Only 2 episodes left! I better see Kimiko dead in the first 10 seconds of episode 7.

This episode is a huge mixed bag. With only 3 episodes left, it makes sense that the show has to escalate things and start pushing characters toward resolution. But they don't do it gracefully. It all feels like bread and circus. Let's talk about the positive first. On one hand, it's genuinely interesting to see the supes confronted with their own humanity through the threat of the virus: the fear of death and mortality. All the best sequences on this topic are shown through The Legend. He has lived through all of it and his conversations with the supes about their eventual demise are some of the most fascinating parts of the episode. This is the kind of theme I wish the season had explored more seriously, especially since the whole season has been circling immortality and legacy (instead we get too much gore, cameo jokes, and detours). It's also cool to see supes from the old days. But again, this late in the season, this world building feels more like setup for the Vought Rising spinoff. That's the problem with the episode as a whole: it feels like the showrunners are running out of time, so they are cramming everything into the final stretch. And this is the big negative of this episode. The biggest problem and the stupidest act here is Sage. For someone billed as the smartest person alive, what the hell is she doing? Even her dialogue with Ashley suggests she should know better. Sage has become one of the worst-written characters this season because she is basically a walking deus ex machina. Whenever the plot needs something to happen, she pulls the "I already did that minutes ago" nonsense. It's complete bollocks. Worse, this episode makes her masterplan seem like it contradicts the very things the episode itself sets up. The Homelander and Soldier Boy relationship is also very weak. After all the tension built between them this season, the result doesn't pay off at all. What's with this "we loved Clara" nonsense? It feels like Batman v Superman's "Save Martha" all over again. I am honestly surprised Soldier Boy didn't scream, "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?" Then there is the death of another major supporting character, after the show already killed one off in the previous episode. The earlier death at least felt consequential. This one feels more like a side-plot being cleared out so Homelander can be positioned cleanly as the final boss. It feels less like housekeeping. Given how much time this episode spends reminiscing the old days of supes, it increasingly feels like a big advertisement for the spinoff rather than a focused episode of the final season. My worry is that the actual conflict will now be rushed, because the show spent too much time setting up other things. We will see how the finale pans out. But I really feel like the season has gone downhill since the Season 3 finale cop-out.

Golden Geisha: Summer is only beautiful when you know winter's coming.

they should just call this season the filler season. absolutely nothing interesting happens. the story only progresses 1% every single episode. 1/10