Everything about The Boys Season 4 Episode 5 feels like a fever dream. If you thought the show reached its peak weirdness with the Herogasm or the giant termite incident, you’re dead wrong. This episode, titled "Beware the Jabberwock, My Son," basically tosses every rule of superhero storytelling out the window and replaces them with V-infused farm animals and deep-seated trauma.
Honestly, it’s a lot.
The plot kicks off with the Boys and Vought’s fractured Seven both hunting the same thing: a virus that can kill Supes. But instead of a clean heist, we get a bloody, chaotic mess in a remote laboratory. It’s the kind of episode where you’re laughing one second and gagging the next. It’s brilliant. It’s also incredibly dark.
The Absolute Chaos of The Boys Season 4 Episode 5
Let’s talk about the farm.
Stan Edgar is back. Giancarlo Esposito brings that chilling, "I’m the smartest guy in the room even in a prison jumpsuit" energy that we’ve all missed. Neuman springs him from a secret black site because they need his help to track down the Supe-killing virus. They end up at a hidden Vought research farm where things have gone catastrophically sideways.
What happens when you give Compound V to a bunch of farm animals? You get flying, carnivorous sheep and chickens that move like bullets.
It sounds ridiculous because it is. Seeing the Boys, a group of hardened mercenaries and survivors, getting absolutely wrecked by a flock of sheep is the kind of dark comedy only this show pulls off. Hughie is terrified. Starlight is trying to hold it together. And Butcher? Butcher is just losing his mind, literally and figuratively.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
The stakes here aren't just about the immediate threat of being eaten by a goat. It's about the virus. This is the same virus introduced in the spin-off Gen V. If it gets out, every Supe on the planet is at risk. Neuman wants it for leverage. Butcher wants it for genocide. It’s a messy ideological tug-of-war where nobody is actually the "good guy."
Ryan and the Homelander Dilemma
While the farm madness is happening, we get some of the most uncomfortable scenes of the season involving Ryan and Homelander.
Ryan is a kid. He’s stuck between the memory of his mother, the rough love of Butcher, and the narcissistic god-complex of his father. In The Boys Season 4 Episode 5, Homelander forces Ryan into a staged, corporate "save" that goes horribly wrong. It’s a masterclass in psychological abuse. Homelander doesn't want a son; he wants a mirror. He wants someone to tell him he’s loved, but he’s teaching Ryan that the only way to be "great" is to be feared.
Seeing Ryan’s face as he realizes the "criminal" he’s fighting is just a paid actor is heartbreaking. He’s losing his humanity in real-time.
On the flip side, Hughie is going through a different kind of hell. His father is in the hospital, and after the previous episode's cliffhanger, we see the aftermath of the V-injection. Hughie’s dad wakes up, but he’s not "healed." He’s a Supe with no control and a fading mind. It’s a tragic parallel to the Supe-animal chaos on the farm. Compound V doesn't fix things. It just makes the existing problems louder and more violent.
That Ending Though
The climax of the episode isn't a big explosion or a superhero fight. It’s a betrayal.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
Butcher steals the virus. Well, more specifically, Joe Kessler—who we are increasingly realizing might just be a hallucination or a manifestation of Butcher's darkest impulses—convinces him to take the "rabbit" (the infected animal carcass) and run.
This sets a terrifying trajectory for the rest of the season. Butcher is dying. He has nothing left to lose. A dying man with a virus that can wipe out an entire race of people is a dangerous thing.
We also have to mention the Vought Expo (V52). It’s a biting satire of Disney’s D23 or Marvel’s SDCC. The way the show mocks the "phases" of the Vought Cinematic Universe while the real world is literally falling apart is peak social commentary. Firecracker is becoming a bigger threat not because of her powers, but because of her reach. She’s the face of the propaganda machine, and she’s better at it than Homelander ever was.
Real Talk: Is it too much?
Some fans are starting to feel the "gore fatigue." There’s a scene involving a certain character’s leg that made even me look away. But that’s the point. The show is trying to show us that power—real, unchecked power—is ugly. It’s not cinematic. It’s messy and wet and smells like a farm.
The acting in this episode is top-tier. Esposito and Claudia Doumit (Neuman) have incredible chemistry. You can feel the history between them—the mentor and the student, both equally willing to stab each other in the back.
And Antony Starr? The way he plays Homelander’s shifting moods is terrifying. One second he’s a proud dad, the next he’s a monster who would incinerate a crowd just to feel something.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
What You Need to Do Next
If you’re trying to keep up with the lore, there are a few things you should actually go back and check.
First, if you haven't watched Gen V, you're going to be a bit lost regarding the virus's origins. Go back and watch the final two episodes of that series. It explains exactly how the virus was engineered in "The Woods" and why it’s so lethal to Supes but not humans.
Second, pay close attention to the scenes with Joe Kessler. Watch them again. Notice how nobody else interacts with him. Notice how he only appears when Butcher is alone or in a moment of extreme stress. The "Butcher has a brain tumor hallucination" theory is looking more like a fact every single minute.
Third, keep an eye on the political subplot. The trial of Homelander and the rise of the "Starlighters" vs. the "Hometowners" isn't just background noise. It’s the framework for the inevitable civil war that’s coming.
The Boys Season 4 Episode 5 serves as the pivot point. The pieces are finally on the board. The virus is out, the farm is a bloodbath, and Ryan is closer than ever to snapping.
Go back and re-watch the scene where Stan Edgar talks about "the cost of doing business." It’s the most honest line in the whole show. In this world, everyone is a commodity, and everyone has a price. Usually, that price is paid in blood.
The next step is bracing yourself for the fallout. The virus isn't just a plot device; it's a ticking time bomb. Watch the interactions between Frenchie and Kimiko closely in the next hour, as their pasts are starting to catch up with their present in a way that usually ends in a body count. Ensure you've caught the small details in the V52 posters during the expo scenes, as they often hide Easter eggs for upcoming spin-offs or plot points for the final season.