‘The Boys’ – Season Five – ‘One Shot’ – Review
The Boys continues to spiral deeper into madness with every passing episode, and after the full-blown zombie horror insanity of Episode Four, “King of Hell,” showrunner Eric Kripke shifts gears in spectacular fashion with Episode Five, “One Shot.” The result is one of the season’s most inventive and outrageously entertaining chapters yet; a trippy, riotous burst of television that embraces everything weird, chaotic, and gloriously unhinged about The Boys.
In a very special episode of The Boys, we take a closer look at the individual lives of a handful of characters over the same day. The Seven have a meeting to discuss the future of the Democratic Church of America. Firecracker struggles with the notion of replacing Jesus with Homelander in her heart. When confronted with betraying an old friend, the price of Firecracker’s loyalty will only cost her soul. We see Black Noir’s true passion for life in the theater! But Black Noir will soon learn that through his ambition, he’s made a dangerous enemy. Meanwhile, Sage stays on task with her secret plan to keep V1 away from Homelander, but she needs the help of an unlikely ally: Back Ashley. Our next character spotlight is a delightful, unexpected one: Terror! That’s right folks, Butcher’s lovable hump-crazy dog takes us through The Boys HQ, and we get heartbreaking updates on The Boys (and a quick glimpse into what dogs truly dream about). Last but not least, a kidnapped Stan Edgar gives Soldier Boy a lead on where to find V1 and so Soldier Boy and Homelander head to sunny Los Angeles. The trip is star-studded and gruesome but brings a strange opportunity for father/son bonding.
Eric Kripke goes full comic-book mode
Season Five has seen Kripke throwing absolutely everything at the wall, and somehow, every insane creative swing keeps landing. One of the biggest strengths of The Boys has always been its willingness to bend genre conventions into something fresh and unpredictable, and “One Shot” might be the show’s most playful experiment yet.
The concept is brilliantly simple: instead of focusing solely on the main narrative, the episode adopts a “one-shot” style structure, allowing supporting characters to step into the spotlight and tell their own stories from their own warped perspectives. It’s a clever nod to comic-book storytelling, where side characters and spin-off tales can suddenly reveal unexpected depth, absurdity, or heartbreak. And in true The Boys fashion, the results are gloriously chaotic.
New perspectives, old insanity
While Homelander continues his terrifying march toward self-deification, “One Shot” widens the lens and explores how his increasingly fascistic reign affects the people orbiting him.
Firecracker’s storyline proves especially compelling, as her blind devotion to Homelander begins to crack under the weight of fear and guilt. Watching her grapple with a genuine crisis of faith adds an unexpectedly human layer to a character previously defined by fanaticism and manipulation. The terror simmering beneath her loyalty makes her story one of the episode’s strongest surprises.
Then there’s Black Noir II, whose subplot delivers some of the episode’s funniest and most tragic moments. Tired of being dragged around by The Deep’s endless insecurity and idiocy, Noir attempts to pursue his passion for theatre and performance. It’s oddly wholesome watching him embrace his artistic ambitions… until, naturally, everything goes catastrophically wrong in the bloodiest and most humiliating way imaginable. Because this is The Boys, after all.
Meanwhile, Sister Sage continues to cement herself as one of the show’s most terrifying players. Her interactions with Ashley finally reveal the true extent of her master plan, and the revelation is chilling. Sage isn’t just clever, she’s completely, terrifyingly warped. And poor Ashley once again finds herself trapped in someone else’s nightmare.
The Supernatural reunion fans have waited for
One of the episode’s biggest highlights comes courtesy of Soldier Boy and Homelander’s deeply dysfunctional father-son road trip to Los Angeles, where they hunt for the mysterious V-1.
That journey leads them straight to Mister Marathon, played by Jared Padalecki, in a long-awaited reunion with Jensen Ackles that longtime fans will absolutely lose their minds over. And Kripke doesn’t stop there, bringing in Misha Collins as the delightfully grimy Malchemical, a washed-up Supe and Hollywood lowlife with ties to Vought’s darkest secrets.
The entire Los Angeles storyline is peak The Boys: a savage lampooning of celebrity culture, Hollywood excess, and corporate corruption wrapped inside a blood-soaked road-trip comedy. Padalecki and Collins fit seamlessly into the show’s filthy, chaotic universe, fully committing to the sleaze and absurdity of their characters.
And naturally, Soldier Boy’s involvement turns everything into carnage.
The sequence escalates into a spectacular eruption of gore, violence, and pure lunacy that stands as one of the season’s most entertaining stretches so far.
Terror steals the show
For all the insanity packed into “One Shot,” the emotional core surprisingly belongs to Terror, Butcher’s beloved bulldog, played by the late Bentley the Bulldog.
Terror’s storyline offers something The Boys rarely slows down long enough to explore: genuine tenderness. As the dog bounces between causing chaos, searching for snacks, and trying to make Homelander his literal “bitch,” his presence quietly exposes how fractured The Boys have become in the aftermath of Episode Four.
More importantly, Terror brings out the last flickers of Butcher’s humanity.
No matter how monstrous Butcher is becoming – no matter how corrupted his body and soul may now be – his love for Terror remains real and unwavering. When Terror lands himself in danger, it sparks the first truly heroic act we’ve seen from The Boys in a long time, reminding audiences that beneath all the rage, revenge, and brutality, these characters haven’t completely lost themselves yet.
It’s heartfelt, surprisingly moving, and a beautiful tribute to Bentley’s presence on the show.
A bold, bloody midpoint for Season Five
“One Shot” is one of the smartest episodes The Boys has delivered in years. By embracing the spirit of comic-book anthology storytelling, it gives its supporting players room to breathe while deepening the larger chaos engulfing the season.
It’s inventive, hilarious, shocking, and grotesque in equal measure; loaded with savage satire, outrageous gore, and enough “what the hell did I just watch?” moments to leave audiences grinning from ear to ear. And just when you think things couldn’t get darker, Kripke closes the episode with a brutal reminder that Homelander’s rule will not be challenged lightly.
Season Five has officially crossed the halfway point, and the road ahead looks utterly terrifying.
Final Verdict: A wild, inventive detour into the beautifully batshot crazy world of The Boys
A wildly creative, gloriously chaotic episode that proves The Boys still has plenty of twisted surprises left in the tank.
The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.
