WARNING: Spoilers included from the fourth episode of The Boys Season 4.
Truth bombs, fudge cakes, and life-saving evil serums, oh my!
Homelander’s Reunion
Prime Video’s The Boys has never pulled its punches, and the latest episode of this season continues this trend. Homelander returns to the experimental lab he grew up in as a child, recounting all the tests he was subjected to during his time (And even brings a cake to commemorate the occasion). Antony Starr delivers one of the best performances of his character in the entirety of the show in this episode. Between a diabolical bone-chilling laugh, torturous acts of revenge, and showmanship of pure evil, Homelander makes it abundantly clear in this episode that he is a superior being to humans while actively confronting his past. In the final conversation with Barbara, who witnessed his birth and reminds him of his innate sense of demanding love and recognizability, Homelander reiterates to her his superiority before leaving her in the “bad room” with every other assistant – who are all dead, and the room to be full of blood.
Butcher’s Back
Meanwhile, the crew is making their next move as Vaught hosts a new live-streamed, televised version of Firecracker’s show “Truthbomb” across the street from the Starlighter house. Annie is annoyed with MM’s decision to bring Butcher back into the fold but accepts the decision. In an attempt to blackmail Firecracker, this, in turn, backfires on them when she decides to own up to the truth of her dark past excavated by Butcher while turning the tables on Starlight by revealing private medical records detailing an abortion Annie had six months before.
In a fit of rage, Annie beats the absolute snot out of Firecracker before MM reminds her she’s on television. This, in turn, axes any chances Annie had with the Presidential nominee “Dakota Bob” Singer to get his bill passed by Congress to take down Vaught at its core. Annie’s story in this episode, in particular, speaks to a very real issue women currently face across the country in dealing with the choices they should be allowed to make and how some are villainized over the decision to do so. Erin Moriarty sells the anger and anguish of this decision with true artistry.
Talk-To-Text
Elsewhere Hughie and Kimiko take a trip to meet A-Train for a vile of Compound-V after Hughie finds out his father is being pulled off life-support, in hopes the V will save his father. Unfortunately, they get ambushed by the Shining Light, and Hughie gets injured in the crossfire. However, once Kimiko tells him he has to fight or die, Hughie pushes through his fears and manages to defend himself against one of the militia members. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) has come a very long way since the show’s beginning, and even now, more than ever, is capable of holding his own without the need for backup of anyone else from The Boys crew. This also shows a little bit of Butcher rubbing off on Hughie in the sense that he is willing to go to certain lengths to ensure the ones closest to him are safe by any means necessary.
Brain Pain & Pleasure
After Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) has her plan of exploiting the ignorance of Firecracker to taint Starlight’s image even further succeeded, and even treating The Deep (Chace Crawford) like the repulsive misogynist he often is, Sage still confesses to him her vulnerabilities. One of which is her brain being a blessing in a curse. After coercing Deep into lobotomizing her for a few hours in exchange for personal pleasure, you can’t help but remind yourself that The Boys is notorious for the graphic, shocking, and often explicit nature that continues to entice audiences to keep up with it. Creatively, it is impressive to see how Eric Kripke manages to find more ingenious ways to make something uncomfortable look entertaining at the same time.
The Last Laugh
With only 4 episodes left, The Boys almost feels like it comes as fast as it goes from week to week. I do wonder, when the final season debuts if Prime will shift to a straight weekly release model. Given the first 3 episodes released last week and the latest this week with only 4 left to go in the season, it is amazing to see a formula that maintains both a sense of consistency and energizing storytelling that doesn’t feel repetitive and monotonous. The 4th episode leaves the audience wondering how severe Butcher’s condition could be, what are the consequences of Frenchie’s revelation to Colin, and how the crew will maneuver the latest actions from The Seven. Also, will Homelander laugh again? I certainly hope so, that was a highlight from this episode that is deserving of a nomination of some kind.
New episodes of The Boys premiere on Thursdays on Prime Video.