The creators of The Boys surely weren't predicting the future when filming Season 5, but the timing of Episode 3's release couldn't have been more relevant—and amusing. In Every One of You Sons of Bitches, Homelander, under the mental pressure of being labeled a "disappointment," experiences an angelic vision of Madelyn Stillwell telling him that he is superior to Jesus. What do you know—just recently, Donald Trump posted a "joke" in which he compared himself to Jesus. Perhaps megalomaniacs everywhere suffer from a messiah complex. Another politician, who should not be named, also placed himself above God some time back. Between The Boys and Daredevil: Born Again, the former manages to paint a better portrait of a power-hungry madman suffering from delusions of grandeur. It also benefits from a streak of zany humor.
The fifth episode opens with Ryan in Russia, caught in bloody mayhem. It's revealed that he has been in touch with Zoe, who texts him to meet outside Stan Edgar's bunker. Zoe is hellbent on killing Butcher, but Ryan isn't on board with the plan. For him, Butcher is a father figure, so the hesitation feels natural. Go inside the bunker and you will find Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie, Mother's Milk, Kimiko, and Stan. After their virus fails to kill Soldier Boy, the group attempts to identify potential sites where V1 might still exist. V1, after all, is what saved Soldier Boy—it's the key to supe immortality, and now Homelander wants it in his bloodstream. So desperate is he that he orders Sister Sage to redirect all research toward developing V1. The researchers can skip animal trials.
If Homelander is preoccupied with his mortality, Starlight is shaken by the fear of losing Hughie. During the bunker showdown, there's a moment when it seems as if Hughie has died. Starlight freezes, unable to even turn her head toward the blood-splattered scene. Hughie, of course, is alive, but the emotional damage lingers. Starlight is left trembling in a raw, vulnerable state. Her decision to fly away from him then feels less like abandonment and more like a desperate attempt to protect him. It's a quiet, warm note in an episode that might as well be titled "Selfish." Stan slips through an exit and locks it behind him, leaving Mother's Milk, Hughie, and Starlight stranded. The Deep knocks Black Noir unconscious, throws him out, and delivers Stan to Homelander alone, eager to claim all the credit. Sameer realizes he has been manipulated by The Boys, while Maverick feels betrayed upon learning he was lied to about his father's demise.
In this context, Kimiko's decision to let Sameer walk away with Zoe carries a surprising tenderness. She tells Frenchie that she wants three kids and dreams of settling in a house overlooking the sea. But as long as supes like Homelander exist, a happy ending feels out of reach. Soldier Boy may be more powerful, yet Homelander is more volatile, more dangerous, more unhinged. Lying in a bathtub filled with breast milk, he appears both comical and deeply disturbing. Rub him the wrong way, and this needy child turns into an enraged lunatic. He snapped A-Train's neck when the latter backstabbed and belittled him, and here, he punches Ryan unconscious when he confronts him. If Homelander can strike his own son with little remorse, it's safe to assume his father won't be spared either once he gets his hands on the formula for immortality.
And what about everyone else—his associates, colleagues, Vought employees, the public? Many are already terrified of him. Imagine the chaos Homelander 2.0 could unleash. It's hard not to end on a warning: beware, and be very afraid of this narcissist. But also, don't give up, and don't stop fighting if you want a chance at a peaceful life with your family, your three kids.
Final Score- [5.5/10]