The Boys season 5 is in full swing and while there have been some huge moments so far, online chatter has brought in several complaints. Some viewers have branded several episodes "filler", pointing out that not a great deal happens in terms of the plot moving forward.
Most notably, season 5 episode 4 was called out for "leading nowhere" by disgruntled fans, with its focus on an unsuccessful trip to Fort Harmony to find V-One. Season 5 episode 5 then honed in on characters more acutely with a split perspective narrative, showcasing more about Firecracker and Black Noir.
Now showrunner Eric Kripke has responded to these complaints, telling TV Guide that they're character-led episodes, as well as admitting that there are some budget constraints for the Prime Video series.
"None of the things that happen in the last few episodes will matter if you don't flesh out the characters," Kripke said. "I'm getting a lot of online dissatisfaction, to put it politely. And I'm like, 'What are you expecting? Are you expecting a huge battle scene every episode?' One, I can't afford that. And two, it would be so empty and dull, and it would just be about shapes moving without having any import."
Kripke went on to say that it never crossed his mind that these episodes would be considered "filler" and thinks it could be a product of the weekly release schedule. He continued: "At no point during the writing of it was I like, 'Oh yeah, we're making filler episodes. So who cares?' We all thought at the time we're really getting these important character details. We have something like 14 characters, maybe 15. And I owe it to all of them – in that television is the character business – I owe it to all of them to flesh them out and humanize them and their stories."
The showrunner wasn't done there either, as he pointed out that "a giant character movement" is happening in each episode. "Apparently, just because it's not plot, you're like, 'Nothing happened!' I'm like, 'Nothing happened, what?' The craziest, biggest moves happened," he added. "It just wasn't someone shooting someone else and going, pew, pew, pew. And if that's what you want, you're just watching the wrong show."
The Boys season 5 is airing weekly on Prime Video and you can follow our The Boys season 5 release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment.
