The Boys S5 review: No Breaking Bad, but no GoT either; Karl Urban, Antony Starr lead an imperfect yet satisfying end

THe Boys S5Creator: Eric KripkeCast: Karl Urban, mark anthony richard starkey, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Show, Chace thomas crawford, Laz alicia alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, and Jensen AcklesRating: ★★★.5All through the final season of The Boys - particularly after episode 5 - there had been murmurs, fears rather, that the most unique show on TV was heading down a dangerous territory, one paved by the likes of Lost, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things. These acclaimed shows are said to have tarnished their legacies with bad final seasons, particularly unsatisfying finales. The Boys, I am happy to report, avoids that fate. It stumbles, falters, and even gets on its knees on occasion, but the final season of The Boys crosses the finish line without debasing itself (too much). It is not an elegant, perfect end, but certainly far from a bad one. In the end, the makers manage to tie up most of the loose ends, giving us a satisfying conclusion.What all goes down?The Boys finale builds up into the crescendo as Billy Butcher and his team find a way to corner The Homelander with a special weapon (no spoilers). Meanwhile, Homelander is now on his way to Godhood. He has proclaimed himself the saviour of America and wants to purge the country of all non-believers, moulding it into his image. This classic battle of bad and not-so-bad is played out as our heroes and villains oscillate between loyalties from one camp to the other. The narrative: Predictable but rewardingThere are flaws in how the final season of The Boys unfolds. The detours are too many. Sometimes, the stakes feel wasted. And more importantly, in a couple of the episodes towards the end, the irreverence seems annoying as it feels the makers are not giving it the importance the conclusion deserves. There is also the tiny matter of the conclusion being too simplistic and predictable. Weeks before the finale aired, fan theories had already predicted the exact end. But to be fair, it was one of the hundred-odd theories floating around, a consequence of making a show in the digital age. Regardless, The Boys does lose some of its sharpness and storytelling finesse as it enters the home stretch.Yet it manages to build to a crescendo and deliver a satisfying payoff. The show does not tie up all the loose ends, but it gets to the bigger, more obvious ones quite neatly. It manages to conclude the arcs of all the major characters in ways that make sense, and still gives a coherent ending to all storylines, including the one that truly mattered - Homelander vs Butcher. The performances that carry itAntony Starr has been the star of The Boys ever since season one dropped on us unsuspectingly seven years ago. In season five, he shows his true range, emoting complex emotions like fear, frustration, loneliness, mistrust, and rage without uttering a word. The way he manages to make this overpowered being feel so human, so weak, is a masterclass in acting in heightened reality. It’s a shame he has never even been considered for an Emmy, let alone won one. The other star of the season has been Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy. Through his charm alone, he has carried the season on his back. And then there’s Karl Urban. The actor somehow imbues a character that should be nothing more than a caricature with gravitas and makes you root for him, despite his umpteen flaws. It’s Urban’s skill in front of the camera that makes the conclusion satisfactory. Because you care for Butcher’s crusade, you care for the show. Jack Quaid and Karen Fukuhara are others who deserve an honourable mention for how they hold their own in an otherwise wacky season.The Boys legacyHow will The Boys be remembered? For over half a decade, it has dominated global pop culture. It was never the blitzkrieg that Game of Thrones was, but it definitely had a loyal following that grew from niche to mainstream as seasons passed. Its penchant for ‘predicting’ the craziness of the real world through satire gave it a Simpsons-like aura in recent years. The final season does not tarnish that, not to me, at least. It goes off the rails, as all mercurial people do, but when it matters, The Boys delivers. It reminds you that good storytelling can sometimes be quite simple, and yet connect. But perhaps its biggest victory is in delivering an end that is far from perfect and not close to happy, but still very comforting and one that seems ‘correct’.All the episodes of The Boys are now streaming on Prime Video.