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The Boys are back, but it feels like someone stood up in the pitch meeting and said, “We have to amp up the gore, add more diversity, and include queer representation”—because some of the new sub-plots feel contrived as hell. Episode one of season four just wasn’t as fun, although it does get better.
If you remember, Season 3 of “The Boys” ended with Butcher failing to kill Homelander (Antony Starr), who then took off with his son Ryan. Titled “Department of Dirty Tricks,” episode one of Season 4 starts with Victoria Neuman running her political campaign for the Vice President’s post, while Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) are on a mission to gather intel at the same venue. Butcher, however, gets sidetracked with his own agenda: he wants to bring Ryan to his side and save him from Homelander’s clutches. As Butcher continues to cause trouble for the group due to his personal vendettas, Annie, AKA Starlight (Erin Moriarty), and Mother’s Milk are keen on kicking him out of their squad. Meanwhile, Homelander is on a mission to rebrand himself and launch Ryan as the next big superhero, all while continuing to terrorize and bully those who work with him.
For those who haven’t seen “Gen V,” a spin-off series set in the same universe as “The Boys,” there are several fleeting references to events that unfolded in “Gen V,” so you should consider watching the show. It’s an entertaining series and will definitely give you a lot more context on certain conversations that take place between the characters in Season 4 of “The Boys.” You’ll keep hearing “Godolkin University” being mentioned in this season, that’s the university exclusively for Supes and serves as the setting for “Gen V”.
The primary focus of Season 4 continues to be Butcher and his group’s attempt to kill Homelander and curb Victoria Neuman’s rise to political power. However, Homelander has his own plans to remain invincible and ropes in the help of Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), who is supposed to be the world’s smartest person. The first three episodes of the season pack in a lot of politics, violence, blood, and gore, with a major subplot involving the rivalry between Homelander fans and Starlight fans.
A lot of the subplots feel contrived in the first three episodes, especially a potential romantic subplot involving Frenchie and a new character. However, one character who does emerge as earnest is Cameron Crovetti’s Ryan, who isn’t sure if he wants to take on the burden of being a superhero, especially with an overbearing father like Homelander who expects him to treat regular humans like bugs. Ryan is torn between living up to Homelander’s vision and Butcher’s offers for a truce and a life away from his megalomaniac father. Antony Starr remains intimidatingly evil as Homelander, whose mere presence puts everybody around him on edge, and that tension is still palpable on the screen.
Since there are five more episodes to go in the season, it remains to be seen if things will get more exciting. At this juncture, it does feel like the story is getting dragged out and a lot of the familiar characters feel repetitive. However, Eric Kripke and team manage to inject plenty of hilarious, weird, bizarre, and gory moments to keep it entertaining enough for fans to come back for more. So, buckle up—this season might just be the wildest ride yet.
You can stream “The Boys” on Prime Video.
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