The Boys Finale: Review of the last episode – Why the ending is a worthy conclusion to the series

The time has come: After five seasons, it's time to say goodbye to "The Boys." One last time, Butcher, Hughie, Starlight, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and Kimiko head into battle against Homelander. But ending a series is always a delicate matter – and this one is no exception. After all, the final episode, "Blood and Bone," must not only bring the last season to a fitting conclusion, but the entire series as well. And with it, the long journey of the heroes who have grown dear to our hearts over the years. To get straight to the point: The final episode of "The Boys" isn't perfect, but all in all, it's compelling. Which also helps make up for some of the weaknesses of the previous seasons.

"The Boys" wasn't bad in previous years either. However, signs of wear and tear were slowly but surely becoming apparent. Let's look back at the series' premise: Based on the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, showrunner Eric Kripke crafted an incredibly cohesive universe in which superheroes are a completely natural part of everyday life and are marketed as celebrities. It is a cynical world. Instead of fighting for good, many of these superhuman stars abuse their power to assert themselves. Or they use their superpowers for extremely bizarre sexual practices. The fact that the lifestyle of these self-proclaimed superheroes repeatedly spells doom for the occasional ordinary mortal who happens to get in the way is shrugged off as collateral damage.

Homelander becomes a problem

Accordingly, "The Boys" is bloody, brutal, and excessive. While this initially seemed like an inevitable consequence of the premise, the deliberately exaggerated violence and perversions increasingly became an end in themselves. As if one had to include at least one calculated moment of shock per episode to keep viewers hooked.

Another problem that emerged: Homelander. The antagonist, brilliantly played by Antony Starr, is essentially a megalomaniacal, sociopathic version of Superman. Invulnerable, all-powerful, unpredictable. As soon as Homelander appeared, you got the feeling he could crush Butcher and his resistance group at any moment. But he didn't. Even though there were plenty of opportunities. The show's creators kept coming up with new twists to avert the worst. Sure, the show must go on, but by the third season at the latest, this had sapped much of the enormous sense of threat that Homelander exuded at the start of the series.

The advantage of the fifth season: It's the last one – meaning the fight against Homelander no longer has to be unnecessarily dragged out. It's clear from the start: This time, everything is at stake. Life and death, victory or defeat. No "to be continued": No matter how it ends, this time it's final. Consequently, even more is at stake in the final episodes of Season 5 than there already was. Homelander's megalomania is more boundless than ever: the supervillain in superhero's garb now considers himself God. Literally. And as if that weren't bad enough, he may have found a way to become immortal. So Butcher and Co. are doing everything in their power to prevent that.

Blood and Bone: The final episode of The Boys

A quick note up front: There are no spoilers for the end of Season 5 ahead – but if you don't want to spoil anything for yourself through hints or isolated aspects of the story, you should watch the final episode first and then continue reading.

Still here? Good! Because now it's time to appreciate the series' successful conclusion. In "Blood and Bone," not only do the loose ends of Season 5 come together, but also those of the series as a whole – and the anticipated showdown between Butcher's crew and Homelander finally takes place. Of course, we won't reveal how it ends. But this much can be said: nearly everything that had been foreshadowed previously comes together seamlessly in the finale. Which is somewhat satisfying, but not exactly electrifying. For that, the showdown ends up being a bit too predictable.

But then comes the final third: And it packs a punch! Suddenly, the episode becomes quieter, more tragic, sadder. And you realize: The real, more painful showdown hadn't even taken place yet. Suddenly, it's no longer about the question: Will Butcher or Homelander win? But rather about two worldviews that stand in opposition: that of the disillusioned pragmatist Butcher and that of the eternal idealist Hughie. And thus about the question: Do you do what's necessary or what's right?

In this way, the ending reminds us once again of what has always defined "The Boys." The series depicts a cynical world very similar to our own, especially in light of the increasingly radical, right-wing tendencies in U.S. politics, which Kripke and his writers have skewered with ever-greater bluntness. Far from cynical, however, is the series' stance, which at its core has always been about "giving a shit in a world, where nobody gives a shit," as Mother's Milk tells Starlight in one of the final episodes.

A sentiment that comes to the fore even in the very last shot of "The Boys" – and gives the series a well-deserved, dignified conclusion.