As a fan of weekly releases, I'm always a little disappointed when my favorite shows drop multiple episodes at once, and while season 5 isn't the first time The Boys has done this, I've never felt like it was unnecessary until now. While I loved both of the installments that dropped to celebrate the arrival of the show's final run, I maintain that just Episode 1, "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite," would have been a far superior way to mark the occasion.
Still, we got what we got — and what was I going to do, not watch both? Of course not. That said, given the choice, I would make it law that all TV shows are released one episode at a time, especially when the show in question has already confirmed that it won't make any more episodes after the ones that have still to air. Now that we've cleared up my grievances with Prime Video's release strategy, let's get on with talking about the double-episode premiere itself.
Episode 1 was the perfect way to launch The Boys' final season
"Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" begins with the protagonists more on the back foot than they've ever been, while the villains are way more powerful than we've ever seen them. It's a fantastic formula that's been used countless times in similar projects, but The Boys manages to make it all feel fresh. The show's iconic blend of superhero parody and political satire (that's so on-the-nose that it's barely satire at all) allows The Boys to shine in an ultra-contemporary way while furthering the franchise's lore.
Some personal highlights include Antony Starr's Homelander confronting Hughie (Jack Quaid) and the internment camp, Kimiko's (Karen Fukuhara) chaotic outbursts now that she's found her voice, and the unexpected death of A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). The brilliant gross-out scenes concerning the powers of Ely Henry's Worm and Derek Johns' Love Sausage also had me watching with a grimace-laced smile. It was all classic The Boys storytelling and worldbuilding. The show's still got it.
Focusing for a second on A-Train's demise, the nail-biting chase scene that saw Homelander hot on his tail was an incredibly tense sequence with which to end a season premiere. Where I think it loses points, through no fault of its own, is that Episode 2 was available to stream immediately after Starr's character brutally snapped A-Train's neck. It would have been far more impactful to sit with that twist for a week before moving on. The immense love for The Boys and the added attention due to season 5 being the last would have held the fans' attention with ease. There wasn't any need to hurry things along. Regardless, as an episode, it was pretty darn spectacular.
Episode Rating: A
I could have waited for Episode 2, but it was still good
I do see the merit in multi-episode premieres when the occasion calls for it. Sometimes, Episode 1 can end on a note that doesn't seem worthy of the comeback celebrations, and the platform wants to keep the story going more seamlessly until a more suitable cliffhanger comes along. "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" had everything a great premiere should have, and yet it wasn't permitted to stand on its own. So, A-Train's death and completed redemption arc after the epic jailbreak scene lost no small amount of its impact.
Episode 2, "Teenage Kix," was still really good, but felt worse than it was when compared to Episode 1. There seemed to be just a little too much standing around and talking, and while The Boys has managed to make this seem enthralling at times, "Teenage Kix" didn't pull it off to quite the same level. Stuff was happening, but in such brief windows that the episode felt a little disjointed and unfocused at times. Thankfully, the episode was redeemed immensely by several key scenes.
For instance, it was interesting seeing where A-Train cut his teeth as a Supe, and the same is true of learning more about the true bizarreness of Ashley's (Colby Minifie) new abilities. The apparent "death" of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) did take me a little by surprise, but the fact that he actually survived was also pretty easy to predict. His sitting up in the body bag felt like it was almost trying to end Episode 2 on a similar dramatic beat to A-Train's actual death in Episode 1, but it didn't really work. Still, having Soldier Boy back is always a plus, as his absence in The Boys has been felt for a while now.
Episode Rating: B
The Boys is streaming now on Prime Video. A new episode drops every Wednesday until the finale on May 20.