The Boys' V-One Storyline Has One Fatal Flaw

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 5, episode 5, "One Shots."

The Boys' final season has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, with some fans feeling it has been close to perfect, while others have been critical of its slower pace. Ultimately, the qualities that make the show so successful have still been on display throughout, yet there's one key problem with the plot that is impossible to ignore.

Despite Vought and Homelander being twisted villains with no redeeming qualities, the series hasn't been shy about highlighting the flaws of its protagonists as well. Be it Butcher's constant betrayals, Frenchie's dark past, or Starlight and Hughie's problematic story in The Boys season 4, the main group has all made questionable choices at some point.

Their conflicting views and personalities even reached a boiling point in "King of Hell", when The Boys fought inside Fort Harmony after five seasons of tension. It acted as a chance to resolve their issues and move forward as a unit, yet their actual objective is proving to be full of moral conundrums, creating a bit of a plot hole.

Sure, Butcher has always been presented as selfish to an extent, but despite their imperfections, the rest of the group have predominantly had good intentions. Therefore, their willingness to release the supe virus so long as Annie and Kimiko are given V-One does raise a few eyebrows, as it goes against what many of these characters stand for.

Even though they understand that sacrifices need to be made to take down Homelander, dooming every other supe doesn't feel like the sort of thing Hughie, Starlight, or Kimiko would be comfortable with, yet in season 5, it seems like everyone is reluctantly on the same page about using this deadly virus, so long as the team is protected.

The Big Problem With The Boys Season 5's V-One Storyline

The Boys' V-One storyline does help drive season 5 forward, as both the main heroes and the antagonist are after the same thing for slightly different reasons. The protagonists want it so that Starlight and Kimiko can use it before destroying the substance, ensuring Homelander is vulnerable to their supe virus.

For Homelander, yes, he wants to protect himself from the virus, but it will also make him essentially immortal, cementing him as the god he views himself as. The problem lies with The Boys' willingness to seemingly let all the other supes die, especially since they've gone out of their way to protect some morally flawed ones in previous seasons.

They opted to try to save Victoria Neuman despite her murky past, and prior to A-Train's death in The Boys season 5, Hughie chose to forgive him, allowing the supe to have a strong redemption arc. Therefore, considering the Gen V characters have actively helped in the fight against Homelander, hanging them out to dry feels very out of character.

Starlight actively asked for Marie's help, so not granting her and her allies the chance to take V-One would be particularly cruel. Likewise, there are likely hundreds of innocent supes out there who haven't used their powers for evil, yet the group doesn't seem too concerned about letting them die so long as Kimiko and Starlight are immune.

Despite MM's story taking a dark turn in season 5, he still showed enough compassion to save Countess Crow in episode 2 since he knew she wasn't a bad person and was simply a victim of Vought's corrupt machine. As a result, taking the risk to save her only for the virus to kill her anyway feels pointless.

Understandably, the show needs to give The Boys a bit of an edge this season due to the high stakes, but their willingness to sacrifice countless decent supes just to ensure two people live isn't a great look, and it actively goes against many of these characters' MO, creating a pretty large plot hole.

Why The Boys Are Going Along With Butcher's Virus Plan Now

Butcher was already trying to use the supe virus back in season 4, with the rest of the group refusing to back him, so something clearly changed to make The Boys go along with his plan. Firstly, their allegiance may only be temporary, since there's a strong chance they will all change their minds once the virus is actually recreated.

However, there's also been a clear shift in several characters' outlooks, most notably MM and Starlight, who are gradually coming round to Butcher's way of thinking. Having seen what Homelander has done with no resistance, they know taking him down is worth whatever risks come with the virus, since Frenchie's version remains an unknown.

Starlight obviously wants to live, MM doesn't want to see her or Kimiko dead, and Butcher clearly cares about Ryan, not to mention he's also a supe. Still, it's hard to see any other way of stopping this villain and his army of supes, hence why they are going along with Butcher's plan for the time being.

Hughie, Kimiko, and Frenchie may have more reservations, but while they may want to wait until they've secured V-One and test the virus more thoroughly, it's still their only shot of stopping Homelander.

There's clearly some lingering tension between everyone, but they all know that they're part of a war, and while the members may not care about who actually kills Homelander in The Boys season 5, they all agree he has to go. Perspectives may quickly change once the virus has been remade, but until then, they're reluctantly united.

With just three episodes left, it'll be fascinating to see how the group dynamic develops and if their conflict proves to be a problem when it comes to completing their objective. Still, for better or worse, The Boys are working together once again, even though it's purely out of necessity.

The Boys' Final Season Would Work Better If They Weren't Trying To Save Starlight & Kimiko

While Starlight and Kimiko being at risk adds a certain complexity to The Boys season 5 which is worth admiring, the plot would be even better without this restriction. Everyone's true morality would be put to the test if there was less focus on saving Annie and Kimiko, and instead deciding whether killing Homelander was worth trading innocent lives for.

Even if there wasn't this fear about the supe virus spreading, and it could simply be used on an individual target, the narrative could focus on trying to pick off the rest of the Seven before luring Homelander into a trap that he couldn't simply fly his way out of.

It has been refreshing to see The Boys still prioritize character development and internal conflicts, rather than being filled with non-stop action. However, season 5's premiere is by far the installment's best episode so far because it had the jeopardy that the others do not, simply because V-One has become such a focus.

Hughie and Frenchie are never going to agree to wage war on Vought and Homelander without saving their partners first. Likewise, Annie and Kimiko are still somewhat reluctant to go all-out since their lives are on the line, resulting in the final season tiptoeing around the confrontations we've been waiting five seasons for.

The payoff will undoubtedly be worth it, but a season revolving around the gang trying to take down their foes by any means necessary has the potential to be a little more action-packed than what we're getting now, and the concern around Starlight and Kimiko has prevented The Boys season 5 from being a much bigger spectacle.