The Boys Finale: A Disappointing End To An Excellent Show [Spoilers]

Much has been said about the series finale of The Boys since it aired almost a week ago. Online discourse of the topic has been divisive to put it mildly.

I’m not a professional critic, but as someone who has been attached to this world and its characters for a few years, I have a few brief thoughts of my own about how the finale played out.

The Good

I don’t think that the finale is all doom and gloom as some fans may have you believe. For me, the thing that it did extremely well was its portrayal of Homelander after he was relieved of his powers. It was such a pathetic sight that was fitting for such a small and pathetic person. Him begging for his life, pleading with Butcher to spare him, bargaining with him to allow him to eat his (Butcher’s) shit just to stay alive.

Not only was this scene a form of poetic justice (how many of Homelander’s victims beg for mercy only to be ignored?) but it also put on display the true nature of a character we’ve envisioned as almost godlike for years (instances of mental instability ignored). I will admit that a small part of me felt for the guy. Once the terrifying powers were gone, we were left looking at a broken, traumatized kid who was raised in a lab and subjected to inhumane experiments. He never stood a chance of being normal.

The Not So Good…

The aspects of the finale that killed it for me can be summed up into a few brief points:

• Where was the ultimate crash out? – So much of this series has been always teasing at Homelander having an epic crash out. And yet, that never actually arrived. What was the point of all that build up?
• What happened to Marie? – So to be fair I kind of get this one. Having a character from a spin-off series play a pivotal role in the finale of a main series would be a bit off putting. The issue is that in Gen V Marie was built up to be this Supe who could potentially rival Homelander.

Look, the series finale wasn’t great but it wasn’t that bad if I’m being honest. I’ve seen some online discourse where some are making the case that the comic has a better ending. That gets a hard disagreement from me. I don’t want to spoil it here but if you look it up you’ll know what I mean.

In the end, I suspect it was always going to be difficult to deliver an ending that was satisfying to all. After all, the series did feel like it went on for a couple seasons longer than it needed to.