The Boys season 3, episode 5, “The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies” review. The stellar third season of The Boys keeps up to the high standards set by the previous episodes as the show resumes weekly episode drops. General spoiler warnings apply.
The Boys S3 Ep 5, “The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies”
Last week’s episode four was a bridge between the first three episodes and the remaining ones. It set up a lot of storylines and we begin to see the payoff in episode five, “The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies”. In a not-so-shocking reveal, we find out Soldier Boy is still alive and has been experimented on by the Russians for decades, and even has new powers. Kimiko is gravely injured and The Boys are crumbling apart. Meanwhile, Homelander has manipulated Congresswoman Neuman into turning on Stan Edgar and charging him with federal crimes. There’s a lot going on and a lot of new plot threads.
Rookie Writer Impresses and Great Acting Continues
Writing duties on the episode fell to Ellie Monahan. Ellie’s resume is very short, she wrote for a web series called Liked and was a writer’s assistant on Mr.Robot. Despite Ellie Monahans’ limited experience, she held her own among the series’ regular writers. You may not have even known that we had a different writer if not for the credits. Considering how terrific the third season has been, that’s high praise, especially when many of the other writers on the series are more experienced.
Episode five was directed by Nelson Cragg, who directed episodes of American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and Netflix’s Ratched. On the directing side, this was another great episode but with a slightly slower pace. We were given longer scenes with fewer cuts and more dialogue. And we even got a big musical number.
The cast continues great performances all around. Especially in the scene where a gravely injured Kimiko wakes up in a hospital and has some really great touching moments with Frenchie. We even get a full-on musical dance number with Frenchie and numerous hospital staff. Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko) and Tomer Capone (Frenchie) continue to prove that not only are they great actors, but great performers overall. The singing and dancing were done really well and in particular, Karen’s voice was absolutely beautiful. These two just continue to be the heart and soul of this season and the best part of the show.
Marvin a.k.a. “Mother’s Milk” (Laz Alonso) stands out with some strong moments tied to his extreme anxiety related to the fact that Soldier Boy killed members of his family. Every panic attack or anger sentence from Laz Alonso feels authentic and never forced. Unfortunately, MM seems very unappreciated by the rest of his team and after he’s drugged by Butcher in this episode, he’s ready to snap.
Humor, Action Drama and Dread
I’m always impressed by this show’s ability to switch on a dime. In one scene you’ll find yourself terrified because of the way Homelander is intimidating the Board of Directors at Vought and the next scene could have you laughing out loud as Seth Rogan makes a cameo appearance as a patron who engages with a superhero cam girl. It also shows the freedom that this series has been allowed . Showrunner Eric Kripke has praised Amazon, “We’re given such freedom by Amazon” Kripke said in an Interview with Deadline. That freedom shows, because I can’t recall many shows that have come anywhere close to some of the graphic sexual humor and violence in this series.
The Boys feels like it’s filled with so many moving parts and parallel storylines, that are comparable to HBO’s Game Of Thrones in that way. For example, some of the many plotlines happening all at once are how in a shocking turn Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) and Butcher (Karl Urban) have a passionate sex scene that turns out to be a huge mistake because later on Homelander smells Butcher on her. She is taken away by Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) and her status is clouded in mystery. The audience has no idea what Homelander will do to her or has done to her. We have a storyline where The Deep (Chace Crawford) in an effort to prove himself valuable to Homelander is taking over crime analytics. Then we have Starlight (Erin Moriarity) confronting A-Train. The show never sits still and there are always numerous plot threads in play. It’s the type of thing that makes the characters and show feel more alive.
Paul Reiser’s Straight-Faced Absurdity
In a big surprise cameo, Paul Reiser shows up as a character called The Legend, a former Vaught big wig who is like a skeezy person who makes you feel icky. Reiser’s performance was the perfect balance of saying absurd things while keeping a straight face. He fully embraces the sexually perverse, drug-using character, that is so different from his previous performances on shows like Mad About You or Stranger Things. He gives a strong performance in each scene he is in, making it feel much more than just a cameo. Even though it’s a low-key scene, Reiser’s hilarious deadpan portrayal makes it one of my favorite scenes.
Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy finally gets some solid screen
Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy finally gets some solid screen time but the character doesn’t have a lot to do other than be mildly menacing and walk briskly to and from buildings. After his great, but limited, appearances in previous episodes, it was a bit disappointing not to get more time with Ackles as Soldier Boy.
Another solid episode ends and we’re left with anticipation for what happens next. This has so far been one of this year’s best series and it continues to deliver. It’s unsurprising that The Boys has already been renewed for a fourth season and Eric Kripke continues to show how great a showrunner he is.
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