The first reactions are in for The Boys series finale.
Eric Kripke's acclaimed satirical superhero series has been airing its fifth and final season on Prime Video, with the finale episode now released. Since season 1 debuted in 2019, the show has proven a big hit and has received critical acclaim for its performances, particularly Antony Starr's portrayal of Homelander.
After a promising premiere last month, The Boys season 5 faced backlash due to the pacing, tone, and a lack of epic fights that were present in earlier seasons. However, hopes were high that the finale could deliver a satisfying conclusion for the story and its characters, and wrap up the fates of Butcher, Homelander, Hughie, MM, Kimiko, Starlight, Ashley, The Deep, and more all in an hour-long epic.
Now that the finale is out, reactions have dropped online, and it's fair to say that the response has been mixed. Some viewers loved the finale, while others voiced their displeasure, and some took to X to give a more balanced view.
@captaincupkick revealed that they loved it, calling the finale "shockingly great" and mentioned how they'd gotten up at 3 am to watch it. "That was... shockingly great? I wish we were doing this the whole time, but it's impressive how satisfying that was in spite of the messy buildup. Genuinely impactful and did a good job definitively wrapping things up. I'm gonna miss this show more than I expected to." @TateTakes gave similar praise, rating the finale an 8.9/10 and praising Homelander's final moments and the cast performances.
Final Verdict on #TheBoys Finale… 8.9/10
THE GOOD: I was incredibly surprised with how well they pulled this off in 1 hour. Homelander’s final moments were so well written. Him being a coward without his powers is exactly what his character was leading to. Butcher dying at the hands of Hughie was another thing that fits perfectly with the rest of the season. Every moment of The Deep was great, per usual. The acting from Antony Starr is some of the best I have ever seen. He deserves all the awards. Karl Urban was also stellar, per usual. Without the fantastic acting, a lot of what they tried to pull off in this show would not have worked.
THE BAD: the vulgar jokes were fine and dandy for the first couple of seasons but they were beaten into the ground in Season 5. Sister Sage is the ultimate useless character. I could talk for hours about how poorly she was written. Starlight as a character just didn’t move me at all. I don’t even understand why they included the Gen V characters in this show. The Boys was a phenomenal superhero show. It’s rare to find that.
People will have their opinions, but you can’t trust anybody that says this is bad TV. It was a fun 5 seasons. I will check out whatever spin-offs follow.
@NeuerJunior2 was critical of season 5 overall, stating that the V1 arc should have occurred in The Boys episode 4, not episode 6, and that the writing was bad overall. "Homelander being turned into an immortal in episode 6 and then being killed 2 episodes later is a bad writing lmao. The V1 Arc should have been done in S4 with no implications that the virus can't work on it and let that be one of the twists. Horrible final season."
@Bruhtrdm held nothing back in their review, stating how they thought ChatGPT could have written a better finale and calling the entire season a waste of time. "I don’t think the boys finale could’ve been written worse by Chatgpt, what a stinking load of absolute fucking dogshit. Whole season is a waste of time along with pure goyslop middle school reddit humor… can’t make this shit up man what a sad way to go out."
@writtenbychamp expressed their bitter disappointment and compared the "underwhelming" conclusion to Game of Thrones and Stranger Things series finales. "That was such an underwhelming series finale. I’m legit so annoyed right now. I feel like my time was wasted. Definitely not gonna watch Vought Rising either. No faith in Eric Kripke or his team. Send them to the chokey with the ppl from GOT and Stranger Things."
@TRE_MONSTER_ talked about how they felt the final season was rushed, but that the finale was acceptable. "Honestly as rushed as is final season felt, I think the ending was quite satisfactory. What an amazing ride."
Meanwhile, there was nonstop praise for Starr, whose performance as Homelander has consistently been a standout in all five seasons. @DavidOpie stated Starr had the "role of the lifetime," iterating that he played "one of the best villains ever to perfection." @Cvious is stunned that Starr has yet to earn an Emmy due to his "generational performance" and "deserves every bit of praise."
The responses show the full spectrum of audiences' feelings towards the series finale, though this is sure to change as more people watch it over the coming days. It's fair to say that The Boys has attracted a lot of criticism from the fanbase throughout the season, especially for some of its creative decisions, such as Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy exiting the show before the finale.
In many ways, the finale's smaller and more intimate nature clashed against the epic scope established throughout the show, and this would no doubt have felt jarring to some viewers. The mixed reaction has plagued The Boys season 5 since it premiered, and it's unclear whether history will look back more favorably on the series finale.
A show as iconic and irreverent as The Boys was never going to please the whole fanbase with its finale, regardless of the direction. While Kripke did hint at a more low-key finale in recent weeks, the finale has led many to feel like there should have been higher stakes and more grandiose set pieces.
There is a feeling that The Boys series finale stumbled across the finish line, despite wrapping up the overall narrative. There were some problematic areas, such as power scaling discrepancies, muted fight sequences, and a lack of major deaths, but reactions suggest that some viewers felt the finale did the job it was meant to.
While the mixed reactions to The Boys' series finale might not be as striking as the reception to Game of Thrones or Stranger Things, there is a strong feeling that the series has gone out with a whimper rather than a bang. However, time might be kind to Kripke's superhero parody, and audiences may look back more fondly on it over the coming years. Meanwhile, it's not the end of the universe, as the prequel series Vought Rising is expected to drop sometime next year.
The Boys
- Release Date
- 2019 - 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
Cast
-
Billy Butcher -
Hugh Hughie Campbell
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Eric Kripke
- Writers
- Eric Kripke
- Franchise(s)
- The Boys
- Main Genre
- Action
- Creator(s)
- Eric Kripke
- Executive Producer(s)
- Eric Kripke, Neal H. Moritz, Seth Rogen, Pavun Shetty, James Weaver, Ori Marmur, Evan Goldberg, Philip Sgriccia, Nick Barrucci, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Gabriel García Márquez, Garth Ennis, Michaela Starr, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Rebecca Sonnenshine, Jessica Chou, Hartley Gorenstein, Dan Trachtenberg, Meredith Glynn, Judalina Neira, Gabriel Garcia
- Producers
- Eric Kripke, Neal H. Moritz, Jason Netter, Gabriel Garcia, Anslem Richardson, Karl Urban, Hartley Gorenstein, Antony Starr
- Seasons
- 5
- Story By
- Garth Ennis
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
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