‘The Boys’ Season 4 Review

Prime Video’s The Boys continues to seek out methods to go greater on what made it such successful within the first place — particularly extreme gore, outlandish humor, and well timed societal critiques. Nonetheless, Eric Kripke’s recent comments on the present’s longevity beg the query: how a lot is an excessive amount of? The commentary is likely to be extra well timed than ever, with Homelander (Antony Starr) standing trial for his very public homicide. However whereas there isn’t a scarcity of points to critique within the newest season, the bigger story is finally beginning to run out of legs.

We’ve seen it play out roughly the identical method for 3 seasons already: Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Billy Butcher’s (Karl City) workforce of diabolical misfits, the titular Boys, seek for a MacGuffin to kill Homelander, conflict with evil mega-corporation Vought, conflict a little bit bit with one another, after which fail to finish their mission. As enjoyable because the journey usually is, it’s the identical journey over and over; a formulaic journey that repeatedly flies to the identical heights solely to land and tease the identical ascension within the following season.

That’s to not say the wrenches which can be thrown in aren’t needed, useful, or appreciated — particularly additions like Supernatural and Kripke vet Jeffrey Dean Morgan. That’s simply not sufficient to maintain the apparent problem that’s plaguing the sequence: How lengthy can Homelander stay a viable risk season after season with out being dispatched, particularly since the comics have such a clear endpoint? After all, the size of the present is fully as much as the studio and the showrunner, however let’s give Homelander a five-season arc and transfer on to greater and higher issues (Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, anyone?) if the sequence is renewed for a sixth installment.

The Seven Is Extra Unhinged Than Ever in ‘The Boys’ Season 4

In Season 4 of The Boys, some welcome Supe additions shake issues up within the type of Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) and Firecracker (Valorie Curry), each of whom are memorable entries to the Seven. Whereas alt-right extremist Firecracker makes use of her social media platform to incite hate in opposition to Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and her supporters, Sister Sage, the neatest particular person on the planet, prefers extra covert techniques, pulling the strings of anybody and everybody (together with Homelander) to sow chaos from Vought Tower. A Reed Richards-level mind used for nothing however anarchy is a scary thought, however it’s balanced by Heyward’s whimsical portrayal, which is a pleasure to look at.

The inclusion of some new blood on the workforce permits for some various and intriguing pairings to play out. A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) begins to shift his ideologies after his involvement in paralyzing his brother, Nathan (Christian Keyes), final season, and finds an unlikely ally in Vought Tower, which turns into considered one of this season’s highlights. The Deep (Chace Crawford), grosser and additional gone than ever earlier than, spends Season 4 with a new-and-improved Black Noir (performed nonetheless by Nathan Mitchell) — a mysterious beginner who was chosen by means of some unexplained course of and seemingly by no means skilled within the nuances of the place. The 2 act as a reminder of how incompetent the Seven (and Supes usually) could be — particularly after they’re thus far up Homelander’s butt it might take a laxative cocktail the scale of a fishbowl to get them out.

The one factor scarier than Homelander operating unchecked is Homelander elevating a progeny to have even much less regard for humanity than he does. An fascinating tipping level of the season hinges on Ryan’s (Cameron Crovetti) upbringing — whether or not he’ll give in to the intoxicating evil of energy, or whether or not his mom’s human affect continues to be dominant in his persona. It’s a nature vs. nurture battle that may outline the way forward for the sequence. Whereas this might have been underplayed, Crovetti’s convincing tug-of-war creates a compelling storyline that retains you guessing all through the season’s run.

Everybody in The Boys Will get a Nice Solo Story in Season 4

The chemistry between the Boys is well one of many greatest strengths of the sequence. Despite the fact that the group could be simply as dangerous because the Supes they search revenge on, it’s usually straightforward to overlook that within the midst of their camaraderie. They’re a chaotic, messed-up household, however a household nonetheless. Nonetheless, The Boys Season 4 sends the ragtag heroes on particular person journeys of development, permitting them essential time to develop other than the affect of the bigger group.

Whereas it is a welcome deviation from the standard M.O., the power of some journeys makes the shortcomings of others rather more apparent. Hughie’s household points, inevitably involving his father, Hugh Campbell Sr. (Simon Pegg), are robotically a shoo-in for among the finest storylines just because Pegg at all times delivers. The deep connection between Hughie and his father continues to be one of many absolute best of the present and reaches heart-wrenching depths this season. Laz Alonso‘s Mother’s Milk is the emotional anchor of the workforce, who has taken management of The Boys resulting from Butcher’s fast Temp V-induced decline. Clearly, he’s acquired large footwear to fill, and he spends the season grappling together with his successes and failures, continuously questioning if he has what it takes to maintain the workforce protected (and even worse, make the exhausting calls solely Butcher would).

Kimiko (Karen Fukahara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) make strides of their relationship all through Season 4, however the steps the pair have to take to get there really feel compelled for that function. Kimiko’s try to get closure from her previous trauma is paramount to her character, but it’s nearly handled as a roadblock to her progress with Frenchie. Equally, Frenchie’s off-kilter legal previous — hinted at for 3 seasons — catches up with him, displaying the viewers a brand new aspect to somebody who has largely been a lovable and comedic presence up to now. His previous actions aren’t as shocking as his efforts at retribution, and what ought to be a full-circle second for the character is rendered out of date by the choices of different members of the group.

Equally to Frenchie, Starlight — who prefers to go by Annie now, by the best way — has to come back to phrases with not being the hero she has portrayed herself as for therefore lengthy (however in contrast to Frenchie, this hasn’t been explicitly teased all through the present). It’s an fascinating juxtaposition for somebody who has literally and figuratively been a beacon of light for the team, however there isn’t sufficient time afforded to completely discover these themes for her character earlier than they’re resolved.

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Is a Enjoyable Experience, however How A lot Longer Can We Do This?

There are loads of components which can be completely essential to the success of The Boys, and possibly none of them are as necessary as Karl City’s efficiency. City’s Billy Butcher belongs within the comedian e-book Corridor of Fame of actors who’re synonymous with their characters, like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. He provides an exceptional flip this season as a person on borrowed time trying to do proper by his useless spouse earlier than he joins her wherever she is. Butcher instructions your consideration throughout all of his scenes, and City serves up a efficiency that exceeds his already lofty accomplishments within the position.

Aiding Butcher in his machinations this time round is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s shady C.I.A. Agent Kessler. Morgan is authoritative within the position, begging for extra display time each time he exhibits as much as nudge Butcher a little bit nearer to nihilism. As seen from the season’s trailers, Butcher is trying to get his palms on a number of the handy-dandy Supe-killing virus that fell into the palms of Vice Presidential nominee Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) after it was cooked up in Gen V. Neuman has confirmed to be formidable each along with her powers and as a political strategist however is decreased to being a puppet of a number of factions, a disappointing flip of occasions for one of many sequence’ energy gamers.

With the inclusion of some haphazardly thrown-in cameos from notable Godolkin College college students (who’re additionally seen within the trailers), it’s exhausting to not marvel if The Boys’ spin-off series only existed to create this superweapon able to ending Homelander (and the sequence, if we’re being sincere) for good. Somewhat than integrating with the story, the Gen V characters really feel like an enormous billboard for the opposite property that additionally hyperlinks to the identical universe on the identical streaming service. However, the aforementioned Firecracker and Sister Sage serve a deeper function, driving character development and proving integral to the story. The trouble taken to weave some factions into the occasions of Season 4 accentuates the dearth thereof for others.

The slight kinks within the highway that every season has navigated have certainly helped to mitigate the formulaic method The Boys has taken, however with the introduction of a supe-killing virus and the public-facing presence of Vought making mainstream media day in and time out, the in-universe story constraints are rising skinny. It is a robust knife’s edge to steadiness as a result of, on one hand, the subsection that the present so precisely pokes enjoyable at continues to overlook the purpose that, by all measures, has been hammered more durable than a punch from Homelander.

In that sense, so long as there are folks silly sufficient to idolize the flying megalomaniac, there is certainly a narrative to be informed. However this season, greater than some other, seems like a strong setup for the eventual endgame — not simply Homelander’s, however a pure, compelling, and most significantly satisfying, endpoint to your complete sequence. Multiple paths to killing off Homelander have already been launched, and it’s time to cease dangling the carrot. As The Boys Season 4 is starting to show, an excessive amount of of factor can nonetheless be an excessive amount of.

The Boys

The Boys Season 4 goes wilder than ever earlier than, however even that is not sufficient to distract from the formulaic method the present is taking.

Execs

• Firecracker and particularly Sister Sage are enjoyable additions to the Seven that shake up the established order.
• Particular person character journeys enable every of the Boys to flourish.
• Each Ryan and Butcher’s particular person struggles are highlights of the season.

Cons

• No quantity of gore or meta-commentary can disguise the truth that the story is getting skinny.
• The power of some particular person character journeys accentuates the weaknesses of others.

The Boys is accessible to stream on Prime Video within the U.S., with Season 4 slated to premiere with its first three episodes on June 13.

Watch on Prime Video