The Instant White-Hot Wild

I'm unsure about this one. I think I need to let it sink in. The episode was definitely good, but it felt like mostly a bridge to season 4. I do appreciate some of the twists here and there, but the story is kinda thrown at you and you don't have a lot of time to think, unless you pause the episode. The pieces are reset and the board changes here. I like some of the action, but it definitely leaves place for questioning.

Gotta say I particularly loved Annie this season. She was fantastic. The last shot of the episode is mind boggling, as you'd think the character in question would be smarter than that in that situation, or if not the development felt rushed.

The writers seem to find it difficult to find creative ways to end the season finales. Some writing is similar to what we have seen before. The ending scene is a great setup for the next season which might be the last. It might be better to quit while ahead and make the final season more meaningful because right now it feels like they're taking very small steps forward. Some things felt pointless but more of The Boys is always appreciated.

Homelander is as good as ever. Yes, he is probably beyond saving but his screen presence is unlike nothing I've seen before. My eyes are glued to the screen while he's on. He's not just evil, he's the product of a bad upbringing and bad influences. This makes you feel for him when he's showing emotions, even though he commits a terrible act one minute later.

Every other character is also on point. Thanks to the backstory we got in the previous episodes and meaningful dialogue we understand every character's motives and actions. When they do something unexpected and wrong you can't help but scream "NO!".

The Boys has been tremendously successful, it's a ride unlike anything else on TV. Some episodes are so daring and legendary, like Herogasm, that you're left wondering how that mess will unravel.

And so when the show picks some speed, it either crashes (i.e. Series end) or you hit the breaks to slow down and survive (i.e. New season). Of course, no drama in slowing down and we all get disappointed.

So we're at a point where its success is its downfall. I kind of wish they put a stop to it so we end with one perfect and complete story that i can rewatch over and over again. Turning it into a soap opera with one sub-villain after another all in the shadow of Homelander is just going to be so disappointing.

Much like a bad day fishing beats a good day at work, a bad season finale on a show like The Boys beats a good episode of anything DC or Marvel any day of the week.

The acting was superb as always and Jensen Ackles stole the show once again as he has for basically each episode that he's been a significant part of. I sincerely hope that he's signed on for next season (how awesome would it be for him to share some screen time with Robert Singer, Right?) The episode had a lot going on in it and they've set up for many different directions things could go. I really wish these seasons would be longer than 8 episodes.

Now that said, the criticisms you've likely read before getting to this review are not at all unfounded. Something did seem rushed here, that's quite evident and some of the twists and fight scenes just seemed quite anti climactic. I prefer to keep my reviews spoiler free, so I won't dwell into great detail, but there were some definite "WTF" moments and all in all, it really felt like this season ended in a way that left us thinking that much of it was a waste. Perhaps this is intentional to keep the show running and drawn out for as long as possible? I hope that's not the case. We've all seen what that sort of thing did to The Walking Dead and Supernatural. I'd much rather they finished strong and short then used film and spin-offs to keep the franchise alive AKA Breaking Bad style.

All in all, to rate this episode less than 6 and more than 9 would be a crime of equal seriousness, so I'll split the difference.

ALL OF THIS WAS SO POINTLESS.

It's the writers fault and this was a big let down.

When will TV finally listen to its viewers and stop this nonsense?

The writers are the worst. Nothing makes sense. We are back at season 2.

All of this was for nothing The actors were great and it's really not their fault and everyone knows that.

But I think this is it. Its been great.

ALL OF THIS WAS SO POINTLESS.

It's the writers fault and this was a big let down.

When will TV finally listen to its viewers and stop this nonsense?

The writers are the worst. Nothing makes sense. We are back at season 2.

All of this was for nothing The actors were great and it's really not their fault and everyone knows that.

But I think this is it. Its been great.