‘The Boys’ Recap: ‘Glorious Five Year Plan’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘The Boys’. To revisit the previous episodes, click here.
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Often times, superhero stories that feature a push to defeat a ridiculously powerful villain, are quite engaging and inspirational in nature and rightfully so. For all the effort that goes into defeating the seemingly invincible big bad, is complex and entertaining and everything an audience could ask for and more. Since such a quest, speaks to our desire to see good prevail in this world, and of course… seeing the heroes find a way to overcome, sticks with us in a positive manner and also reinforces our belief that evil never will win in this world and we most certainly leave the theater or turn off the television feeling better about life and our day when these stories come to a close.
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But alas, such concepts and quests are nothing more than flawless escapism. For in the real world, the bad guys do win and sometimes they are indeed invincible in their own right and get away with anything and everything, and that is precisely why a story that features such musings, should be celebrated. Because there is nothing wrong with indulging in stories that remind us of reality. For they too have their own inspirational messages. The kind that reminds us to never stop fighting for what’s right and to never stop questing for a better world, but to also be prepared for one hell of a fight in getting there. One where we will stumble and fall and potentially make tough and ugly decisions, all in the name of betterment. 

If anything, that particularly stark message is top of mind today, simply because it served as the central message that Butcher and Hughie and the Boys were forced to learn in this week’s episode of The Boys. For when we catch up with everyone in ‘Grand Five Year Plan’, they were off to Russia to find the supposed superweapon that Butcher firmly believed would put an end to Homelander’s annoying existence and well… that’s where the rough and ugly decision came into play. Because to get within an inch of that potential weapon, disgusting calls had to be made. The kind that involved weaponized dildos and were upsetting enough to potentially shatter the group. But Butcher knew they had to take place to make the world a better place but even then… Butcher may come to regret the outcome of this quest.

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For once the team did get close to the weapon, morals were compromised since Hughie and Butcher took the temporary taste of V to keep everyone safe, and disappointment was everywhere to be found. Because there was no weapon within the walls of the facility they broke into, just a stunning surprise. In that, the Russians didn’t have a weapon that killed Soldier Boy, they instead HAD Soldier Boy and kept him in stasis to experiment with supes and their biology and well, their quest to beat evil, unleashed this old and bitter supe upon the world and actually hurt Kimiko in the process and well… this sequence really did make it clear how hard the fight to make the world better place actually is, and the sacrifices that go into it and what’s concerning… is that the battle is only going to get tougher from here.
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Because while the Boys were dealing with that whole mess, Homelander was securing his standing as the greatest… whatever the hell he thinks he is… of the world. In part by bringing down his boss since he convinced Victoria to blindside Stan at a press conference designed to bring Homelander down, and of course… he put the fear of Homelander into any prospective mutineers. Since Alex blabbed about the plan to the wrong supe by asking A-Train to join the cause, and the price he paid for that… made it clear to Starlight that any plan to bring down the leader of the Seven would be met with swift and blinding violence, and potentially hurt those she loves and well… that was definitely a dark and powerful way to end a downright brilliant tale.

Since this particular episode managed to raise the stakes with the whole Homelander mess since he continues to relish in his invincibility and ability to push the envelope with no reproach and what’s horrifying about that… is that there appears to be no way to beat him in the slightest. Since Butcher’s mission was a titanic failure, putting the Boys and the world on the brink of their darkest hour for certain. But worry aside, we can in the meantime, applaud the realistic approach this episode took  since our heroes failed and evil won the day, and of course… the fact that our heroes are having to stoop to unique and low measures to win, also adds a distinct level of relatability to it. Since we too have pushed ourselves to places, we don’t normally go, to get a win or what we want, and well, that just serves to remind us that this really is one of the smartest superhero stories out there and sadly… we are now once again... counting down the minutes until next week’s tale. So, we can see how The Boys handle one hell of a setback. Until next time.  

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