SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives away many crucial details about The Boys, especially Season 4, so act like a human preparing for battle against a supe and be very careful as you proceed.
I personally believe that The Boys is not just one of the best TV shows on Amazon Prime, but one of the best shows currently on television, period — if not the best. For a while, it seemed that most audiences felt this way about Eric Kripke’s adaptation of Garth Ennis’ comic about morally corrupt, corporate-sponsored superheroes (and one of the best non-DC-or-Marvel-inspired superhero shows). However, upon the premiere of The Boys Season 4, I seem to have become one of the series’ few remaining supporters.
As reflected in this season’s 52% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the series has received some backlash for reasons that, some of which I can empathize with — particularly in how its once strong and clever social commentary seems to have reached for the low-hanging fruit lately. Yet, I think that, in just about every other aspect imaginable, the show has been firing on all cylinders, as per usual. If you are one such fan whose judgment of its weaker points has distracted you from its strengths, allow me to point out why I believe The Boys Season 4 is still an essential reason why Amazon Prime is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today.
Hughie's Subplot Has Been Emotionally Impactive
Having served as the series’ audience surrogate in Season 1, Jack Quaid’s Hughie Campbell is still the one we identify with the most on The Boys and easily one of the most empathetic.
Hence, his Season 4 arc — involving a stroke putting his father (played by Simon Pegg, whom comic book Hughie was modeled after, according to Business Insider) in the hospital and the sudden return of his mother (played by Rosemarie DeWitt) after a long absence has been an absorbing tearjerker for the most part. Considering Hughie went as far as obtaining Compound V in hopes of saving his dad, this is clearly one of the toughest times of his life, which is really saying something.
Frenchie's Relationship With Colin Is Heartbreaking
An even more devastating The Boys Season 4 subplot, however, belongs to Frenchie (Tomer Capone), who seems to have finally found happiness with recovering addict and Starlighters member Colin Hauser (Elliott Knight) — a plot development that took some fans by surprise, despite Season 1 establishing him as bisexual.
Yet, by the end of the the premiere episode, we learn Frenchie was responsible for his boyfriend’s family’s murder — a burden that becomes increasingly harder for him to carry, and harder for us to watch, the closer they get. In Episode 4, Colin broke up with (and nearly killed) Frenchie after learning the truth, but their story cannot be over this early and I am very much invested in seeing how it could evolve from this point.
Butcher's Arc Has Kept Me On The Edge Of My Seat
Sometimes I, honestly, can’t stand Billy Butcher (one of Karl Urban’s many comic book roles) for his unprofessional and selfish tendencies, which is why I appreciate his attempt at self-improvement this season — like repairing his relationship with Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) — even if terminal illness is his motivation.
Then again, a twist from Episode 4 — in which Butcher, while fighting Ezekiel, blacks out and wakes up to find the elastic supe blown to bits — suggests that the Compound V he claims worsened his illness actually gave him permanent powers. I was already feeling sorry for the guy when we learned he would soon have to face his mortality, but the possibility that he has become the one thing he hates the most is especially disquieting.
Homelander's Midlife Crisis Has Been Both Funny And Brutal
Someone having a much more difficult time facing their mortality is Homelander (Antony Starr) — easily The Boys’ most evil character, which is why I initially found it hilarious and endearing when he stared at his freshly plucked gray pubes with fear and disgust in the Season 4 premiere.
However, the Seven leader’s struggles with aging and insecurity would take a really disturbing turn when he exacted revenge of a most sadistic degree onto the scientists who experimented on him as a child. Now, Homelander certainly does not have me laughing, but terrified over what he might do next, and to whom.
A-Train's Character Growth Is Refreshing
Luckily, there is one Seven member I find myself actually rooting for this season, and that is A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), who motivated Hughie to join The Boys after accidentally and remorselessly killing his girlfriend in the pilot episode.
But, the speedster’s dwindling respect for Vought has led him to form an uneasy alliance with The Boys — helping Annie (Erin Moriarty) liberate two Starlighters wrongfully framed for murder, spying on Seven meetings for Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), and saving Hughie’s life and getting Compound V for him. I like where his arc seems to be taking him and I hope it leads to the redemption he clearly craves.
Firecracker And Annie's Rivalry Is On Fire
As far as my gripes with The Boys Season 4 go, my biggest has to be Firecracker (Valorie Curry), whose alt-right conspiracy theorist schtick is annoyingly on-the-nose, in my opinion. However, her presence in the series is still earned by her incendiary personal vendetta against Annie, which dates back to when the supe otherwise known as Starlight bullied her when they were younger. The feud is one of the most intense and grounded subplots this season — especially when Firecracker reveals Annie’s abortion to the public, leading Annie to go full supervillain on her on live TV.
Sister Sage Is My Favorite New Character
One new character I have been enjoying so far is Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), who is the kind of intellectually gifted character I have always found intriguing, and she certainly has not disappointed me in that regard.
While a part of me wishes she would use her superhuman brains for good, I find her complex approach to protecting The Seven’s reputation — from staging the riot between the Starlighters and Hometeamers and giving Firecraker Annie’s medical records — to be one of the most entertaining aspects of Season 4. Not to mention, that gross self-lobotomization twist was warped in a way that is very on-brand for the series.
As Always, The Action Is Awesome
Speaking of being on-brand, one of my favorite things about The Boys is the viscerally brutal and bizarre action sequences, which have been absolutely off-the-chain.
In fact, I think the fight choreography has been particularly inspired and almost more demented than ever this season, such as when Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), temporarily, loses her arm to the tentacles protruding from Victoria Neumann’s daughter’s mouth or when Hughie singlehandedly takes on a member of Shining Light armed with a boxcutter and a file cabinet drawer as his shield. It is one of the things that keeps the series feeling so cinematic.
So, while there are people who have their reasons to not enjoy The Boys Season 4, I am proud to not be one of them.
