The Boys season 5 Episode 3, "Every One of You Sons of Bitches," feels like a very gentle crossover with the show's hit spinoff, but it never forgets itself as an installment of the Amazon franchise's parent property. As The Boys draws nearer to its ever-approaching conclusion, it would be tempting for the writers to slow the story's roll for the sake of creating tension. That is, thankfully, not what happens in Episode 3 — even though it feels like it a little at times.
Consisting of just eight episodes, The Boys' final season is almost halfway done. So, the show still hasn't quite hit its stride yet when it comes to what the endgame will look like. Antony Starr's Homelander is still at large, and Butcher's (Karl Urban) ragtag team looks like it has no real way forward. This is the narrative basis of Episode 3, but in true The Boys style, the bells and whistles have once more stolen the show.
Episode 3 does a great job of not alienating those who haven't seen Gen V
On paper, Gen V is a standalone The Boys spinoff, meaning the two shows are possible to watch in isolation. They both exist within the same canon, but they generally don't lean on each other all that much in order to make sense. That said, there have been times when notable elements of Gen V bled into The Boys with only very little context as to where they came from. The biggest example of this phenomenon is the Supe Virus. After debuting in Gen V season 1, it then became a huge part of The Boys seasons 4 and 5.
The Boys' latest episode once more borrows from Gen V, but in a way that wouldn't make those who have never seen the spinoff feel disoriented. Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton) makes his first appearance in season 5's third episode after being part of several Gen V episodes. However, only the simple explanation of Maverick being Translucent's son is required to explain his presence. Nothing else is immediately relevant to the story at hand.
Similarly, Giancarlo Esposito's Stan Edgar, while predominantly a character from The Boys, enjoyed a pivotal role in Gen V season 2. "Every One of You Sons of Bitches" doesn't ignore this, but it does leave out the finer details in favor of getting on with season 5's high-stakes storyline. If fans want to learn more about Edgar's "unseen" exploits, they can just watch Gen V. It's really that simple, and it's a much better balance that's been found in this respect when compared to some moments in The Boys since Gen V's debut.
Homelander's arc is very clearly the highlight of Episode 3
There's no question that there are several great moments in this week's installment. Butcher's interactions with Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) were particularly well executed, as was how the episode handled Jack Quaid's brutal fight scene with his invisible adversary. That Hughie death fake-out was a masterstroke, and Quaid was especially great during all the scenes that featured his character's awkward attempts to make himself feel less guilty about killing Translucent all the way back in season 1.
Regardless, as has been the case on countless previous occasions in The Boys, I found myself enraptured by what Homelander was up to. After the episode showed Starr's character about as insecure as we've ever seen him, the brilliant and unexpected return of Elisabeth Shue's Madelyn Stillwell — or at least Homelander's mental image of her — kickstarts a terrifying return to confidence for the leader of the Seven.
Homelander's fragile mental state was being subtly implied to be a minor inconvenience away from a blood-soaked Armageddon, but Starr's latest entry in a string of stellar performances convinces the audience that maybe anxious Homelander would be the preferable opponent. With the firm belief that he's on the verge of basically becoming Supe Jesus, the tranquil look on his face, combined with the manic look in his eyes, is surely a dark harbinger of the brutal showdown that's set to happen. We're in the calm of the storm right now, and Episode 3's superlative tension-building primes The Boys for a thoroughly entertaining final stretch.
Episode Rating: A
The Boys is streaming now on Prime Video. Catch new episodes every Wednesday.
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