Amazon Prime VideoBelieve it or not, we’re already down to the last weeks of The Boys. The superhero series has been a mainstay of Amazon Prime Video since 2019, but showrunner Eric Kripke is sticking with his original plan and wrapping up after five seasons. That’s probably for the best, with the show’s constant shock humor and unfeeling characters having reached the point of diminishing returns. Still, Season 5 has found a way to keep audiences guessing by having Homelander knock off multiple major characters. We lost A-Train in Episode 1, Episode 5 saw the demise of Stormfront, and now Episode 7 packs another huge punch by eliminating one of The Boys themselves. Frenchie asks Sister Sage for help with his experiments on Kimiko. | Amazon Prime VideoEpisode 7 juggles all sorts of storylines, including Samuel L. Jackson lending his voice to a shark, Daveed Diggs demonstrating why he has a Tony award by singing as Oh Father, Homelander casually making Ashley Barrett president, and Jordan and Marie from Gen V finally proving a little useful. But the most intriguing plotline follows Frenchie and Kimiko as they try one last strategy to beat Homelander: replicate Soldier Boy’s powers by imbuing Kimiko with otherwise-lethal doses of radiation. But Frenchie can’t do it alone, so he consults a freshly-lobotomized Sister Sage for help. Who better than the smartest person in the world to help with this last-resort plan? Unfortunately, she needs a few hours to regain her smarts, and time is exactly what they don’t have. Homelander is on his way, and while Hughie tries to give a warning, Frenchie’s phone is broken.Frenchie still manages to hide Kimiko and Sage behind a zinc wall, meaning Homelander won’t be able to see them with his X-ray vision. Homelander almost finds them anyway, but Frenchie saves them by luring Homelander into the uranium room. He hurts Homelander badly, but is mortally wounded in the process. Once Homelander leaves, Kimiko and Sage run to find Frenchie, and he passes away in Kimiko’s arms. Frenchie sacrifices himself so Kimiko can survive and, hopefully, help defeat Homelander. | Amazon Prime VideoIt’s a shocking loss, but it’s exactly what this show needed. The Boys is infamous for its extremes, but if you start at 100, there’s not much room to raise the stakes when you approach the finish line. Frenchie’s passing may have only taken a few minutes, but it’s the kind of surprise loss that can disarm an audience. Other demises have already proven that no one is safe, but this one proves that the show isn’t afraid to shed its most beloved characters. With only one episode left, the fandom may have thought they knew what to expect from the finale: a major confrontation with Homelander where The Boys emerge victorious. Now, however, even that’s not a sure thing.The Boys is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.