The Boys has been teasing a Supernatural reunion since well before it was released, and now that Jared Padalecki’s character has been revealed, it proves just how much the show has fallen off since season 1. Across The Boys‘ five seasons, the series has changed a lot, with it going from a gritty and gory superhero show to a more comedic commentary on modern politics. While this change isn’t necessarily bad, it has caused some elements of The Boys season 5 to clash with what the show initially set out to do.
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The Boys season 5, episode 5, sees The Boys and Homelander continue their searches for V1, with the heroes of Vought getting a new lead in the hunt. Homelander and Soldier Boy head to Los Angeles in order to reunite with Mister Marathon, played by Jared Padalecki. Mister Marathon is a collector of Vought artifacts, meaning that he may have access to V1. However, upon their arrival, they realize that Mister Marathon and his celebrity friends are planning something sinister.
Mister Marathon’s Celebrity Killings Prove That The Boys Has Lost Its Way
Shortly after arriving, Homelander is attacked by Malchemical, rendering him unconscious. Mister Marathon tells Soldier Boy that they hope to kill Homelander, and if Soldier Boy helps, he could become the leader of the Seven. However, Soldier Boy isn’t a fan of this plan, beginning a battle between him and Mister Marathon. Marathon chases Soldier Boy throughout his mansion, but during the chaos, he runs through several of his celebrity friends. Seth Rogen, Will Forte, Kumail Nanjiani, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Craig Robinson are all run through by Mister Marathon, with the celebrities exploding into clouds of blood and guts.
While the Mister Marathon scene is hilarious, the fact that it is played for laughs is indicative of a problem that has plagued The Boys in recent seasons. The inciting incident of the series is when A-Train runs through Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin, in the pilot, killing her. The celebrity deaths in season 5, episode 5, are visually identical to Robin’s death in the pilot, but the context of these deaths attempts to portray them in majorly different ways. Robin’s death is horrific, whereas these celebrity deaths are funny. They have no real bearing on the plot, with them only being there as a gag.
The weight of moments like Robin’s death has been lost over the course of The Boys, creating a major tonal problem for the series. The irresponsible actions of these superheroes are meant to be shocking abuses of power, but they are no longer portrayed this way at this point in The Boys. It creates an odd de-escalation of the show’s stakes, as, despite the show nearly being over, the threat that the supes pose is seemingly less serious than it was in season 1.
Another instance of this problem can be seen back in season 4. In season 4, episode 6, Hughie disguises himself as Tek Knight’s sidekick, causing Tek Knight to perform sexual acts on him. This assault is portrayed as comedic, despite the fact that the assaults of Starlight and Becca Butcher are two of the most important and dramatic events in the series. This odd juxtaposition makes The Boys seem like a parody of itself, which is why the latter half of the series has felt a bit weaker than the first half.
The Boys Needs To Be Less Comedic In Its Final Episodes
If The Boys wants to fix this problem, it needs to have a major tone switch in its last few episodes. The series needs to bring back the dramatic weight of the first season in order to end the show in a satisfying way, especially if these episodes are to feature major The Boys character deaths. The show has balanced comedy and drama in the past, so it needs to regain this balance rather than continuing to lean into the comedic.
If The Boys TV show adapts the ending of the comics, it seems like the dramatic weight will definitely come back. The comic series ends with some major character reveals and super dramatic moments, ones that can’t be properly adapted with an overly comedic tone. This would be the best path forward for the final episodes of The Boys, making up for a streak of poor episodes in the middle of season 5.
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