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“The Boys” claims another casualty in Season 5, Episode 5 — and for this particular victim, the writing was apparently on the wall since day one.
In the final moments of the hour, after learning that Soldier Boy has been sleeping with Firecracker (and worse, they’ve been having pillow talk!), Homelander makes an example out of her… by pushing her head into a golden eagle statue, impaling her brain in the process. It’s hardly the most graphic death we’ve seen on “The Boys,” but its subtlety only makes it more haunting.
“We always knew he was going to kill Firecracker, maybe as long back as when we introduced the character,” series creator Eric Kripke tells TVLine, explaining that she was an allegory for former President Trump loyalists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly, Lauren Boebert, and Pam Bondi. “It’s the most predictable pattern in the world, which is Trump demanding ultimate allegiance, making someone compromise every value they’ve ever had, and then kicking them out into the cold.”
In the end, Firecracker’s tale is a cautionary one, and her fellow Homelander loyalists would be wise to take a lesson from her grim demise.
“It’s just to make the point that it doesn’t matter how much you kiss Homelander’s a**,” Kripke adds. “It doesn’t matter how much you give up. Nothing will ever be enough, and you’ll eventually get hoisted on your own petard, which just means stabbed on your own spear, and that’s what happens to her. … So we felt that was the right punishment for this character, for giving up everything she’s ever believed. Even in this episode, she had the opportunity to do the right thing, and it would have changed things.”
Firecracker’s death marks a turning point in Homelander’s rise to god-hood
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So here’s the million-dollar question: Will any of Firecracker’s death inspire any of her former co-workers to rethink their plan? We’re not holding our breath; these characters are constantly given opportunities to do the right thing — and they never do.
“A really interesting thread this season has been not just about Homelander, but the people in his orbit, and how they’re not just like brainwashed with his dogma,” showrunner Eric Kripke says. “They have their own attitudes and points of view and perspectives, but they’re just so scared of the guy that they’re willing to suppress any dignity or courage any of them have.”
Kripke confirms that this callous killing is likely to inspire more silence and obedience from Homelander’s inner circle. (Like we said, we’re not holding our breath for any crises of conscience in this bunch.) But it also sounds like there could be a silver lining in all of this chaos.
“When you find out that Homelander just arbitrarily killed one of your co-workers, that’s going to have a real cooling effect on anyone ever speaking their mind around him,” Kripke says. “One of the greatest weaknesses that dictators and autocrats have is that they’re so scary that everyone around them stops telling them the truth. And when people stop telling you the truth, you’re dangerously vulnerable, because you’re just living in a bubble. As we’ll see, that’s exactly what happens to Homelander.”
Homelander? Vulnerable? We’re listening!
OK, your turn: Were you at all shocked by Firecracker’s death? And did Jensen Ackles’ long-awaited “Supernatural” reunion with Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins live up to your expectations? Drop a comment with your thoughts on Season 5, Episode 5 below.
