The Boys Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Another Bottleneck Complicates the Plan

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

The Boys can be a lot. Not just in scale, but in how much it asks you to keep track of at any given moment.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing because shows that demand attention usually reward it. But at some point, there has to be forward momentum.

Right now, it feels like we’re running in circles.

The core idea in The Boys Season 5 Episode 3 “Every One of You Sons of Bitches” is the same one that has driven this story for seasons: kill Homelander.

And, as always, there’s a catch.

There’s always something that needs to be solved before that can happen — a missing piece, a new obstacle, a conveniently timed complication. 

This time, it’s the revelation that Homelander might survive the virus thanks to the original Compound V, as seen through Soldier Boy. So the mission expands again. Not evolves — expands.

What should be the endgame keeps getting pushed further away, and at this point, the pattern is hard to ignore. It worked before because the show kept things fresh. Now, it just feels like a delay for the sake of delay.

And that’s where the episode struggles most.

Same Plan, New Detour

On paper, the Soldier Boy/V1 angle is interesting. It raises the stakes and introduces uncertainty into a plan that had started to feel inevitable.

But in execution, it plays like another bottleneck.

Instead of pushing the story forward, it stalls, stretching out an already familiar arc with a new layer that doesn’t fundamentally alter the trajectory. We’re still headed to the same place, just taking a longer route.

You can dress it up with Homelander’s latest spiral, Soldier Boy’s chaos, and Butcher’s usual “oi,” but structurally, it’s the same loop.

And it’s not like the writers cannot come up with better detours.

The reunion between Samir and Zoe is a valid emotional reason that could have been explored better.

Their learning that Hughie and Butcher had been lying all along is a genuine hurdle that could force the team to do some introspection.

It’s understandable why Samir destroyed the virus’ ingredients.

It’s a genuine problem no one could have anticipated, and it speaks to the larger themes the show is exploring this season, namely trauma and vengeance.

Above all, it does not feel forced since it’s not something anyone could have anticipated.

No one truly thought the virus might not be effective for some supes? There are outliers in every case, and a smart scientist should have anticipated this development.

But that’s not even the worst of it.

The Gen V Problem

Where that loop really starts to break things is in the larger world.

This episode brings back characters like Stan Edgar and Zoe Neuman, which should feel like a big deal. Instead, it feels like a distraction from a much bigger omission: Gen V.

At this point, the absence of those characters is becoming harder to justify.

The Boys has built a universe where incredibly powerful supes exist beyond the main cast, and yet none of them factor into the central conflict. The logic starts to crack when you realize just how many potential solutions are being ignored.

Marie Moreau is the most obvious example.

If her abilities were fully brought into play, this entire situation might look very different. And the fact that the show keeps her at a distance raises an uncomfortable question: is this a narrative choice, or a narrative convenience?

Because right now, it feels like the latter.

The more the show expands its universe, the harder it becomes to ignore the pieces it chooses not to use.

The Cost of the Mission

For all its structural issues, the episode finds its footing in the emotional fallout — specifically through Hughie.

As the dust settles from earlier decisions, the adrenaline that once justified his actions starts to wear off. What’s left is the reality of what he’s done and what this mission actually demands.

And that’s where things get interesting.

Because this isn’t just about killing Homelander anymore. It’s about what comes after — and whether that cycle ever really ends.

The next generation is already showing the cracks. Ryan. Zoe. Maverick.

They’re growing up in the shadow of violence, shaped by loss, and driven by the same instincts that created this mess in the first place. If vengeance is the foundation, then the outcome is predictable.

It doesn’t end.

That’s the real dilemma Hughie is facing. Not whether Homelander should die, but whether anything actually changes if he does.

And the answer the show seems to be circling is… not really.

Gut Check

“Every One of You Sons of Bitches” is The Boys at its most recognizable — chaotic, entertaining, and packed with big moments.

But it’s also weighed down by repetition and an overstuffed narrative that keeps introducing detours instead of resolution.

For a final season, it should feel sharper than this.

Intrusive Thoughts

• “Democratic Medal of Patriotic Freedom.” What a nothingburger phrase. If this makes sense to you, you should not be allowed to vote.

• I keep saying: someone needs to get Jensen Ackles on a network sitcom immediately!!

• Hate to champion stereotypes with Soldier Boy, but the biggest homophobes are usually in deep denial about their truth.

• For a season where “big stuff’s gonna happen,” I expected more deaths, and those two fakeouts? Yeah, not it.

Over to you, The Boys fanatics. What did you think of the episode? My patience is really running out because I don’t think I can handle another “problem.”

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

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