Why The Boys Season 5, Episode 4 Annoyed Fans & Raised Concerns About the Show’s Ending

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Episode 4 of The Boys Season 5, titled “King of Hell,” has sparked the most debate among fans so far. As the show reaches its midpoint, this week’s installment takes a slower pace. The main action centers around a visit to Vought’s Fort Harmony medical facility, bringing together Homelander, Soldier Boy, and the majority of the Boys, while Annie reconnects with her father. Please be aware that this article contains spoilers.

This episode is full of surprises. The members of The Boys start fighting amongst themselves after encountering something unusual at Fort Harmony, which leads to the death of Quinn, a plant-based Supe connected to Soldier Boy’s history. Meanwhile, Homelander is briefly imprisoned and exposed to radiation by his father, but he survives and is surprisingly hailed as a prophet. Despite all the chaos, most of the characters ultimately find themselves back where they began – still searching for V-One.

The latest episode of The Boys has sparked significant criticism online, with many viewers taking to social media to call it unnecessary. Hundreds of comments on the show’s subreddit labeled the episode as “filler,” and similar reactions appeared on X. One user, u/Helpful_Teach_7102, expressed frustration, saying they “waited a week for this stupid filler episode,” while u/Good_Strength6099 speculated it was a setup for a future spin-off, describing it as having “weird filler vibes.” On X, @twigzza stated that “having a filler episode in a final season is crazy.” These comments represent a widespread feeling among fans, particularly with only four episodes left and a lot of plot still to cover.

Was The Boys Season 5, Episode 4 That Bad?

I thought “King of Hell” was okay – not amazing, but definitely not bad. It had some enjoyable moments, especially seeing the team interact and Annie reconnect with her family. However, I can see why some people weren’t thrilled. Since it’s the last season, the episode didn’t really move the main story forward or develop the characters much. Honestly, it felt like it could have been skipped without significantly impacting the overall season.

Okay, so the episode isn’t universally hated, thankfully! It’s currently sitting at an 8.1 on IMDb, which is the lowest score of the season so far, but honestly, it’s not bad. It’s definitely not the worst episode the show has ever done – that dishonor still belongs to Season 4’s “Life Among the Septics,” which only scored a 7.2.

Despite its strengths, the episode wasn’t perfect. It felt too much like groundwork for the upcoming “Vought Rising” prequel, with storylines involving Quinn, references to Bombsight and Stormfront, and Soldier Boy’s confusing reactions. This means the episode only truly makes sense, and provides satisfying character development and resolution, if you’re already anticipating the spinoff – something that shouldn’t be necessary in a final season.

It’s a delicate balance, and while some viewers feel the season is moving too slowly, they should be cautious – rushing things can be just as problematic, as we saw with the final season of Game of Thrones. A slower pace can work if it allows for strong character development, which this episode didn’t quite deliver on. However, there’s still a lot to look forward to, particularly after the shocking events involving Homelander.

New episodes of The Boys release on Wednesdays on Prime Video.

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2026-04-23 16:21