Homelander has a mid-life crisis, butcher comes back…Again in Good, but weaker fifth episode

We are now more than halfway through season two of The Boys, just receiving the fifth episode, “We Gotta Go Know.” Despite being a disappointingly predictable hour, number five is still a fun ride with enough wit to spare, and some genuinely brilliant moments that propel it forward. Things could go a little faster, though.

The relationship between Homelander and Stormfront intensifies, and they ultimately become a power couple. Antoni Starr’s character begins to lose his grip on the US, as protests about the release of Compound V, and most recently, his accidental murder of an innocent citizen, begin to really fire up. Starr is still brilliant in the role, but you really feel that episode four was truly his mojo. Aya Cash continues to be the standout as Stormfront, the delightfully villainous Supe that seduces Homelander into a bonkers sex drive. Overall, their whole arc in this series so far has gone from brutal enemies, to two inséparable conduits of evil.

A lot is happening in this episode, perhaps a bit too much. The creators attempt to stuff in a whole Annie/Mom arc, there’s Stormfront and Homelander, Billy re-uniting with the Boys for a showdown with Black Noir, Kimiko and Frenchie having increasingly less screen time, The Deep working with his Scientology church, and Queen Maeve trying to steer clear of Homie as she tries to protect her girlfriend. It’s a big, crazy blend of awesomeness that doesn’t always work. That’s mostly because of the lack of screen time. Erick Kripke has tried to accomplish too much in just 65 minutes. The amount of time that they had can only get you through so many plot points…But not enough clearly.

Homelander has most likely had the most satisfying arc of all the characters in season two. He’s been losing public adoration for a while now, and the series tries something bold. At a plaza, Homelander confronts a large group of protestors and attempts to calm them down. Failing miserably, he lasers everyone in it. Turns out he didn’t, it was all a fantasy. Again, this could have been a very interesting plot line. What if he really became a super villain? But all of the focus on him has resulted in diminishing results with the others. For example, what is up with the Boys?

Their reason to be in this episode didn’t actually bother me, however. Billy Butcher get’s re-United with them…Again, and they converge at a relative’s house. Black Noir, however, lurks on a roof top, waiting to strike when the time is right. The fight that ensues is actually quite entertaining, and it made for a fairly good moment in a mixed bag of an episode. There was no big PROBLEM with this, but it could take some more risks. Perhaps some tragic deaths of beloved characters? It needs to be bolder, which is nuts to say for something like The Boys, though in this case, it is necessary. Instead, Billy “speaks” to Mr. Edgar through Noir’s body-cam, and he let’s the Boys go.

Then there’s the million other sub plots that this episode, and the entire series is struggling to juggle. Annie’s mom confronts her at the set of Vought’s new movie The Dawn of the Seven, and what could have yet another potential emotional strong point is limited to only a few minutes of screen time. Maeve is also criminally underused, overshadowed by the episode’s focuses. As Homelander goes through his midlife crisis, she isn’t able to conceal herself from him, and puts her girlfriend in danger. Once again, another powerful moment that’s sadly squandered.

Fortunately, there’s a lot more strengths than weaknesses in “We Gotta Go Know.” The character-driven storylines are still mostly intact, the performances remain committed, and the screenplay stays wicked smart and socially aware. The few flaws make for the weakest episode that is let down by a lack of surprises, but I still had plenty of fun with the halfway mark.

The final opinion is: Though it meanders through a disappointing lack of narrative momentum, “We Gotta Go Know” is still a wickedly entertaining, gorgeously acted ride. I would say…BROWSE IT

Rated: TV-MA

Genre: Action/Comedy

Runtime: 1 hour

Directed By: Batan Silva