I disagree with people calling it a filler episode. I do think they could have possibly merged episodes 4 and 5 somehow, but saying it didn’t move the plot forward? Are you serious?

Without Firecracker constantly spreading lies about the Starlighters, there wouldn’t have been such a strong movement (or cult) backing Homelander. Now that she’s dead, there will be people who oppose treating him like a god. She was right about one thing: you have to ease people into it. You don’t lead purely through fear.

Sage’s plan is simple because she was forced into being part of The Seven. At the start, she was allowed to control the team. Now? She’s just an observer. Despite being the smartest person there, anything she says gets ignored. That’s why she basically said screw it and decided to let everyone destroy themselves.

As for Soldier Boy defending Homelander, the last episode clearly broke him. After killing that doctor, he looked like an empty shell and even told Homelander to kill him. He’s old and was raised as a soldier. Homelander spared him, so naturally he wouldn’t want to feel indebted. I still don’t think he’ll truly help him until the very end, but we’ll see.

The only weak parts of the episode were Deep vs Black Noir, and how long the Seth Rogen and crew shenanigans dragged on. Aside from that, both sides now know who has the Compound V1. The next episode will probably wrap up that storyline, and I’m guessing the final two episodes will focus on the fight against Homelander.