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If you still haven’t seen the series “Gen V”, you really should, especially before streaming episode 5 of “The Boys” Season 4, so you have better context to all things happening in the show. Right from the first episode of Season 4, there are plenty of references to Season One of “Gen V”, and one of its biggest plot twists also serves as the ground for Butcher’s (Karl Urban) next scheme to off Homelander (Antony Starr) and Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). But okay, if you really aren’t interested in investing time in “Gen V”, here’s a summary of its plot in Billy Butcher’s words – “You see, some clever cunts over at Godolkin University cooked up a bug that latches on to the V in their bloodstream. Now, it’s completely harmless to humans, but to Supes? Fucking diabolical.” Yes, that virus quickly infects and kills Supes, a spoiler that was given away in the trailer for the season. But having a plan is different from executing it, because Butcher and the Boys have a bloody hell of a time trying to simply find the virus.
Also Read: The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 Review
Titled “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” episode 5 of “The Boys” Season 4 features a Vought expo called “V52 Expo – Powered by Fans, For Fans,” which is hosted by Cameron Coleman (Matthew Edison) and The Deep (Chace Crawford). For the uninitiated, “Jabberwock” is a made-up word for a fictional monster by Lewis Carroll, first mentioned in his nonsensical poem “Jabberwocky” in the novel “Through the Looking Glass.” A fitting title for the episode, since this edition is filled with plenty of new kinds of monsters!
Packed with multiple sub-plots, this edition includes just as much blood, guts, and gore as episode four, if not more! It’s becoming hard to keep track. And while the splatterfest is obviously a staple in “The Boys,” the surprise element is that most of the brutal deaths in this episode have nothing to do with the greatest villain of all – Homelander. There’s a hilariously bloody barn scene which reminded me of the final battle from “The Umbrella Academy” Season 2, which was also set in a barn and was quite epic. I wouldn’t say “The Boys” barn scene was “epic,” but it was entertaining AF!
While Butcher, MM (Laz Alonso), Annie (Erin Moriarty), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and an unlikely ally set out to find the super-killer virus, Hughie grapples with the disturbingly unexpected consequences of his father (Simon Pegg) being injected with temp-V. Meanwhile, Homelander decides to train his Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) to become more independent and freer from the burdens of having to dance to the tunes of Vought executives. Homelander’s new recruit Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) seems to be on to A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), who had scuttled her plot against Starlight, but A-Train strikes a deal with Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) that might just save his skin.
After the basement bloodbath of episode 5, Eric Kripke and team keep up with the savage pointless deaths, along with the pop culture jokes and digs at the entertainment industry via Vought. Karl Urban’s gritty edge as the foul-mouthed Butcher had almost lost all its charm, but the character is getting back on its feet again. But will his long-standing goal/fantasy of murdering Homelander finally become reality any time soon? A twisty cliffhanger in this episode sure seems to promise that the boys might be closer to their goal, that’s if they aren’t lasered to meaty bits by the Supes. Even though in a character’s words – it’s a miracle they’ve all managed to stay alive for so long!
You can stream “The Boys” on Prime Video.
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