You don’t have to be Sister Sage to know this post will contain spoilers for The Boys season five premiere. But just in case you’re The Deep and can’t figure it out on your own, we thought we should warn you. If you prefer, check out our non-spoiler season five The Boys review. For now, here’s how The Boys reunite in season five and why the team comes back together.
The Boys’ fourth season ended on a bleak note. Butcher killed Vice President-elect Victoria Neuman right after she agreed to work against Homelander. Her death put a patsy in the Oval Office, and that put Homelander in charge of the entire country. The new de facto leader wasted no time rounding up his non-Supe enemies and imprisoning them in concentration camps. That included three of his greatest foes, Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother’s Milk. But in the season five premiere an angry Homelander’s latest gambit helped get the gang back together after a year apart. What took so long? What finally motivated them. Shame played a big role in delaying The Boys’ reunion and loyalty, desperation, and bravery brought the team back together.
Starlight Delays The Boys’ Reunion Because of Her Shame
Season five of The Boys revealed that Hughie, Frenchie, and Marvin all got sent to “Freedom Camp 47” about 20 miles outside of Rochester, New York. (Why camp “47?” This is The Boys. We know. We know.) Other prisoners included Starlighters, former employees of the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs (FBSA) where Hughie had worked, and anyone Homelander personally deemed his enemy. In addition to armed guards, Cindy, the Supe with deadly telekinetic abilities, prevented anyone from escaping.
Starlight had known for a while that the three were there, thanks to her own reconnaissance missions. She even had pictures of the camp. She never attempted to break them out, though. Annie claimed it was because they were safer there, but an old “friend” called her out for her inaction later in the episode. He said it was because she was avoiding letting The Boys reunite because she was ashamed to tell Hughie about all the terrible things she’d done while he was locked up. Starlight didn’t argue with that assessment. She didn’t agree that it was okay, though.
That old mate thought her dark deeds were justified because it was Billy Butcher, the world’s number one fugitive. After stopping off in London to kill his father, he headed to Manila in the Philippines to recruit Kimiko. Kimiko, who has regenerative healing powers and is nearly invincible, got deported there after Vought got tired of her ripping their guards in half. She initially thought Butcher was there to fight, but he was there to recruit her for a new timely mission.
Why Did The Boys Reunite? Homelander’s Threatens to Kill Hughie, Frenchie, and M.M.
Butcher needed her help after Starlight successfully aired the footage from Flight 37 when Homelander let everyone die. The insecure, angry Supe responded with his own plan for vengeance. He would lure both Starlight and Butcher out by announcing the execution of Hughie, Frenchie, and M.M. in 72 hours. Kimiko agreed to go with Butcher. He had his own CIA jet to get around the globe, proving he still has powerful friends helping him.
Annie wasn’t excited to see Butcher, but she was thrilled to see Kimiko, who revealed she now talks thanks to a lot of therapy and TikTok. The three knew the announcement of the executions was a trap, but with no other way to save their friends, they hatched a breakout plan. Butcher recruited another former Vought Super, the dirt-eating, tunnel-digging screenwriter Worm.
How Did The Boys Reunite? The Team is Back Together But Now Without Disaster
Starlight tried to get A-Train in on the plan. She just wanted him run everyone out of the camp quickly, but he initially said no because he had his own family to keep safe. After that, Annie said she would fly everyone away instead. That would be much slower. She also had to agree to Butcher’s plan to get Frenchie out first, since he’s the only one who can strengthen the Super virus so it’s strong enough to kill Homelander. (Homelander knows all about the virus and seems unconcerned.)
It was a trap. Homelander was waiting for the rescuers with the three Boys bound and gagged. He lazered Kimiko in half, but a timed misdirect left Homelander blinded by Starlight’s blast of light. It wasn’t enough to spring their friends, though. After an all-out battle in the camp, a furious Homelander was about to kill Hughie with his laser eyes when A-Train showed up and saved him. Homelander then flew after the speedy former member of the Seven. And alas, A-Train died in The Boys season five premiere. While A-Train gave his life protecting others, his bravery allowed the Boys to escape and reunite as a team. It wasn’t an entirely happy success, though. Hughie was confused and angry that Starlight left him to get Frenchie (and the top half of Kimiko) out of the camp first.
Will he be mad when he finds out why she let him stay in that Freedom Camp for a year? Hughie talked a lot about the importance of hope in this episode. But in a war against a powerful sociopath sending people to concentration camps, hope means nothing without action. We’ll see where this The Boys reunion takes us as season five unfolds.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He is not interested in reading Worm’s specs. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.