The Boys Season 4: Review
By Sioph W. Leal
The Boys season four returns, and as well as battling against the supes of the world, The Boys now must contend with a head-popping supe getting closer to the Oval Office. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) only has months to live, but after losing Becca’s (Shantel VanStanten) son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) and his leadership of The Boys, he’s got nothing else to fight for. Despite Billy’s lies, the rest of the team must find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.
A new season of The Boys is nothing without its new characters, and joining them are standouts Firecracker (Valorie Curry), Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), and the looming presence of Joe Kessler. These three new additions really do elevate the world around them in their own ways. Firecracker gives an insight into the far-right followers and how desperate they are to believe they have a bigger purpose in life. Sister Sage brings some much-needed tactics and brains to the supes (something that has been missing for a while), and Joe Kessler (Jeffery Dean Morgan) doesn’t have much to do, but the talent of Jeffery Dean Morgan sets a higher standard of acting that not all the cast can effortlessly achieve like these three new additions.
Known for its gore and shocking moments, this season does not disappoint. New characters help freshen up the series and bring something new with Firecracker, and Sage takes charge of the story and moves it in ways they want. Another new addition is Joe Kessler, who will be an instant favourite as he brings a chaotic calm but with something sinister writhing underneath who grounds the show as a voice of persuasion. At times, this can contrast with familiar characters' tendency for an overdramatic performance and prove that The Boys is best when it lets the menacing nature of the series fester and evolve as the plot moves forward.
The highlight of the season is episode four, when we see a Homelander (Antony Starr) inflict vindictive personal vengeance that he’s been holding onto for as long as he remembers. This backstory is not done to garner sympathy for the god-like superhero but to enhance his volatile nature and just how sadistic he is. It is a scene that boasts Starr’s ability to use anticipation with a jubilant, sadistic attitude that he thrives on over the gimmick that has been done too much in the past. In this memorable scene, Homelander confronts his past with Vought lab workers, which perfectly balances the gruesome, shocking moments of the series, but the character-driven aspect of it works in its favour and accentuates the macabre.
One of the major aspects of The Boys is, understandably, Homelander and his menacing ways. The psychotic and maniacal leader of the Seven is one of the series' selling points, and after watching episode four, Starr has returned as the truly malicious leader. When the writers allow Starr to delve into the more psychotic elements of Homelander and not depend on the meme-able jokes, viewers are reminded of how great the writing and performances could be; it’s almost reminiscent of the more sophisticated writing and performances The Boys had in its first season.
Mother’s Milk and Hughie give the strongest performances on the human side of The Boys. While Hughie certainly goes through a lot this season, Quaid manages to deliver the comedic side but gives some of the best gore-filled comedy when needed. If fans of The Boys were looking for the right mixture of violence, gore, and the comically absurd, there is a moment in episode three that will have fans wincing and laughing at the same time.
While the Seven is adjusting to its newer members, The Boys have come to terms with their own new dynamic. Mother’s Milk is their new leader, and while he is less chaotic than his predecessor, he provides the calm, strategic leadership that is a refreshing change. It’s almost as if both sides are coming into their own, with different tactics bringing their respective goals to the forefront.
Who is pulling the strings? That is a good question for this season and a driving force of the season that parallels both the superheroes of Vought’s The Seven and the boys. New leader MM (Laz Alonso) has the boys in a more structured and guided approach grappling with Billy’s (Karl Urban) defiance and reckless behaviour that challenges his role and puts them all in danger. On the other side of that, Sage is making moves across the board in her attempts to build an empire for Homelander, but his own defiance throws some curveballs. In the background to this, we also see it from a political point of view as The Boys provide their commentary on how corporate America runs the show. Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) wants to tighten the leash on Vought and superheroes and the impact that has, but also Victoria is also trying to gain control, pull her own string, and deal with her public persona and her true supe-self.
Duelling identities and who you are separate from a superhero or a leader becomes the central theme of the season and what struggles come with this. MM struggles with identifying as the leader of the boys and the father he wants to be. A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) wants to be a hero but doesn't know how, as he’s been a shell for so long. At the end of last season, we see Annie (Erin Moriarty) literally throw away her Starlight persona and learn how to make a difference as herself, not as her superhero persona. Moriarty gives a touching performance that encapsulates her characters struggle with nuance and conveys the identity crisis she faces on many fronts. You can see Moriarty having the most fun with this new aspect of her role as she brings new layers and subtleties with this character growth. With any identity crisis, there are repercussions, and unfortunately for Annie, she bears the brunt of that over and over again, but part of her appeal is how she rises above the struggle and comes out fighting stronger than before.
Each season of The Boys is highly anticipated, but fans have grown a little impatient with a two-year gap between seasons. While this isn’t normally something that is picked up on, it’s hard to believe that season four picks up with only a few months between the seasons. The first episode does its best to try and fill in the gap, but given that so much has apparently happened off-screen, the first episode feels a little rushed, trying to cover their bases before proceeding with the rest of the fourth season plot.
Kimiko, a fan favourite, feels like a separate entity this season. While the election and the rise of Victoria Neuman’s power is supposed to be the main arc, Kimiko feels a little lost in the story. Fukuhara normally delivers an excellent performance, and while she gives it her all this season, it’s the writing and the confusion from the writers that let her down.
Fans of the spin-off series and the comic series were eager to see Tek-Knight (Derek Wilson) in all of his glory. He was teased in Gen V, leaving fans wanting more, but Tek-Knight’s arc this season shows how easy it is for the writers to fall into the tired, meme-bait situations. Tek-Knight could have been so much more, but like Kimiko, the writers fall short on his storyline. He does nothing to elevate the plot or the other characters, only to put Hughie in a precarious position that serves no purpose outside of the episode. Tek-Knight was a supe that could have been interesting and so much more; instead, the writing means he will be forgotten by the end of the next season.
The Boys fourth season opts for a more structured approach to the plot, using a stronger character and narrative structure than the previous two seasons while maintaining the gore and macabre. The boys group deals with human problems of death, illness, and identity, which creates some great moments for the characters and is juxtaposed in an entertaining way to Vought’s manufactured saves and in-universe advertisements that will appear during certain episodes.
The Boys Season Four is available on Amazon Prime, June 13th 2024.