‘The Boys’ – ‘Teenage Kix’ – Review
If Episode One lit the fuse, then Episode Two of Season Five of The Boys detonates the charge. ‘Teenage Kix’ doesn’t just build on the chaos of the premiere; it gleefully escalates it, delivering an episode that is as warped as it is wickedly funny. The message is clear: the endgame is here, and absolutely no one is safe.
Fresh off the escape from the Freedom Camp and The Boys are already on a mission: Dr. Sameer Shah has cooked up a new version of the Supe killing virus, and The Boys want to test it on a member of Teenage Kix. Homelander, furious at his failure, releases Soldier Boy from his cryo-chamber to send him after Butcher and The Boys. Soldier Boy, who’s keen on revenge for Butcher’s past betrayal, accepts the mission. Kimiko and Hughie get a grim glimpse into life in Homelander’s America as citizens are kidnapped from their homes and families are torn apart. Mother’s Milk rediscovers his softer side, The Deep fears he’ll be replaced, and we finally see the unsettling truth behind Ashley’s superpower. The Boys battle with Soldier Boy and Teenage Kix, and while they successfully release the virus, no one is prepared for the gruesome results of their victory.
Butcher’s warpath takes a disturbing turn
Picking up in the immediate aftermath of ‘Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite,’ Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) wastes no time pushing forward with his scorched-earth plan to wipe Supes off the map. His recruitment of Dr. Sameer Shah (Omid Abtahi) marks a pivotal escalation, as the Super-killing virus inches closer to full weaponisation.
But before they can take a swing at Homelander (Antony Starr), there’s the matter of testing it.
Enter Teenage Kix; a chaotic, influencer-fuelled Supe squad that feels like Gen-Z excess dialled up to grotesque extremes. Insta-flexxing, morally bankrupt, and completely unhinged, they become the perfect test subjects for Butcher’s increasingly ruthless agenda. What follows is messy, violent, and exactly the kind of morally queasy spectacle The Boys thrives on. And yes, Rock Hard is every bit as absurd as his name suggests.
Homelander spirals… and finds a dangerous ally
While Butcher descends further into darkness, Homelander begins to fracture in a different way. Wracked with a flicker of remorse following A-Train’s (Jesse T. Usher) murder, his already fragile psyche starts to buckle, sending him down a path that feels equal parts delusion and desperate self-reckoning.
That path leads him straight to Soldier Boy.
The reunion between father and son is anything but warm, instead crackling with tension, unresolved trauma, and looming catastrophe. Jensen Ackles’ return injects a fresh volatility into the narrative, and the uneasy bargain struck between these two powerhouses sets the stage for consequences that promise to ripple across the rest of the season.
Splintering loyalties and fragile humanity
One of the episode’s strongest threads lies in how it fractures its core characters. Butcher’s “at all costs” mentality may be driving momentum, but it’s also tearing The Boys apart from within. Trust erodes, lines blur, and the moral centre, what little remains of it, continues to disintegrate.
Yet amid the carnage, there are flickers of something more human.
The return of Terror (played by the bestest boy Bentley), Butcher’s ageing bulldog, offers a surprisingly tender counterpoint. Their reunion is brief but affecting, hinting that somewhere beneath the V-fuelled rage and genocidal intent, there’s still a sliver of the man Butcher used to be. It’s a small moment, but in a show this brutal, it lands hard.
Disgust, depravity, and laugh-out-loud insanity
Of course, this is The Boys, and ‘Teenage Kix’ fully embraces the show’s signature blend of gore and grotesque comedy.
Rock Hard stands as the episode’s most outrageous creation; a fallen teenage powerhouse turned tragic, revolting punchline. His bizarre descent into isolation and “volcano porn” addiction is as hilariously absurd as it is deeply unsettling, delivering some of the episode’s most jaw-dropping moments.
Meanwhile, Ashley Barrett’s (Colby Minifie) evolution into a mind-reading Supe continues to be a waking nightmare. Her newfound abilities aren’t empowering, they’re invasive, overwhelming, and deeply disturbing. It’s a darkly comedic thread that reinforces a recurring truth of The Boys: power rarely comes without a cost, and for Ashley, that cost is utterly grotesque.
Final Verdict: A brutal escalation toward total chaos
‘Teenage Kix’ doesn’t just push the story forward—it accelerates it. Every decision carries weight, every alliance feels temporary, and every character seems to be teetering on the edge of collapse. And then there’s that ending. Another shock. Another reminder. Another brutal twist of the knife that leaves you reeling and desperate for more.
The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.
Image: Prime Video
