The penultimate episode of the final season of Amazon's The Boys has generated a lot of debate online after garnering the lowest IMDb rating in the franchise's history, sharing the bottom place with another episode from season 4. Normally, this kind of situation sounds the alarm of panic for a show that is about to conclude one of the biggest sagas in the history of television. The viewers have already been complaining about the pacing of the show in its last leg, and now this has just added to the list of all the unflattering things going for season 5.

Just before the finale of the beloved superhero satire, episode 7 of season 5 has really gone for a record-breaking dip.

The Boys season 5 episode 7, titled The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother's Milk, now shares the lowest rung of the ladder of ratings with season 4, episode 2, titled Life Among the Septics which was previously rated 7.1 - the lowest by IMDb users alone. Online reactions to the episode have been a mixed bag, with the audience divided in their opinions regarding several aspects of the storyline shown.

While some commended the episode's emotional impact and how it sets up the plot for the season finale, others pointed out quick transitions between intense dramatic sequences and lighter content, criticizing what they called uneven pacing. The lack of emotional impact in certain sequences was also pointed out.

Frenchie and Kimiko have been at the heart of a lot of audience discussion about the episode. Their plot takes a fatal turn that drastically changes Kimiko's future and the story as a whole. After the episode aired, people reacted sharply to the sudden emotional shift in the final scenes involving the couple, making them one of the most talked-about moments on the internet.

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While this remains one of the main issues, there was just one other kink that contributed to the poor rating of the episode.

In The Boys season 5 episode 7, Marie Moreau makes a brief crossover cameo from Gen V in this episode. While some viewers applauded the deeper relationship between the two shows, others pointed out that those who have not watched the spin-off would find the scene confusing, and that might lead them to miss out on the importance of the scene.

While this is not a big issue, it contributed to the larger wrinkles in the episode, which ultimately led to an unwelcome franchise low. The saga is to end next week with episode 8 of the fifth and final season, and this slight hiccup might have a worrisome impact on the hype for the much-awaited finale.

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