Future Past.
08:54G-Men, Days Past from the Future.
08:56Close enough.
08:57And I should also mention that Days of Future Past, both the comic as well as the film,
09:01do feature people, or in the X-Men's case, mutants and the humans that help them,
09:05being rounded up and put into internment camps.
09:08Now, the G-Men are an actual X-Men parody in the Boys universe.
09:12We see John Godolkin use his mind control powers to abduct kids and turn them into super weapons through abuse.
09:18All of the kids were parodies of other X-Men, like Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey, and Wolverine.
09:23And it would appear that they borrowed from this comic storyline for the Thomas Godolkin mind control powers that we
09:28saw in Gen V.
09:29Now, next we see Starlight successfully play the Flight 37 video,
09:33showing us that despite Homelander's threats of what would happen if she did this...
09:42They really have just reached their breaking point, and they have to be willing to risk it all.
09:47Now, after the video finishes, the violin picks up,
09:52which has become an audio leitmotif for when Homelander is about to go crazy.
09:57His eyes light up red with anger as he is about to cut down the crowd for having seen this
10:01video,
10:02and for a brief moment, it's as if he believes that there is no coming back from this video's release,
10:07and that he too is about to go scorched earth, which might have been true a few years ago.
10:11Had this video leaked then, the entire public may have turned on him,
10:15and Homelander would have had to go that route.
10:16But now things are different.
10:18They have successfully manipulated the minds of many, many Americans and the globe.
10:24And Sage was a big part of this mass manipulation,
10:27and she easily covers up this whole Flight 37 video by calling it...
10:31An AI-generated disinformation campaign, period.
10:34And this is yet another reference to, well...
10:36One of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad.
10:39If something happens really bad, just blame AI.
10:42Now, the Flight 37 video is then leaked to the press and online,
10:45and now everyone has seen it, and the audio has even become a TikTok trend,
10:49showing how desensitized the world has become.
10:52You're on laser every f***ing one!
10:54And you'll notice that the account says,
10:56At Real Teenage Kicks, which was the super team that Popclaw and A-Train used to be a part of.
11:02Looks like the media age has turned the teen superheroes into TikTok influencers.
11:06And I have to say, I love the nice touch that this guy's suit is covered in sponsored ads.
11:11Now, at the White House, we see the press briefing room,
11:13where now Vice President Ashley is taking the podium.
11:16Remember, last season, she was on Homelander's kill list.
11:19So, before she was got, she injected herself with Compound V to protect herself,
11:23and we saw her head begin to pulsate.
11:25And she now has the ability to read minds.
11:28He was love at first sight.
11:30See, I knew he was going to say that.
11:32Try marrying a mind reader.
11:33Now, in the press room, we see a cameo from real-life MSNBC reporter Chris Hayes.
11:38Chris Hayes.
11:39Vice President Barrett.
11:40Look, Chris, I know exactly what you're thinking.
11:43Ashley quickly deflects with standard scare word talking points,
11:46calling the Flight 37 video a, quote,
11:48deepfake by Marxist starlighters.
11:50She also then goes on to play victim and pretends that she's been a suit for years,
11:54yet was in the closet about it because of anti-suit propaganda.
11:57And then comes the all-too-real Freedom Camps mentioned,
12:00which we get a much closer look at a little later in the episode.
12:03I mean, who doesn't love freedom and camp?
12:06Now, these are the camps that starlighters, or anyone who is anti-Homelander,
12:09are being rounded up and placed within.
12:11They market these Freedom Camps as nice places to be,
12:14when in reality, they're modern internment camps with very poor living conditions.
12:18We even see the prisoners being forced to wear Homelander merch.
12:21Now, over in Sage's office, we see that she is enjoying her newfound wealth
12:25and admiration from others actually feeling appreciated for her smarts
12:29for, like, the first time in her life.
12:30She mentions that this Gutenberg Bible was sold to her by Martin Shkreli,
12:34also known as Pharma Bro.
12:36What's this?
12:37That is a Gutenberg Bible.
12:38Martin Shkreli sold it to me at discount.
12:41He was released from federal prison in May of 2022
12:43after serving most of a seven-year sentence for fraud,
12:46and he has been permanently banned from the pharmaceutical industry.
12:49So, I mean, yeah, of course he's working with Vought.
12:52Now, Homelander mentions Peter Thiel, a far-right guy and former CEO of PayPal,
12:57as well as the Obamas, as powerful individuals looking to sage for counsel
13:00after seeing what she's been able to do for Homelander.
13:03We then get this line,
13:04Hire the share price, happier the billionaires.
13:07Showing us once again that even in a world of superheroes,
13:10with a man as powerful as a god,
13:12the true ruling class still isn't Homelander or even the Supes.
13:15It's the billionaire class.
13:17We then get a mention of Ryan, which Homelander recoils at,
13:20not wanting to hear his name.
13:21The last time we saw him,
13:22he accidentally killed Grace Mallory when she cornered him
13:25and tried to force him to agree to train to kill his father.
13:28And it is now clear that Ryan has been taken by Homelander or Vought
13:32or the government,
13:33and he has been locked away,
13:34and they're just calling it boarding school.
13:36Now, Homelander brings up Sage's relationship with Goodolken,
13:39which we saw in season two of Gen V,
13:41and he asks her if she has been giving herself lobotomies to numb the pain.
13:46Remember, Sage's brain is the one part of her body that can regenerate,
13:49self-heal,
13:50and she sometimes stabs herself in the brain to take away her super smarts
13:54and to just feel normal or even a little dumb.
13:57And when she was shot in the head last season,
13:59Homelander was quite embarrassed.
14:00A Crunchwrap Supreme and a Sidney.
14:04Hey, hey, hey, look at me.
14:06Get a grip on yourself.
14:08So everything appears to be going well for Homelander and Vought
14:11and the conservative movement in this universe,
14:13but Homelander just can't get past his own ego.
14:16He is still obsessing over things like memes.
14:18Have you seen the memes?
14:20Have you seen the memes about me?
14:22And this is yet another comparison to President Trump.
14:25President Trump is a man who has been elected to the presidency twice,
14:28survived an assassination attempt,
14:30got off scot-free from multiple criminal trials,
14:33and is a billionaire sitting on the most powerful throne on the planet,
14:37yet still gets in petty pissing matches with people making memes about him.
14:40So next we get mention of Homelander having high polling,
14:43and this tells me two things.
14:44One, even with an approval rating in the 90s,
14:47Homelander still just cannot stand that anyone would dare to dislike him
14:50and simultaneously have the freedom to do so.
14:53But I think he may also kind of be aware of the fact that the polling is fear-based.
14:56Polling can be inaccurate because of people's fear to share who they're actually supporting,
15:01simply from an embarrassment perspective.
15:03But nowadays, that fear can be of retaliation.
15:05So I could see someone being scared to share with a pollster if they dislike Homelander.
15:09We then get this call back to last season with mention of Caesar.
15:12You promised me Caesar.
15:14Sage then reminds Homelander that Caesar was stabbed by his friend,
15:17and Homelander says that's something he can relate to,
15:19a reference to his fell betrayal by the real Black Noir knowing his father was Soldier Boy and not telling
15:24him.
15:25We then see what Homelander does best, make everyone around him fear him.
15:28And we can see that fear on Sage's face as we then transition to an ad for her Bitcoin.
15:33Once again, a commentary on our modern politics,
15:36the bro-cast connection with Bitcoin, as well as right-wing politics,
15:39and it's all just meshing together.
15:41And this ad is, of course, at a freedom camp for some reason.
15:44Okay, so now we get an up-close-and-personal look at these so-called freedom camps.
15:48Now, if you even remotely follow the news,
15:50you get the relevance and the commentary that they are making here.
15:53We see Frenchie listening to a song called Hyagiaphone,
15:56I think I'm saying that right, by Telephone.
15:59Now, this song is in French,
16:00but some of the lyrics roughly translate to mention an end of line and caught in wood,
16:05which describes what is essentially an internment camp.
16:08Now, Frenchie is distributing contraband using a copy of Deeper,
16:11which was The Deep's book from season two.
16:13We see how this freedom camp has changed our characters.
16:16Frenchie is more or less the same.
16:17He's thriving in a prison setting,
16:19but it seems like he's taking care of a few people's needs,
16:22like the people that he trades with and the information that he gets to Huey.
16:25We then see Huey knock this guy out to protect Frenchie,
16:28which is not something he would usually do.
16:30But Huey isn't usually the physical violence type.
16:33But that has changed more and more as each season has passed,
16:36and with Huey's hands getting dirtier and dirtier.
16:38Now, the most drastic change I think we're seeing is in MM.
16:41He is taking part in prison fights,
16:43which is the complete opposite to how he was introduced all the way back in season one,
16:47when we saw him breaking up a prison fight.
16:49Now, outside, we see giant penis dude using his namesake to beat a prisoner,
16:53and MM looks on in disgust.
16:55Remember, MM hates this dude from their previous encounters,
16:58and it was this dude that apprehended MM in the season four finale.
17:02So, later in the episode, when we see MM get his revenge on this guy,
17:05it's a good moment.
17:06Next, we see Butcher visit his dad,
17:08reminding us that Butcher truly is going scorched earth
17:11and getting revenge on everyone who has hurt him
17:13and people that he loved, such as his brother.
17:16Butcher's father was very abusive of him and his brother, Lenny.
17:19Now, on set of Firecracker's news program,
17:21we see Homelander on as a guest for some state media propaganda,
17:25and he can hear everyone's heart racing around him
17:27because they all know that that Flight 37 video is very real.
17:31As Firecracker walks to set, we hear her name drop Elon Musk.
17:34Move that Elon interview to Thursday.
17:36And this new segment is just such a sham.
17:39They explain away the Thomas Godolkin incident from Gen V with AI,
17:43and they appear to have edited or purposely mischaracterized like motion blur
17:47as extra AI fingers to discredit the Flight 37 video.
17:52And the bottom tagline of the screen also reads that
17:54President Calhoun claims parts of the Constitution are, get this, unconstitutional.
17:59We then pick up with Kimiko, who is in the Philippines.
18:02We see from her corkboard that she is trying to find a way
18:04to break Frenchie out of the freedom camps,
18:06and then Butcher arrives with a golden opportunity for her to do so.
18:10They're after Frenchie.
18:12What's gonna do him?
18:14Huey and him.
18:15In 72 hours.
18:16Now, after Butcher and Kimiko talk, and Butcher begins to leave,
18:19we see a framed picture advertising a musical titled South Pacific.
18:23Remember, season 3, Kimiko, she's a big fan of musicals.
18:26She had a musical dream sequence twice that season,
18:29which was technically the first time we got to hear her speak,
18:31albeit within her mind.
18:32Now, back to the camps, we get a scene of Huey talking with Ivy,
18:35where he mentions several of his near-death experiences
18:38at the hands of Supes from throughout the series.
18:41Ivy says,
18:41None of the FBSA people are ever getting out.
18:44Now, the FBSA is the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs.
18:48They were the legitimate government agency
18:49that employed the boys in season 3
18:51until Huey found out that Victoria Newman was also a Soup.
18:55So next, we see this poor bastard attempt at Jesse Pinkman,
18:58and he winds up getting exploded by Cindy,
19:00a Soup who we first met here in season 2,
19:02and who we saw helping round up Supes at the end of season 4.
19:06We then catch up with the Deep and New Black Noir,
19:08who have their very own Manosphere podcast.
19:10Cuddling, kissing, that's beta male shit, bro!
19:14B-b-b-b-reach!
19:15The set is decorated, sort of like a submarine.
19:18The table is a sonar,
19:19the chandelier has a lookout point in the center of it,
19:22like a scope,
19:22and there's an octopus in the back,
19:24probably reminding the Deep about Ambrosia,
19:26the octopus, played by Tilda Swinton in season 4,
19:29which was his love interest that he betrayed.
19:31So now, Kimiko, she talks,
19:33we only saw this, remember,
19:34in season 3 when she dreamed of singing with Frenchie,
19:37so it is odd seeing her talk,
19:39like now for real, for real.
19:40Now, you can see in the background here,
19:41a skull with a straw hat on top of it,
19:43which is the logo for the straw hat pirates in one piece.
19:47Now, since Annie is hiding out
19:48in what looks like an elementary school,
19:50it makes sense that this is there.
19:51And this also parallels the two factions.
19:54The resistance uses an abandoned school as a hideout,
19:57and the fascists are holding people
19:58and treating them like children and emulating camp.
20:02It's like poetry, it's sort of, they rhyme.
20:03Now, here in Homelander's apartment,
20:05we see that he's still fucking insane,
20:07in case anyone forgot,
20:08and he just killed their stage manager, Gavin,
20:11for liking some Starlight post.
20:12And to hear Homelander talk about the Flight 37 video
20:15as if he's almost convinced himself of the lie
20:18that it didn't really happen,
20:20it's just rich,
20:20because that's what pathological liars do.
20:23Now, after he sends Dumb and Dumber out on their mission,
20:25we see Homelander then walk over to his father,
20:28Soldier Boy,
20:29who is still in cryosleep as teased last season.
20:31Now, over in DC,
20:32we see that Ashley is in a fake political marriage
20:35with O Father,
20:36an evangelical megachurch pastor parody
20:39who is also a soup
20:40and who preaches far-right extremism from the pulpit.
20:43We hear silly things in this interview
20:44between Ashley, O Father, and Firecracker,
20:46such as you can't spell devil without DEI,
20:49and how white is a color too.
20:51We then get a moment of candor
20:52between Ashley and Sage,
20:53who are both power-hungry, yet simultaneously terrified.
20:57They don't believe any of the bull they're pushing,
20:58and they know that they're all just playing a role.
21:00We then cut to the apartment
21:01of a screenwriter slash soup
21:03who goes by the name Worm
21:04because he can tunnel through dirt like a worm.
21:07We see that Worm is writing a script for Reacher,
21:09and on his wall,
21:10we can see some movie posters
21:11with Crimson Countess and Popclaw,
21:14both female soups from this universe
21:15who were brutally killed by their boyfriends.
21:18We also see that Worm is wearing a Mesmer shirt,
21:20which is Haley Joel Osment's character from season one.
21:23And there's also this framed picture here
21:24with, I believe, Michael Bay.
21:25Worm also mentions that Vought replaced
21:27all their writers with AI,
21:29which is definitely something they do,
21:30but it also makes it ironic
21:32that they're saying the Flight 37 video
21:34is that bastard AI.
21:35We see A-Train meet up with Annie and Kimiko,
21:38and A-Train says to Annie,
21:39Fuck you, JonBenet.
21:41a reference to JonBenet Ramsey,
21:43a fellow pageant girl like Starlight.
21:45They then name-drop Marie from Gen V.
21:47She is now a part of the Resistance,
21:49and remember, A-Train was there
21:50for her recruitment in the Gen V season two finale.
21:53You guys are fucking rebels, man.
21:55And hey guys,
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22:12Now, back at the camp,
22:13the boys are greeted by a room full of dead bodies
22:15and an awaiting Homelander.
22:16Now, Homelander threatens Huey,
22:18but he also asks a poignant question.
22:20Why would Starlight and Butcher
22:22piss away their lives
22:24to try and rescue you?
22:26And Huey gives him the answer
22:28that he's been searching for.
22:29Because I do it for them.
22:31Now, this cuts deep,
22:32because genuinely,
22:33Homelander would not risk his life
22:35for a single person on this Earth.
22:38He seeks devotion from his lackeys,
22:40but he can't get that through fear.
22:42Essentially, Homelander,
22:43he doesn't understand friendship,
22:45and when he asked Huey that question,
22:48he was genuinely curious.
22:50And when Huey gives him the answer
22:51that he gave him,
22:52you can see on Homelander's face
22:54that it truly did stump him.
22:56Homelander knows that he would never do the same
22:58for someone that he loved,
23:00and therefore,
23:01he can never really get that same kind of love back.
23:04Homelander, he's never, like,
23:05really been loved by anyone.
23:07He's just been used,
23:08and then that turned into him
23:11using people just the same.
23:13And as much as Homelander may think
23:15he is capable of love,
23:16he is really just incapable of it.
23:18He's a very broken individual.
23:21So, Atrian meets and talks to his brother Nathan,
23:23and he mentions,
23:24You remember when we got into it
23:25at the park that day?
23:27And I told you
23:28that you had never really saved anyone.
23:31Now, he is referring to Season 4, Episode 2,
23:33when Reggie was sneaking around
23:34to hang out with his nephews.
23:36Now, when Starlight says,
23:37But nothing is more important
23:39than killing Homelander.
23:40Kimiko says that she sounds like Maeve.
23:42This is what Maeve spent
23:43the Season 3 finale trying to do.
23:45She ultimately decided to let Homelander live,
23:47but save everyone
23:48from the Soldier Boy explosion.
23:50Now, when The Deep arrives,
23:51Atrian points out
23:52how scared The Deep is,
23:54and he knows this
23:54because they are acting the same.
23:56He admits that he said the same thing
23:58when Annie confronted him
23:59about Homelander a few scenes earlier.
24:01I know you're scared.
24:02No, I'm not fucking scared.
24:04You're not fucking scared.
24:05So, here Worm complains
24:06about finales
24:07and how making all the fans happy
24:09and having to tie up every storyline,
24:11and this is, of course,
24:12a meta line
24:13about how this is the last season
24:14of The Boys,
24:15and they are trying to wrap up this story.
24:17Now, it could also be a reference
24:18to Supernatural,
24:20Eric Kripke's other widely popular show
24:22apart from The Boys,
24:23that ran for 15 seasons.
24:25So, Kripke is poking a little fun
24:27at himself here.
24:27Now, Butcher cuts to the heart
24:29of Annie's problem here.
24:30He knows that she is bullshitting
24:31that Huey is safer at the camp.
24:33He calls out how the dark shit
24:35that Annie has done
24:35over the past year
24:36is haunting her.
24:37And in this way,
24:38Annie is becoming
24:39more and more like Butcher,
24:40but the central question
24:41for her is going to be,
24:42is that a good thing or not?
24:44When Worm realizes
24:45that he is being asked
24:46to dig into a freedom camp,
24:47he says,
24:48You said I got to stick a divot
24:49and I could please it in half.
24:51To which Butcher replies,
24:52That's how Worms
24:53get their rocks off, innit?
24:54And then Worm says,
24:55It's complicated
24:56and I don't want to get
24:57into that right now.
24:58This exchanges a reference
24:59to the old playground myth
25:01that Worms can grow
25:02into two Worms
25:03if you cut one in half.
25:04Worm's response
25:05if it's complicated
25:06is because,
25:07well, it is complicated.
25:08It depends on the species of Worm
25:10and where exactly
25:10you cut the Worm.
25:11No, I've never done this,
25:12but I've heard about it.
25:14When Worm tries to run,
25:15Annie threatens him
25:16and I love the smug smirk
25:17from Butcher.
25:18He knows that Annie
25:19is becoming more and more like him
25:20and he approves.
25:22Now, back inside,
25:22we hear Homelander
25:23make a mother's milk joke.
25:26You never told me
25:27that this one's nickname
25:28is Mother's Milk.
25:32We then get this great line delivery
25:34from Kimiko
25:35before she,
25:35like a worm,
25:36is lasered in two.
25:37Suck my fat dick!
25:38Okay, and I really love this scene
25:40where Homelander
25:41looks inside of Butcher
25:42and sees his viper's nest
25:43of super cancer.
25:44And that is, of course,
25:45mirroring this scene
25:46from Season 4, Episode 1.
25:48Look at that big black mask
25:50curdling around your brain.
25:52Homelander finds it beautiful
25:53and takes it as a compliment
25:55that Butcher has allowed
25:56this to happen to himself
25:57all for Homelander.
25:58Granted, it is all in hopes
25:59of defeating Homelander,
26:01but nevertheless,
26:02it's about Homelander
26:03and that is what Homelander craves.
26:05Obsession.
26:06Now, we then get the arrival
26:07of Starlight
26:08doing her best
26:08Spider-Man No Way Home
26:10Electro entry.
26:11Now, I may be reading
26:12too much into this bit,
26:13but we do see these
26:14double door gates open
26:15and it splits this picture
26:17of Homelander in two,
26:18like right down the middle.
26:19And I wonder if this is foreshadowing
26:21how we might see him die.
26:22Maybe Butcher rips him in two
26:24come the finale.
26:25We shall see.
26:25We then get the beginnings
26:26of this theme of distance
26:27between Huey and Starlight
26:29that carries into the next episode
26:30when Huey runs off
26:31to save Ivy
26:32and then Starlight decides
26:34to prioritize the mission
26:35over her love for Huey
26:36and decides to save Frenchie first
26:38like she had agreed.
26:39Homelander then kills
26:40yet another person
26:41that Huey cared about,
26:42Ivy,
26:42and he uses Huey as bait
26:44to draw out Butcher.
26:45We then get to see A-Train,
26:47who had initially refused
26:48to help with this prison break,
26:49arrive just in the nick of time
26:51and get his quick silver
26:52time-in-a-bottle moment
26:53just like in X-Men Days of Future Past,
26:55which was referenced earlier
26:56in the episode.
26:57He puts on the headphones,
26:58the goggles,
26:59he moves things around.
27:00It's a great scene
27:01and it was awesome
27:02seeing A-Train get this moment
27:03before,
27:04well,
27:05we'll get there.
27:05We see him save M-M
27:07and Huey
27:07and while he's running,
27:08he passes an ad for Turbo Rush,
27:10which is the drink
27:11that they did the Kylie Jenner
27:12Pepsi parody commercial
27:14for a few seasons ago.
27:15The tagline being
27:16a drink for heroes
27:17and this symbolizes
27:18how A-Train in this moment
27:20is finally becoming a hero
27:21and it also represents
27:23just how far he has come.
27:24He was one of the most
27:25corporatized Supes
27:26in season one
27:27and we have slowly seen him
27:28come back to the good side
27:29and become a true hero.
27:31Now,
27:31the look that Huey
27:32gives Annie here,
27:33ouch,
27:33this is exactly
27:34what Butcher was predicting.
27:36We then get this chase scene
27:37between Homelander
27:38and A-Train,
27:39which feels like
27:39they're kind of parodying
27:40the Flash racing Superman,
27:42except here it's A-Train
27:43running for his life
27:44from Homelander.
27:45We then see A-Train
27:46dodge this girl
27:47on the road,
27:48ultimately leading
27:48to his own demise,
27:49but again showing us
27:51how much he has grown
27:51since we first met him
27:53and he ran straight through
27:54Huey's girlfriend Robin.
27:55Without even thinking,
27:56A-Train made sure
27:57that he did not kill
27:58this innocent pedestrian
27:59and it ultimately
28:00led to his own defeat.
28:02Now,
28:02Homelander enters
28:03with a cheesy line,
28:04It's like someone
28:05can't catch the A-Train
28:06after all.
28:07which is a reference
28:08to A-Train's
28:09crappy catchphrase
28:10from his Vought days.
28:11So,
28:11A-Train then laughs
28:12at Homelander saying,
28:13What was I so afraid of?
28:14A-Train realizes
28:15in his final moments
28:17that Homelander
28:17is just a clown.
28:19A-Train says,
28:20Take away these powers.
28:21And what are you?
28:22Just like this exchange
28:23between Cap and Tony
28:24in the Avengers.
28:25Big man in a suit of armor.
28:26Take that off.
28:27What are you?
28:28Everything special about you
28:29came out of a bottle.
28:30Now,
28:31A-Train did the brave thing
28:32calling Homelander out,
28:33but it cost him his life.
28:34But,
28:35let's face it,
28:36he knew that he was already dead.
28:38Alright,
28:38and that brings us
28:39into episode two.
28:40So,
28:41we start on A-Train's funeral
28:42and there is a choir
28:43that sings,
28:44I think I should stand in fire.
28:48Which is exactly
28:49how A-Train died,
28:50standing up against Homelander.
28:52Now,
28:52even though it's been a year
28:53since A-Train went AWOL,
28:55Vought said that he was
28:55on an undercover mission overseas
28:57so that the public
28:58never knew A-Train was a traitor.
29:00And,
29:00it's really not to save face
29:02for A-Train
29:02as much as it is
29:03to save face for Vought,
29:05not letting the public
29:06think that they had a traitor
29:07in their ranks
29:08and this helps
29:08rile up the base
29:09over a dead soup
29:10and covering for
29:11Homelander's murder
29:12of A-Train.
29:13I should also mention
29:14that we learned
29:14about the beginnings
29:15of this cover-up story
29:16in a truth bomb segment
29:17that was made
29:18before this season came out.
29:20Godspeed,
29:21A-Train.
29:21You are in our thoughts
29:22and most importantly,
29:25our prayers.
29:26This was the same excuse
29:27they gave for Translucent
29:28when he was missing
29:29before he died
29:30in season one
29:31and his funeral
29:32was the season two premiere.
29:33Now,
29:34the camera focuses
29:34on Ashley a few times
29:36when she looks guilty.
29:37This is because
29:38she was about to run away
29:39with A-Train
29:39in season four,
29:40episode seven.
29:46She is now watching
29:48as the fruits
29:48of her deceit sprout
29:50and she continues
29:50to climb in power.
29:52That coffin is a reminder
29:53of what would have happened
29:54to her if she had left with him.
29:56Now,
29:56speaking of that casket,
29:57it is decked out
29:58in an A-Train insignia.
29:59This is a subtle reminder
30:01that media publicity,
30:02branding,
30:02and image
30:03are everything
30:04in this world.
30:05Now,
30:05Homelander looks mad
30:07uncomfortable
30:07in this church setting
30:08because dude
30:09is not a believer.
30:10The only higher power
30:11he believes in
30:11is himself.
30:12We hear O-Father
30:13lay out some standard
30:14far-right talking points
30:15such as how the left
30:16eats babies
30:17and want to turn
30:18little boys
30:19into little girls
30:19with garden shears.
30:21Just standard
30:22trans panic,
30:23fear-mongering.
30:24O-Father also calls
30:25Starlight a Jezebel
30:26who is literally
30:27possessed by demons.
30:29And then he even
30:30goes on to list
30:31Homelander above God
30:32in the list of things
30:33that were important
30:34to A-Train.
30:34He loved his country,
30:36his God,
30:37but most of all
30:37his captain.
30:39Homelander,
30:39amen.
30:40We see here at church
30:41that Firecracker
30:42is fully bought in,
30:43while Sage is not impressed,
30:44and Homelander
30:45has this flash of memory
30:46to Stilwell.
30:47This is my boy.
30:49So the boys,
30:50they are hiding out
30:51in another elementary school.
30:52This one is Butcher's
30:53hiding spot.
30:54Annie, however,
30:55was using a different one
30:56in episode one.
30:57And think about
30:58what these locations
30:59are telling us.
31:00In Gen V Season 2,
31:01the gang hid
31:02in an abandoned library.
31:03Now Season 5 of The Boys
31:04begins with
31:05two abandoned schools.
31:07These are institutions
31:08that are no longer
31:09funded or needed
31:10in Homelander's
31:11fascist America.
31:12So in the school
31:13we get reintroduced
31:14to Newman's scientist
31:15husband, Samir,
31:16who doesn't know
31:17that Butcher is the one
31:18who actually killed his wife.
31:19Now their plan involves
31:20a soup named Rock Hard
31:22to test the virus on
31:23because he nears
31:24Homelander in sheer strength.
31:25And I would be remiss
31:26if I didn't mention
31:27that his name is
31:28Rock Hard,
31:29which is of course
31:30a euphemism for
31:31well, you know.
31:33And later he shoots
31:34out lava that is
31:35well, you know.
31:37Now the Truth Bomb
31:38segment that MMM
31:39and the gang
31:39are listening to
31:40advocates for
31:41predictive arrest
31:42aka incarceration
31:43before a crime
31:44is even committed.
31:45And they hide behind
31:46a need for safety
31:47but this is a clear-cut
31:49dystopian fascistic tactic.
31:51And this type of story
31:52was featured heavily
31:53in the controversial
31:54Civil War II comics
31:55where Captain Marvel
31:56used an Inhuman
31:57who could see the future
31:58to make arrests
31:59before a crime
32:00was even committed.
32:01This also reminds me
32:02of this scene
32:02from Captain America
32:03and the Winter Soldier.
32:04I thought the punishment
32:05usually came after the crime.
32:06We can't afford
32:07to wait that long.
32:08So we get moments
32:09between both Huey
32:09and Annie
32:10as well as Frenchie
32:11and Kimiko
32:11and I like this nod
32:13to Kimiko slipping
32:13back into sign
32:14when she got anxious.
32:16And since it's been a year
32:17since these couples
32:18have seen each other
32:18it is only fitting
32:19that they have some sex.
32:20The song playing here
32:21as they all reconnect
32:22is Never Tear Us Apart
32:24by INXS.
32:25Back at the funeral
32:26we see Homelander
32:27talk to A-Train
32:28in his casket
32:29and notice that
32:29he calls himself
32:30the big brother
32:31that A-Train never had.
32:33This is a slight
32:33against A-Train's
32:34actual big brother
32:35that he very much
32:36did have, Nathan.
32:37However,
32:38it also shows
32:39Homelander's headspace.
32:40He wants a family
32:41in his own twisted way.
32:43In the previous episode
32:44he couldn't even handle
32:45Ryan's name
32:45being mentioned aloud
32:46and in the opening scene
32:48of this episode
32:48he was hearing the voice
32:50of Madeline Stillwell
32:51call him Sweet Boy.
32:52So right as Homelander
32:53begins to crave
32:54this idea of family
32:55he then seeks out
32:56Soldier Boy,
32:57his biological father,
32:58for help.
32:59Homelander,
32:59he is of course
33:00very delusional
33:01and we are seeing him
33:02tear up in this moment
33:03and it makes you wonder
33:04if he does hold
33:05any true remorse
33:06or if he's just upset
33:07that he keeps getting
33:08what he views as betrayed.
33:10Next,
33:10we get more TikTok-like
33:11socials from
33:12the Teenage Kicks.
33:13They advertise
33:14diet water
33:15which I don't even know
33:17what that means,
33:18how that works.
33:19Water is already
33:21zero calories.
33:22We also see
33:22Firecracker's
33:23Freedom Sticks
33:24which are probably
33:25a Cheetos parody
33:26and then there's
33:27this Vought-sponsored
33:28eyeshadow.
33:29We zoom out
33:30to then see
33:30M.M. watching
33:31these videos
33:32outside the Kicks crib
33:33which is
33:34Teenage Kicks
33:35Hideout
33:35a clear parody
33:36on influencer houses.
33:38These are usually
33:38big mansions
33:39rented by multiple
33:40content creators
33:41so that they can
33:42live together
33:42and constantly
33:43film themselves
33:44for internet clout.
33:45So we meet
33:46Sheeline,
33:46Jetstreak
33:47and Countess Crow
33:48who feels like
33:49a parody of Raven
33:50from Teen Titans.
33:51Now even their house
33:52is sponsored
33:53and it says
33:53they're sponsored
33:54by Vought Petroleum
33:56underneath this big sign.
33:57Now there's a clear
33:58difference between
33:59how Huey and Annie
34:00are interacting
34:01in this episode
34:02and how Frenchie
34:03and Kimiko
34:03are interacting
34:04in this episode.
34:05Both couples
34:06have been apart
34:06for a year
34:07but we have to remember
34:08that with Frenchie
34:08and Kimiko
34:09they were barely
34:10a couple
34:10when they got separated.
34:12They shared a first kiss
34:12in season 4
34:13but that was all.
34:14Annie and Huey
34:15on the other hand
34:16they've been dating
34:16for a really long time
34:17and they've been
34:18through a lot
34:19and there's also
34:20a lot of leftover
34:21tension from how
34:22things ended
34:22in season 4
34:23with the whole
34:24doppelganger situation.
34:25You put the ring
34:26on her finger
34:27Huey.
34:28And we are seeing
34:29Annie and Huey
34:29grow further and further
34:30apart because Annie
34:31is becoming more
34:32and more like Butcher.
34:33Back with Homelander
34:34and a now awoken
34:35Soldier Boy
34:35we see that Homelander
34:37he's a terrible liar.
34:38Soldier Boy calls him
34:39on his bullshit
34:40almost immediately.
34:41But that just happens
34:42to be in your room.
34:43And it's interesting
34:44that Homelander's
34:44bargaining chip
34:45in this conversation
34:46immediately goes to fame.
34:47He promises to help
34:49Soldier Boy
34:49with his image problem.
34:50He says
34:51Well the whole world
34:52does think that
34:53you're a Russian spy.
34:54Which was Vought's
34:55doing in season 3.
34:56Now when Homelander says
34:57Who knows
34:58you might even fry
34:58the V right out
34:59of my blood.
35:00That is now the
35:00second time this season
35:02that they have made
35:02a reference to
35:03Homelander losing
35:04his powers.
35:05The first one being
35:06when A-Train mentioned
35:07taking away
35:07Homelander's power
35:08and what would
35:09that leave him with.
35:10Now while it has
35:11been theorized
35:11that this final season
35:12of The Boys
35:13will finally feature
35:14the death of Homelander
35:15I personally am leaning
35:17toward them actually
35:18just depriving him
35:19of his power
35:19and making him
35:20a mere mortal.
35:21I think in a lot of ways
35:22that would be an even
35:23bigger defeat
35:24for Homelander.
35:25So anyway
35:25Homelander offers
35:26Soldier Boy his shield
35:27back as a peace offering.
35:28Remember his shield
35:29broke in the season 3
35:31finale where M-M
35:32delivered this great line.
35:33Damn!
35:34F*** you shield.
35:35I also really liked
35:36here how Homelander
35:37pauses and chokes up
35:38a little when he admits
35:39out loud that his father
35:40hates him.
35:41You hate William Butcher
35:42more than you
35:43than you hate
35:45We then get an ad
35:46for The Deep
35:46called Sigma Solarium
35:48where he is tanning
35:50his testicles.
35:51This is a reference
35:52to when former
35:53Fox News host
35:54Tucker Carlson
35:55said that it was
35:56manly to tan
35:57your testicles
35:58to increase
35:59your testosterone.
36:00Yes, yes he
36:01he said
36:02he said that.
36:03Now when Huey
36:04compares Rock Hard
36:04to a whale
36:05Butcher says
36:06He ain't a first whale
36:07is he?
36:07Which is a reference
36:08to season 2
36:09episode 3
36:10when Butcher
36:11rammed a boat
36:12into The Deep's whale.
36:13It's a cheeky joke
36:14but you have to remember
36:15that that episode
36:16was a breaking point
36:17for Huey.
36:17He had had enough
36:18of Butcher's bullshit
36:19and the same is true today.
36:21Now back at Vought Tower
36:22we learn that they are
36:23planning to round up
36:24active Starlight supporters
36:2510,000 of them
36:26using the Insurrection Act
36:28that can be issued
36:29by the president.
36:30They use this map
36:31to show that
36:31the more populated areas
36:33of the U.S.
36:34that tend to lean
36:34more liberal
36:35are the areas
36:36where the most vocal
36:37Homelander critics
36:38can be found.
36:39Coincidentally
36:39the map is almost identical
36:41to where the most
36:41nut milks are consumed.
36:42President Calhoun says
36:44People get twitchy
36:45at rounding up
36:46their neighbors
36:46but they'll flat out
36:47revolt if we raise taxes.
36:49Which I mean
36:51it's getting to the point
36:52where it's not even parody.
36:53Now when Homelander
36:54and Soldier Boy
36:55enter the meeting room
36:56notice that the statue
36:57behind them
36:57is just Homelander
36:58and the American flag.
37:00This is another reminder
37:01that Homelander
37:02is all encompassing.
37:03We saw his face
37:04become more and more
37:05prominent in Gen V
37:06season 2
37:07just like a fascist ruler
37:08he is putting himself
37:09in everything.
37:10Remember in season 1
37:11the statue
37:12was of the 7
37:13not just Homelander
37:14and later
37:15when the camera pans up
37:16we see Homelander
37:17alone in the sky.
37:18Again
37:18more Jesus
37:19God imagery
37:20but also in season 1
37:22remember this mural
37:23it had all of the 7 in it
37:24but now it's just Homelander
37:25and this goes to show
37:27how Homelander
37:27just keeps ascending
37:29but he leaves his friends
37:30and minions behind
37:31in the dust
37:31and he ends up
37:33making himself
37:33be alone
37:34and he simultaneously
37:37feels lonely.
37:38Now when President Calhoun
37:39says
37:39Can I get you
37:40a glass of milk sir?
37:42It clues us in
37:43that Homelander
37:43has asked for this before
37:44and I love how Homelander
37:46is just bossing
37:47the president around
37:48having him get him drinks
37:49calling him by his first name
37:50and this all impresses
37:51Soldier Boy.
37:52Since Woodgood Supes
37:53teabag the president
37:56sense me?
37:57Now M.M. is pacing
37:58around the house
37:58and taking their wine.
38:00Now the M.M. from past seasons
38:01would never do this
38:02so he's really at a low point
38:04and being careless
38:05which is really
38:06uncharacteristic for him.
38:07When M.M. finds the Teenage Kicks
38:09wall of fame
38:09we see multiple photos
38:11of characters
38:11from past seasons
38:12there's Popclaw
38:13Translucent
38:14Mesmer
38:14Sister Sage
38:15and finally
38:16A-Train
38:17Now M.M. takes a moment
38:18to pour one out for A-Train
38:19and remember in season 4
38:20it was M.M. and A-Train
38:22who got pretty close
38:23and it was M.M.'s idea
38:25to turn A-Train
38:26at that time
38:27and A-Train
38:28ended up saving M.M.'s life
38:29which he said
38:30was the thing
38:31that showed him
38:31how to be a hero again.
38:33So M.M. must be feeling
38:34a little guilty
38:35that A-Train is now dead
38:36and that he was the one
38:38who wanted to recruit him.
38:39So we learned
38:40that Annie was receiving text
38:41about other Starlight camps
38:42being raided.
38:43She's feeling guilty
38:44about these rebels' lives
38:45being taken
38:46as well as A-Train's life.
38:47And I think it's sweet
38:48and poetic
38:48that Frenchie is the one
38:50who comforts her here.
38:51In season 2
38:51we learned that Frenchie
38:53was responsible
38:53for the death
38:54of Mallory's grandchildren
38:55and he carried that guilt
38:56with him
38:57for all of season 1 and 2.
38:58So here we are seeing
38:59how Frenchie knows
39:00Annie's pain
39:01and he can empathize with her.
39:02He even says
39:03I am the heavyweight champion
39:05in torturing myself
39:07over lives lost.
39:08Now She-Line is using
39:09this woman as a prop
39:10in her Turbo Rush ad.
39:12The music in the background
39:13is the same music used
39:14in the first Turbo Rush ad
39:16with A-Train
39:17from a prior season.
39:18Now back in the car
39:18notice that when
39:19Butcher grabs Kimiko
39:20the cancer within him
39:21crawls around
39:22under his skin.
39:23Reminding us
39:24that this cancer
39:25kind of has a little bit
39:25of a mind of its own
39:26and it makes Butcher
39:27act not like himself.
39:29Now back in
39:29Homelander's apartment
39:30we see him standing
39:31in the cryo chamber
39:32making me wonder
39:33if this is foreshadowing
39:34that he won't be killed
39:36in this season
39:36but just weakened
39:37by the virus
39:38like Soldier Boy
39:39and then placed on ice.
39:41We also get a look
39:41at the old M.M.
39:42for a brief moment
39:43in this scene
39:44where he has a heart-to-heart
39:45with Countess Crow
39:46and drills her
39:47about her position
39:48at Vought.
39:49This is the soft side
39:50of M.M.
39:50that is about redemption
39:51which is what he used to do.
39:53He corralled juvie teens
39:54all the way back
39:55in season 1.
39:56We also get some reminders
39:57of M.M.'s own anxiety issues
39:58such as here
39:59with him clenching his hands.
40:01Now when Butcher says
40:02You've got to knock
40:02this wet cap
40:03and pussy shite
40:04on the head, mate.
40:05he thinks he's giving
40:06Huey tough love
40:06however this harkens back
40:08to the last episode
40:09when Billy confronted
40:10his dad
40:10about making him a monster.
40:12He told that story
40:12about Lenny
40:13being called names
40:14by their dad
40:14which just made Lenny
40:15retreat from his interests.
40:17Butcher is doing
40:18the same thing
40:18here with Huey now.
40:20He's essentially saying
40:20stop being who you are
40:22and calling him
40:22a coward and weak.
40:24So then Soldier Boy arrives
40:25and he was able
40:25to track them down
40:26because Butcher
40:27used the same alias
40:28Don T. Be a cunt
40:30which is one of
40:31Butcher's favorite phrases.
40:33Running a truck
40:34under the name
40:34Don T. Be a cunt.
40:36Same alias
40:37when we headed to Herogasm.
40:38He even taught it to Ryan
40:39in the season 2 finale.
40:41Remember what I told you?
40:44Don't be a cunt.
40:45And we get this great line
40:46from Butcher
40:47that features the word
40:48diabolical
40:49which is the name
40:49of the boys animated series
40:51and of course
40:51one of Butcher's catchphrases.
40:53Now right as Butcher
40:53sows doubt
40:54into Soldier Boy's
40:55new allegiances
40:56Soldier Boy goes
40:57to pick up his shield
40:57and it immediately cracks.
40:59Yet another reason
41:00for him to hate Homelander.
41:01Now M.M. starts to have
41:02a panic attack
41:03over Soldier Boy.
41:04Remember Soldier Boy
41:05killed his grandfather
41:06and the trauma
41:07from that night
41:07is the source
41:08of M.M.'s OCD
41:09and why he is in this fight
41:11with the boys
41:11against Supes.
41:12So Jetstreak
41:13and Rockhard
41:14are both killed
41:15by the virus
41:15and Soldier Boy
41:16is really hurt by it
41:18but as we'll later learn
41:19he did not die.
41:20We see M.M. let
41:21Countess Crow go
41:22and notice that
41:23most of her makeup
41:24is gone
41:24probably because
41:25she was crying
41:26but it's also
41:27a nice piece of symbolism
41:28that she is wiping away
41:29her time at Vought
41:30and going back
41:30to being her true self.
41:31So then we cut back
41:32to the tower
41:33Sage is eating Taco Bell
41:34we know she loves Taco Bell
41:35and junk food
41:35me too girl
41:36and we also saw this
41:37in season 4 as well.
41:38So in this scene
41:39we learn that Sage
41:40has kind of given up
41:41she's given into the power
41:42that comes from her position
41:43with Homelander
41:44and in season 4
41:45she shared this great monologue
41:46with Victoria Newman
41:47about how the rich
41:48white doctors
41:49they didn't listen to her
41:50even though she is
41:51the smartest person on earth.
41:52Gen V season 2 revealed
41:54that Sage had a plan
41:55to take down Homelander
41:56with Tom Skadolkin
41:57but once he got
41:58too overzealous
41:58she abandoned him.
42:00So now it looks like
42:01Sage doesn't have a plan
42:02she is just damaged
42:03control for Homelander
42:04and doesn't really care
42:05as long as she can
42:06keep exploiting
42:07the rich white businessmen
42:08and eating her Taco Bell
42:09and collecting the books
42:10in her office.
42:11We then get an up close look
42:12at Ashley's true mutation
42:14and how her powers work.
42:15She has this weird
42:16back of head tumor
42:17that insults her
42:18and is actually the one
42:19with the mind reading powers
42:20that then shares
42:21those revelations
42:22with May and Ashley
42:23like a voice in her head.
42:24And I think this is
42:25a really fitting power
42:26for Ashley
42:27because Ashley has always
42:28kind of been in her own head
42:29and constantly in debate
42:30with herself
42:31as to what she wants
42:32to do in this fight.
42:33And this is something
42:34we see a lot in The Boys
42:35where the superpower
42:36really does match
42:37the individual.
42:38A-Train,
42:39he was a coward
42:39for a long time
42:40so his superpower
42:41was the ability
42:42to run away.
42:43Butcher was dying of cancer
42:44and is a metaphorical blight
42:46upon everything
42:46that he touches
42:47so he gets
42:48Montra's tentacle cancer powers.
42:49So it makes sense
42:50that Ashley
42:51who spent most of the show
42:52being two-faced
42:53and playing both sides
42:54now there are literally
42:55two faces
42:56and it seems that
42:57the back face
42:57is really just acting
42:58as her conscience.
42:59And in this scene
43:00we got a really great reference
43:02to Martin Neumuller's
43:03first they came speech
43:04which is very relevant
43:06for the world
43:06that the boys find themselves in
43:07as well as the world
43:08that we find ourselves
43:09in right now.
43:10First they came
43:11for the communists
43:11and I did not speak out
43:12because I was not a communist.
43:14I don't need Martin Neumuller
43:15right now.
43:16This speech talks about
43:17how people turn a blind eye
43:18to when other groups
43:19are taken away
43:20because they're part
43:21of said group
43:22but by the time
43:23that the state police
43:24come for you
43:25the person who
43:26turned your blind eye
43:27now when they're coming
43:28for you
43:28there's no one left
43:29to help you
43:30because you turned your eye
43:31and they took everyone else
43:32and now you're being
43:33taken as well.
43:34The point of the speech
43:35is that despite our differences
43:36we all must stand together
43:38and fight against
43:39fascistic tyranny.
43:40So back with the boys
43:41Frenchy he suggests
43:42to Kimiko
43:42that they run away
43:43but Kimiko points out
43:44that it is antithetical
43:45to what he was telling
43:46Annie earlier in the episode.
43:47He even says so here
43:49Get up every day
43:50and keep calling.
43:50Now once again
43:51Huey tries to have
43:52this rough conversation
43:54with Annie
43:54but she instead
43:55tries to initiate sex
43:56to shut him up
43:57because she doesn't want
43:58to actually have
43:59that tough conversation
44:00but he refuses
44:01so that they can
44:02actually talk.
44:03And then we cut to
44:04Butcher who is
44:04entering his room
44:05and we see that
44:06he did indeed
44:07get the magic convention
44:08trophy from his dad's house
44:10so that he could
44:10remember his brother Lenny
44:12and we also get
44:12the return of terror.
44:14And then back with
44:14Homelander
44:15we get more violins
44:16to signal his cracking psyche.
44:18He cries and says
44:19Not you too.
44:21And in this moment
44:21we are seeing Homelander
44:23react to yet another
44:24family member
44:25having left him.
44:26And this scene parallels
44:27the opening scene
44:28of the episode.
44:29Homelander mourning a death
44:30that he is responsible for.
44:32First A-Train
44:33and now Soldier Boy.
44:34Except Soldier Boy
44:36is not actually dead.
44:37Alright well that is
44:38everything we caught
44:39in the first two episodes
44:40of The Boys Season 5.
44:42I want to give a huge
44:43shout out to my co-writer
44:44on this breakdown
44:45Ethan Ng.
44:46Thanks so much for your help man.
44:48And if you guys are new here
44:49be sure to subscribe.
44:50Hit the bell so you get notified
44:51every time we upload a new video.
44:53We will be covering
44:53The Boys Season 5
44:55in its entirety
44:56so be sure to check back
44:57each week for our breakdowns.
44:59For Screen Crush
44:59I'm Colton Ogbord.
45:00The Boys Season 5
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