RECAP: ‘The Boys’ Season 5 Episode 8 — “Blood And Bone”

The Boys Season 5 Episode 8, “Blood and Bone,” not only marks the end of a contentious season (for the record, we loved it), but the end of the series as a whole. Directed by Philip Sgriccia and written by Judalina Neira & David Reed, the series finale has a lot of hype to live up to, especially when it comes to bringing the conflict between William “Billy” Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr) to a bloody, satisfying conclusion. Even for those who have not liked this season much at all, The Boys series finale is unlikely to leave many disappointed, tying off the superhero satire in crowd-pleasingly gory, emotional, and irreverent fashion.

The opening of The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 picks up directly after the death of Frenchie (Tomer Capone). Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) has such trauma over this loss that she’s reverted to using sign language to communicate. The Boys themselves are all at a safe house run by members of Gen V: Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan Li (London Thor), and Emma Meyer/Little Cricket (Lizze Broadway).

Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty) has a nice conversation with Marie about the nature of heroism that, given the cancellation of Gen V after its second season, now feels like at least a comfort to fans of the show that its heroes are still out there somewhere in this fictional universe doing good. Moreover, this scene serves as one of the many ways The Boys series finale starts, masterfully wrapping up its many dangling threads. 

The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 wraps up its many threads quite well.

Due to her sadness over Frenchie’s death, Kimiko is unable to use the chest blast that the exposure to uranium supposedly gave her. Ever the genius, Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) begins berating Kimiko and even invoking Frenchie’s death to bait her into using her chest blast. It works, and Sage is now depowered, meaning dumb as a box of rocks.

Happy for the first time in her life, Sage walks off into the sunset, vowing to go to “Harry Potter World” in Universal Studios with the time she has left on this Earth. For a character who has been a bright spot since Season 4, I couldn’t have imagined a better ending for Sage, who, crucially, is the only member of The Seven (save for former member Starlight) who gets their happy ending.

Meanwhile, let’s get to the juicy part: Homelander. In much of the later seasons, Homelander has spiraled into a petulant child. For the finale, the writers and Starr himself have imbued the iconic villain with a steely resolve reminiscent of Season 1, fitting his ascension to Godhood. As he prepares to make a speech announcing himself as our new lord and savior, he begins to get his ducks in a row.

Homelander reaches new heights of villainy, making the lowest of lows sweeter once they kick in.

This includes a very satisfying talking down of The Deep (Chace Crawford), who looks like he’s on the verge of tears afterwards. After that, he goes to see his son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), hiding out in the woods. Homelander tells Ryan he wants to be there for him as he’s his son, but Ryan finally outright rejects Homelander. Surprisingly, Homelander doesn’t seem to care, telling Ryan he has no idea what’s about to happen before flying away. 

The Boys enact their plan to sneak into the White House with a very unlikely ally. Ashley (Colby Minife), along with her psychic twin Bashley, helps them avoid a security firing squad. They face some minor resistance from Oh Father (Daveed Diggs). Putting a metal ball gag on him and provoking him to scream leads to a head explosion that takes care of that problem real easily. Although it is a bit disappointing to see that Oh Father was glorified canon fodder, it feels so satisfying to see Ashley regain her conscience and make a full face turn. 

And then the centerpiece of The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 begins. Homelander starts to make his speech, which, although creepy, has a comforting, warm cult leader tone that his followers start to respond to. Whenever the teleprompter asks him to refer to himself as his father, however, Homelander seems to short-circuit. The speech turns from welcoming his followers into his loving arms into a screed about the oblivion his doubters will face. 

Antony Starr is the true highlight.

By this point, it should go without saying that Antony Starr is beyond amazing. This moment – the full unmasking of his malicious nature – has been a full five seasons coming. Starr relishes the impact. For all his talk of being God, Antony Starr plays Homelander as the Devil incarnate. His moment is interrupted by Butcher and Kimiko busting into the Oval Office, ready for the final battle. 

Before we get to that, it’s time to talk about The Deep one last time. After a much-deserved ass-whooping in Vought Tower, Starlight flies The Deep to the beach. There, he blames her for how badly his life has turned out. Starlight sees right through the victim-blaming, blasting him into the ocean, where the fish, who were also his victims, circle him. An octopus delivers the coup de grace, punching its tentacle through his mouth via the back of his skull before dragging him down to the ocean depths. And thus ends the legend of The Deep on a perfect note.

Back to the Oval Office set piece of The Boys Season 5 Episode 8. In one of the finest action scenes The Boys has ever had, save for maybe the Herogasm fight in Season 3, Kimiko and Butcher are a formidable match for the V1’d up Homelander. The combat here has real weight, with Homelander behaving like a cornered, rabid animal and Butcher attacking with a precise ferocity. Just when Homelander’s starting to turn the tables, Ryan flies in and starts helping in the fight. 

Butcher takes a necessary and expected turn in The Boys Season 5 Episode 8.

Kimiko struggles to use her chest beam until she sees a vision of Frenchie, who gives her a speech that reinforces her inner strength.  She then blasts Homelander, Butcher, and Ryan. In the aftermath, Butcher and Homelander stand to face one another. Homelander attempts to use his laser beams and then tries to fly away. Neither works. Butcher uses this opportunity to punch the snot out of Homelander. 

Homelander, depowered, cowers as the TV camera is still rolling. In Antony Starr’s finest hour in the show, he begs for mercy, claiming he’ll give Butcher Vought before, through blood, snot, and tears, offering oral sex on Butcher. He then affirms that Butcher can’t do this, as he’s none other than THE Homelander. Butcher tells him he “ain’t nothing” and says this next blow is for his deceased wife, Becca.

Butcher then sticks his crowbar into Homelander’s skull and then pries it open, letting his brains spill out. The Boys come in and see the aftermath. This climactic moment is a stroke of genius; cathartic, but full of so much sadness for all that Butcher has lost. Homelander might be dead, yet does that mean everything was worth it? Ryan seems disgusted by the gnarly way Butcher killed Homelander, telling Butcher back at the hideout that their relationship is over; as with Homelander, Butcher is not a good person. 

The epilogue shows us where the survivors are, giving closure in the process.

Butcher then finds that his last friend in the world, his dog Terror, has passed away from old age. This set him on a diabolical plan: releasing the Supe virus. Hughie (Jack Quaid) finds Butcher at Vought Tower, having just poisoned the building’s water supply, with a switch ready to activate the sprinklers. Hughie tries to talk him down, but Butcher doesn’t wanna hear it. In a shocking moment mirroring the source material, Hughie is forced to kill Butcher, who thanks him, as he needed to be put down because he wouldn’t stop. 

This moment emphasizes that, even though Butcher may have been doing what he did for a good reason, he was ultimately a destructive force just like Homelander, and the two both needed to be put down. The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 wraps up by showing us where all the characters have ended up. 

After claiming The Boys were her secret task force to kill Homelander, Ashley is impeached in one day. Kimiko has moved to France and is enjoying an independent life. Ryan has been adopted by Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), who is finally able to go back to his family. Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) now runs Vought. Meanwhile, Hughie and Annie are expecting a child, who is named “Robin,” a nod to the girlfriend he lost to Supe violence. As pregnant Annie flies into the sky, Hughie smiles, as superheroes now represent hope once more. Cue the series’ end.

The Boys could only end this way.

As with the finale of Stranger Things, the internet will have its way with The Boys finale, having discussion on discussion about how satisfying or unsatisfying it is. For my money, there is no better way The Boys could’ve ended. What made this show special was its use of superheroes as avatars of the corporate greed plaguing America, which eventually evolved into an exploration of the egoism and lust for power that have infected the highest levels of government. 

Furthermore, The Boys set us up with engaging protagonists, a villain you love to hate, and an eternal struggle for the soul of a nation. Buckets of blood, foul-mouthed innuendo, and more iconic moments than you can count later, The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 cashes every check that the first episode of its first season wrote. It’s been a bumpy, yet unforgettable ride, and there’s no better “thank you” for our viewership than a finale this perfect. Thank you, The Boys, for a piece of superhero media I’ll cherish forever.

All episodes of The Boys Season 5 are now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

Previous Episode |