Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Boys Season 5 Episode 6. There’s been a lot of discourse surrounding the fifth and final season of The Boys. While some criticism has been valid — notably, that some episodes have felt repetitive — other complaints are more confusing. On paper, last week’s episode, “One-Shots,” may have seemed like a “filler” episode — but instead, the show used an anthology structure to move major story arcs forward. Firecracker (Valorie Curry) met her brutal end at the hands of Homelander (Antony Starr) after having a crisis of faith. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) finally agreed to let Annie (Erin Moriarty) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) take V1, after Hughie (Jack Quaid) helped save his beloved pooch Terror. Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) revealed her master plan to unleash the supe-killing virus while she bunkers down. The Deep (Chace Crawford) ruined Black Noir II’s (Nathan Mitchell) civilian life, blackmailing him by killing his theater director, Adam Bourke (P.J. Byrne). And in a twist of fate, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) finally seems to be more in agreement with his freak of a son, Homelander. This week’s episode, “Though the Heavens Fall,” sees MM (Laz Alonso) bringing in an old ally of the Boys who may just be their last-ditch effort to get their hands on V1. It also serves as a lot of setup for the upcoming spin-off prequel series Vought Rising with the introduction of Bombsight (Mason Dye).
The Legend Returns in ‘The Boys’ Season 5 Episode 6

Paul Reiser as The Legend in The Boys Season 3.Image via Prime Video

Episode 6 begins with The Legend (Paul Reiser) trying to keep a low profile under the alias of “Chet Vanderbilt” while working at a Vought-owned movie theater. MM visits him, asking to talk in private, and the two find an empty auditorium. MM asks Legend to help them locate Bombsight, and he initially refuses until he’s threatened. The Boys has always loved to poke fun at corporate trends, including the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad and the Gal Gadot “Imagine” video. This episode takes advantage of its location to spoof the Nicole Kidman AMC advert, with Firecracker in place of the Oscar-winning actress, as well as the rise in novelty popcorn buckets. Homelander and Sister Sage watch as a scientist injects a random civilian with a homemade vial of V1. “Hopefully the 35th try is the charm.” It, of course, isn’t, and the two watch as the human guinea pig profusely bleeds out of his butt. The Deep interrupts the two, saying he can’t find Firecracker, and asks Homelander why he was summoned. Homelander strongly implies to The Deep that he killed Firecracker. To keep The Deep away, Sage tasks him with taking care of a group of activists protesting a new Vought Petroleum pipeline in the Bering Sea by recording a PSA about how safe it is. Sage apologizes to Homelander for their inability to replicate the V1 formula, to which he responds, “There’s no way Frederick Vought is smarter than you. Keep swinging. You’ll get there.” Back at the Boys’ base, Butcher proposes spraying the supe-killing virus in Homelander’s church during his Easter Sunday service. Hughie and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) suggest that they may be out of line, but Butcher and Annie don’t seem all that worried. MM arrives with The Legend, who tells them that an old friend of his, Golden Geisha (Naoko Mori), knows where Bombsight is, as the two were once in a romantic relationship. All they need to do is sneak into the retirement community, Vought Village. Ashley (Colby Minifie) tells Sage that she no longer wants to be a part of her plan. In response, Sage knocks her out with chloroform and talks to Other Ashley, who is still fully in on the plan of reading Soldier Boy’s mind. Legend and Kimiko arrive at Vought Village, where they find Geisha and ask her if she will help them reach Bombsight, and she tells them to “fuck off.” They then go back outside and tell the rest of the team that Geisha is not willing to help them. Out of options, Butcher and MM plot to kidnap her, which is when The Legend takes his leave. Meanwhile, Black Noir II angrily watches The Deep’s PSA about the Vought Petroleum pipeline. While on the road, Hughie and Annie pull over and get out, attempting to find funny shapes in the clouds, like they used to, in order to forget about everything briefly. Hughie tries to tell Annie that she won’t die once the supe-killing virus is unleashed; she just has to find hope that they find the V1 in time. Annie asks how Hughie can be so hopeful, and he responds with a line that his late father (Simon Pegg) would always say when he was upset: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.”
Is Sister Sage Flipping Sides in ‘The Boys’ Season 5 Episode 6?

Sage (Susan Heyward) in The BoysImage via Prime Video

Sage summons Soldier Boy into her office, as Other Ashley hides behind a bookcase, in order to read his mind. Sage tells Soldier Boy he needs to fill in for Firecracker at Homelander’s church service, but he refuses, saying he’s busy. He then claims he and Homelander have reached a dead end in finding V1 and leaves. Once the coast is clear, Other Ashley then tells Sage about Bombsight, and that Soldier Boy was told not to tell Sage about any new developments. The two fear that Soldier Boy is finally helping Homelander with his ultimate plan. Kimiko, Butcher, and MM break into Geisha’s room while she’s sleeping, but she wakes up and catches them in the act, putting up a force field around herself. Unfortunately for Geisha, said force field doesn’t include her IV bag, and MM injects chloroform into it, knocking her out. As they depart, they’re caught by three supe residents, Hot Flash (Sharon McFarlane), Big Chief Apache (Derek Boyes), and an unnamed resident with an elongated scrotum. After a brief fight, Butcher, MM, and Kimiko take them all out right as Frenchie walks in, demanding to know what’s taking them so long. Meanwhile, Homelander and Soldier Boy arrive at Bombsight’s home and find it vacant. The only thing left behind is a laptop, which has a video of Homelander having sex with Stormfront (Aya Cash). Homelander quickly realizes that it was a trap set up by Sage, who is trying to put them at odds with one another. Angered by the video, Soldier Boy leaves Homelander behind. Hughie and Annie sneak into the church and walk past a bulletin board with pictures of every single psychic supe in the country, wondering aloud what Homelander could want with them. When the two hide in a freezer, they find Firecracker’s body, with Annie saying, “You’d think I’d feel relieved, but I just feel sad. I mean, she’s a human being.” Butcher, MM, Kimiko, and Frenchie arrive back at their base, where Geisha insists that she truly doesn’t know where Bombsight is. They also find Sage waiting for them, offering to help. Initially, they don’t believe her — until she tells them that she knows how to get to Bombsight. At the White House, Ashley announces to the press that the Vought pipeline has been ruptured, causing an environmental disaster. We then see The Deep, covered in oil, surrounded by dead fish. He attempts to resuscitate one, who weakly chokes out: “We know, Kevin. We know it was you.” Sage and The Boys tie up Geisha and send a picture to Bombsight. Upon hearing them discuss V1, Geisha reveals that Bombsight stole it to give it to her, but she refused, not wanting to live forever. Kimiko then admits to Frenchie that she and Annie feel the same, not wanting to stay youthful as their loved ones get older, weaker, and eventually die. Hughie sets up the virus bomb in the church, while Annie serves as lookout. Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) discovers Annie, where it is revealed that the two have history. Annie asks Oh Father why he no longer believes in God, and he tells her that he believes in Homelander-as-God. He then proceeds to use his sonic scream to attack Annie, only for Hughie to step in, threatening to expose Oh Father to the virus if he doesn’t let Annie go, and bluffing that Annie has already taken the antidote.
Bombsight Finally Appears in ‘The Boys’ Season 5 Episode 6

Mason Dye as Bombsight in a promo image for The Boys spinoff Vought Rising.Image via Prime Video

The Deep cries while watching news reports about the Vought pipeline in his podcast studio while Black Noir II mocks him. Black Noir II tells him that he flew up to Alaska and broke the pipeline himself as payback for The Deep killing Adam: “Now we’re even.” Angered, The Deep strangles Black Noir II and stabs him, killing him. The Legend is back at the movie theater, when his manager is suddenly killed by Homelander. The Legend denies working with Butcher and the Boys, but is willing to tell him everything that he knows about their plot. MM asks Sage why she is helping them, and she tells him all she wants is solitude. This conversation is interrupted by the sudden arrival of an angry Bombsight. Butcher plays into the act and points a gun at Geisha’s head, demanding that they talk first. The Legend takes Homelander to the Boys’ hideout, which has been cleared of all evidence — except for a Taco Bell receipt, planted by Sage. A frustrated Homelander sits down and cries, praying to Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue). The Legend senses Homelander’s insecurities and begins to talk to him about aging, even daring to pat him on the back. The Legend then lets it slip that Geisha sells VoughtAlert necklaces, and Homelander lets him go in favor of tracking hers, which will allow him to pinpoint Geisha’s location.

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A new Ashley has entered the chat.

Butcher continues pointing his gun at Geisha, demanding that he give up the V1. Geisha attempts to reason with Bombsight, telling them that they can still be together without the V1; they’ve already wasted years of their lives playing the same game with each other. Bombsight asks what they’ll do with the V1, and Frenchie tells him that they will destroy it. While Bombsight denies having the V1 on him, Sage can see it in his pocket. Bombsight then attacks the Boys, and Butcher fails to restrain him with his tentacles. Frenchie attempts to shoot Bombsight to slow him down, but it does no damage. Bombsight prepares to strike Kimiko, but Geisha stops him, projecting a force field around Kimiko and pleading to just give the Boys what they want.

Right as Bombsight appears to be ready to give up, Soldier Boy arrives, demanding the V1. The two begin to fight, with Bombsight taking it outside. Soldier Boy gets Bombsight in a chokehold, but Bombsight successfully pleads for release. Bombsight then broaches the topic of Stormfront, asking, “What wouldn’t you give to have her back… forever?” Soldier Boy offers to take away Bombsight’s immortality in exchange for the V1. He uses his powers, and Bombsight, now bleeding, hands him the vial and runs off, while the Boys see the glow from a distance. Episode 6 ends with Homelander arriving to confront Soldier Boy, who then hands over the V1, confusing Sage. Soldier Boy tells Homelander that he isn’t doing this for his son; he’s doing it to honor Stormfront’s memory: “I love her more. This is what she would want.” Homelander immediately injects himself with the V1, achieving immortality, and fires his laser vision, Cyclops-style, into the air. The Boys watch in horror as Butcher mutters, “Run.” “Though the Heavens Fall” has plenty of great moments, including a climactic end that actually sees Homelander’s master plan getting a big boost after achieving immortality, with Soldier Boy by his side. Kimiko and Hughie also have their own poignant moments, with Fukuhara and Quaid both giving their best performances of the season. The Deep’s arc also serves as the perfect contrast to Firecracker’s storyline in the last episode. What doesn’t work as well is Sage’s role, especially her team-up with the Boys. While her shift in alliances is set up well, Butcher and the team are too quick to trust her. Yes, they’re desperate, but are they that desperate? Bombsight’s role also just feels like it’s laying the groundwork for what we can expect in Vought Rising. The Boys and even Gen V have always relished unpredictability, and Bombsight’s presence this season could dilute the spin-off prequel’s edge. That’s more of an issue for the upcoming series to deal with, but at this juncture, The Boys Season 5 should be more focused on everything it needs to resolve in its final two episodes.

Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Writers

Eric Kripke

Franchise(s)

The Boys

Pros & Cons

The cliffhanger is great, finally giving Homelander’s master plan some motion.
Hughie and Kimiko both get some heartfelt moments.
The AMC parody is amusing.

Why are we setting up Vought Rising right now? Focus on the finishing the series at hand!
The Boys are too quick to trust Sage.