‘The Boys’ Season 5, Episode 6 Review: The Best Laid Plans

InnovationGaming‘The Boys’ Season 5, Episode 6 Review: The Best Laid PlansByErik Kain,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about TV shows, movies, video games, entertainment & culture.Follow AuthorMay 07, 2026, 04:51pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The BoysCredit: Prime VideoThings have gone from bad to worse as The Boys nears its fateful conclusion. With just two episodes left before the superhero show wraps up, it looks like we’re in for some intense final showdowns.The sixth episode of The Boys wrapped up the V1 arc that’s been drawn out all season. As I’ve noted previously, while I’ve enjoyed Season 5 for the most part, it has felt a bit all over the place in terms of both pacing and plotting. This week, we finally reached the big turning point, setting the stage for the final act.All season long, Butcher, Hughie, MM, Starlight, Frenchie and Kimiko have been hatching their supe-virus scheme. They hit a major setback when they discovered that Soldier Boy was immune thanks to V1, the original Vought serum that gave him and a few other early supes their powers. Homelander was not a V1 supe, so he was still vulnerable to the virus.The Boys began their search to find and destroy the last remaining supply of V1 while Homelander and Soldier Boy went on the hunt as well. At first, Soldier Boy was just as determined to destroy the V1 as our heroes, but after some father/son bonding all this changed. Sister Sage tried to manipulate Soldier Boy into hating Homelander again, but failed miserably and at the end of Episode 6, after getting the V1 from his old rival, Bombsight, Soldier Boy hands it over to Homelander who quickly injects himself, falls to his knees, and shoots lasers out of his eyes while the V1 transforms him into an immortal.“Run,” Butcher tells his companions before the credits roll. You don’t see Butcher...