The Worst Episode Of The Boys Season 1 According To IMDb

In 2019, Amazon Prime Video's "The Boys" introduced audiences to a new kind of superhero. Based on the Garth Ennis comic of the same name, the series takes a more nihilistic and violent approach to people gifted with super-human abilities. Whereas iconic American cultural touchstones like Captain America and Superman are always dedicated to doing what is right, the same cannot be said for The Seven. 

Although the privatized superhero team of "The Boys" certainly masquerades as a stand-in for the Justice League and the Avengers, most members of The Seven ultimately fall well short of such high standards. In the worst case scenario, The Seven legitimizes villains like Homelander (Antony Starr), resulting in super-powered beings who take corruption to an entirely new level. Season 2 ups the ante considerably in this department via the introduction of a white supremacist supe named Stormfront (Aya Cash). 

While many fans  simply tune in for the action and the violence, the political discourse around the series is also often favorably noted by many critics (via GQ). As of this writing, the series maintains a solid 8.7 stars out of 10 on IMDb, a rating which indicates general positivity among critics and fans. However, like with many other brilliant stories, not all fans have enjoyed every episode of this series. Indeed, one episode of "The Boys" Season 1 appears to lag in popularity significantly behind the rest.

In "The Boys" Season 1, Episode 1 ("The Name of the Game"), Hughie's (Jack Quaid) entire life changes when his girlfriend Robin (Jess Salgueiro) dies after A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) runs through her. The visceral imagery of the moment sets the tone for the entire series, and for the most part, "The Boys" routinely delivers a worthwhile high-octane journey. 

However, "The Boys" Season 1, Episode 6 ("The Innocents") serves as a significant deviation from this standard. Much to the chagrin of a number of IMDb users, this episode explores the beginnings of a romance between Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and Hughie. Assuming IMDb users are representative of this series' general audience, this development did not go over very well. Though this episode still owns a respectable 8.2 stars, it is the lowest-rated entry of a highly regarded inaugural season.

So, what didn't viewers like about this episode?

"After the brilliance of last episode's laser baby scene and Billy Butcher's hilarious anti-god rant, the chance that this episode would seem a little disappointing was always going to be high," noted IMDb user BA_Harrison. "'The Innocents' is still good TV, but it doesn't have any outrageously over-the-top scenes, instead developing the character of Starlight and her relationship with Hughie." 

Ultimately, this user was not alone in this sentiment. Many felt that the episode dragged because of the romance plot. "I just find Starlight and Hughie's romance a tad boring," posted shwetafabm in a review titled "Heavy on the drama and somewhat pointless." Elsewhere, davidhiggins-89756 said, "More BOGUS unlikely events going on, with the plot playing out mostly as suspected."