Following that neck-breaking start, the second hour begins with a memorial service for A-Train (Jessie T. Usher).
Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) says a prayer for him, with Homelander (Antony Starr) and members of The Seven in attendance. He then tells everyone that A-Train was killed by Starlight, who is possessed by demons. Meanwhile, A-Train’s real killer, Homelander, watches from the crowd and looks maybe a little emotional.
The Boys arrive at Butcher’s (Karl Urban) hideout, and he tells them how he’s sorted out the virus with the help of Dr. Sameer Shah (Omid Abtahi), who is under the belief that Homelander killed Neuman and Zoe. The Boys go along with Butcher’s lie, while Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) is still angry at Sameer for experimenting on her. Butcher then tells them his plan to test the virus on Rock Hard, an indestructible supe that’s a member of Teenage Kix.
The Boys break away from Butcher for a bit, and Hughie (Jack Quaid) asks them how they’re going to get the virus away from him. Kimiko suggests killing Butcher, but Annie (Erin Moriarty) is onboard with his plan. MM (Laz Alonso) agrees and says they don’t have a choice. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) seems to be in too, which upsets Kimiko and she leaves.
Hughie and Annie have a heart-to-heart, and he empathizes with her. He wants to talk about what she’s been through, but she wants to have sex, so they get busy.
Kimiko unloads her frustration on Frenchie and tells him that fighting Homelander was less painful than the virus. She says being a test subject for the virus was the only time she wanted to die. Frenchie admits to her that he’s not okay with the plan but has to go along with it so he can learn how to protect Kimiko from the virus. They share a tender moment and then also start getting busy.
Homelander privately visits A-Train’s casket and tries to rationalize to himself why he had to kill him. He seems to have some genuine regret for killing A-Train and wonders aloud why stuff like this keeps happening to him. Homelander heads back to his room and looks at Soldier Boy’s frozen body. He decides to open the door and waits for him to wake up.
We then head to Teenage Kix HQ where Butcher and MM are staking out the house, while everyone else waits in the back of the truck. Annie gets a text. Kimiko and Frenchie can’t keep their hands off each other. When the coast is clear, the Boys deploy. Hughie cuts off the internet/security but gets a message from Annie saying they have a problem.
Inside, the Boys find Rock Hard, who has really let himself go. He’s now a giant rock blob mountain and can only communicate with a computer that detects his eye movements. Rock Hard makes fun of them, as they realize they can’t move him.
Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) wakes up and is understandably confused to find Homelander at his bedside. Homelander tells him he only found him this morning, but Soldier Boy questions how he already has his cryochamber set up in his room. Homelander stays silent, then Soldier Boy asks if he made love to him. He says no.
Homelander asks him for help finding Butcher. Soldier Boy is confused about why he wants to work with him, and Homelander tells him he can help him with his comeback since the entire world thinks he’s a Russian spy. He also offers him a spot on The Seven, but Soldier Boy tells him he could just kill him and take his spot. Homelander reminds him that he probably hates Butcher more than he hates him, so they can help each other. If Soldier Boy can find Butcher, then all is forgiven. Homelander gives him his shield back.
There’s a commercial with The Deep (Chace Crawford) promoting something for anal wellness.
Butcher says they should test the virus on Rock Hard now while the house is empty, but they can only test the virus if they seal all the exit points, so the Boys get to work taping everything up. Rock Hard then starts to hold his breath, and they realize he can hold his breath for an extended period of time, making it increasingly difficult to inject him with the virus. As the Boys work out that problem, Hughie and Kimiko go with Butcher to retrieve the virus from Sameer.
Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) addresses the Seven and President Calhoun (David Andrews), telling them Homelander’s order to arrest more Starlighters. They’re starting to use private data against the people. She says they need more freedom camps, but the money is running dry. The President asks whether he has immunity, but before he gets an answer, Homelander enters. Soldier Boy is with him, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.
Homelander asks for a pardon for Soldier Boy and the President agrees, then offers to make him a Manhattan. He then asks Homelander if he wants milk, which embarrasses Homelander in front of his father, so he tells him that he wants a Manhattan too.
The Boys start sealing up Rock Hard’s room. Frenchie notices that there’s footage of a volcanic eruption on the TV. He senses something off and sees Rock Hard’s face. He jumps to save Annie just in the nick of time as Rock Hard unloads a volcanic cumshot in her direction. Frenchie realizes he was watching mountain pornography. Annie is disgusted.
MM breaks into the wine cellar and pours some out for A-Train, whose picture he spots on one of the walls. He also hears something and follows the noise to find Countess Crow (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a supe that can talk to crows, in her bedroom recording a makeup tutorial. He spies on her but is spotted when she gets attacked by one of her crows. She threatens him, but MM manages to catch the crow and stuff him into a closet. She waves the white flag.
Frenchie deduces that Rock Hard’s volcanic jizz is what’s turned him into an immovable rock structure. Annie continues to text with her Starlighter cells and learns they’re being raided all across the globe. Frenchie tells her it isn’t her fault—they chose to fight—but she still blames herself. She’s lost hope and no longer cares if the virus ends up killing her too, especially if it’s their only chance to win. Frenchie tells her not to be so hard on herself and that staying alive is the only way to honor their deaths.
MM walks in with Countess Crow tied up. She starts calling them terrorists and they realize they have to expose her to the virus too since she’s seen them. They have no choice.
Starlighters are being arrested across the globe. Butcher, Hughie, and Kimiko drive by some people being arrested and Kimiko wants to help, but Butcher says they can’t. They have to keep going and test the virus.
Homelander steps into Soldier Boy’s cryochamber and sniffs the restraints. He gets a visit from Sage, who questions his decision making and wants to know whether he told Soldier Boy that Butcher has the virus. Homelander says he didn’t because he needed him to take the job. He claims he did it in case the virus actually works, but Sage can see through him. She asks whether he’ll break down if the virus does end up killing Soldier Boy; Homelander says he won’t, but it’s obvious he will.
Sameer hands Hughie the virus in a very fragile container. He says it could kill every supe on the planet if it breaks, possibly even every human. He’s not sure about its exact potency.
Back at the Teenage Kix house, Frenchie and Annie continue their efforts to break into Rock Hard’s body, but he’s still not breathing. MM talks to Countess Crow and tells her they aren’t terrorists. She hurls insults at him, but he’s not fazed because he has a teenage daughter. He asks her why she’s risking her life for them, which strikes a nerve and she breaks down in tears. She doesn’t want to die and she misses her parents.
Butcher, Hughie, and Kimiko head back to the house. In the car, Hughie says A-Train was a hero, and Butcher calls Hughie a pussy. Hughie asks him if there’s any part of him that’s still human. Their conversation is interrupted by Soldier Boy’s shield slamming into their windshield, which launches the virus vial into the air, but Hughie catches it before it breaks. Butcher admits to knowing Grace Mallory froze Soldier Boy, which shocks Hughie and Kimiko, and decides to change the plan. He now wants to test the virus on Soldier Boy.
Soldier Boy shoots Butcher in the chest and is still pissed about his betrayal in season three. Butcher tells him about the virus and that Homelander deceived him. Soldier Boy doesn’t immediately believe him, but Butcher swears he’s telling the truth and calls him a sacrificial [foo foo]. Then, he throws a car at him.
Down the road, Jetstreak (Dylan Colton) and Sheline (Emma Elle Paterson), who are also members of Teenage Kix, overhear the commotion and arrive on the scene. Soldier Boy punches Jetstreak in the face for calling him a socialist and recruits the two to his side. He tells them to catch Hughie and Kimiko, who are running back to the house with the virus.
Hughie calls MM and tells him about Soldier Boy’s return. MM takes a moment to himself and then looks back at the tied-up Countess Crow.
Sheline catches up to Kimiko and knocks the vial out of her hand, but Hughie’s able to retrieve it. Kimiko tells him to run while she fights Sheline, who has cat-like abilities. Kimiko punches her in the gut and she coughs up a hairball. Jetstreak catches Hughie and takes flight, while Soldier Boy pursues Butcher. Kimiko knocks out Sheline, and Jetstreak drops Hughie! But he’s caught by Starlight and taken back to the house.
Butcher leads Soldier Boy back to the house. Jetstreak links up with him and they head inside behind Butcher. Soldier Boy manages to catch Hughie and takes the vial from him, questioning how a useless cockgobbler like him is even still alive. Hughie makes fun of him.
Then, just as Soldier Boy asks him whether the vial contains the virus, Jetstreak begins vomiting black bile, Rock Hard’s head explodes, and Soldier Boy realizes he’s walked straight into a trap! Jetstreak and Rock Hard both die. Soldier Boy is screwed too; the virus is slower to affect him, but it does the trick as he starts to break out. He finally passes out and it looks like it’s game over for Soldier Boy. Hughie, Frenchie, and MM watch the three of them die and then seal up the house before escaping.
Butcher, Annie, and Kimiko are outside waiting for them and want to know if they’re dead. MM confirms they are and Hughie says it was horrific. Frenchie says they have to go back to base to get tested so they can see whether it affects humans, so they all leave, with a victory in hand. MM hangs back a bit and spots Countess in the distance; it’s revealed he discreetly let her go, and he seems pleased with his decision. Despite everything, MM is still a good man.
Sage is seen eating Taco Bell and is visited by Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), who’s being super polite until Sage tells her Homelander isn’t in the building. Ashley finally unloads and shares her true feelings. She doesn’t understand what they’re doing and is freaking out. She offers to help Sage, but Sage is in no state to talk. She leaves and in the privacy of her vehicle, we see her remove her wig and it’s revealed that she has grown a new face on the back of her head, a la Voldemort. Her new face, Back Ashley, tells her to stand up for herself, but Ashley is too scared.
Sameer gets the results from the tests he ran on Hughie, MM, and Frenchie, and informs them that they are immune from the virus, which is good news for non-superpowered humans. Annie and Butcher review the footage of the virus in action, and watch as it kills everyone in the room. Butcher and MM celebrate the win.
Frenchie delivers the news to Kimiko and tells her they should run away somewhere no one can find them. He says there’s no way to contain the virus, so they have to run. She doesn’t want to run though; she wants to stay and fight, and protect the innocent. It’s how they make amends for what they’ve done.
Hughie talks to Annie and tells her it’s okay to freak out. Annie starts to make a move on him again, but this time, he stops her. He says she doesn’t have to talk about it, but he’s not going to let her die. He’s going to keep fighting for both of them. Annie is touched.
Butcher pays Terror a visit and gives him some medication. It’s the most at peace he’s looked in the entire run of this series.
Back at the Teenage Kix house, The Deep is running point on rounding up the bodies. Homelander arrives and Deep warns him to stay back because of the viral contagion, and also tells him he was smart to use Soldier Boy as a guinea pig. Homelander lies to him and tells him he told Soldier Boy not to go in alone. He then tells Deep to leave and that it should’ve been him that bit the bullet not Soldier Boy, which forces Deep to pee himself.
Soldier Boy is bagged up and Homelander looks at his body and starts crying and hitting himself for letting it happen. He’s extremely distraught and finally walks away. However, just as he does… Soldier Boy sits up in his body bag.
He’s alive!
Read our premiere recap at the following link:
Episode 1: "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" Recap
Check out our The Boys season five interviews:
The Boys Season 5 will premiere the first two episodes on Wednesday, April 8th, followed by weekly episodes, leading up to the epic series finale on Wednesday, May 20th.
In the fifth and final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. Big stuff’s gonna happen.