The Boys are back in town and yes, season four of the Prime series contains everything you’ve loved about past seasons of this series – and many of the same issues that started to seep into the storytelling in season three. It’s been two years since we last saw our heroes and villains – the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes last summer delayed this, and many other, returning series – so you might not recall where we left off. Here’s a quick refresher. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit, doing stellar work showing just how hard it is to play multiple sides in this story) – a secret supe who has the ability to explode people’s heads – has found her way onto the ticket of Robert Singer as his VP candidate. And, if you caught Gen V, you also know that Neuman has gained control of a virus with the power to kill supes – but that will be harmless to regular humans. The Boys know Neuman’s a loose cannon and have decided they need to get her off the gameboard somehow. Homelander is more dangerous than ever, with legions of followers who think his fascist tendencies are the way to go. Starlight, on the other hand, is determined to fight back and her own fanbase is clashing with the more violent followers of Homelander. Butcher has vowed to kill Homelander, once and for all, in hopes of saving Ryan, who is now all-in with his bio dad Homelander. Oh, and Soldier Boy, the only supe with influence over Homelander – his “son” – exploded over New York City (which robbed Queen Maeve of her powers and allowed her to leave with her girlfriend to start a new life – lucky woman) and has been placed in stasis by the US Government. I think that covers everything?
So, what works about season four? Well, for starters, the story is much more focused on our key players this time around. Yes, there are two new supes in The Seven – that would be Firecracker (Valorie Curry), who feels like a combination of a couple of past characters and fulfills the role of Homelander’s new top ally, and Sister Sage (Susan Heyward, who is the best addition to the series in a while), the smartest person in the world and a very dangerous person to have whispering in Homelander’s ear – but on the whole, we’re following the already established expansive cast of characters on their season-long arcs. That doesn’t mean there’s enough time for everyone – Kimiko (a great Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone, so soulful) get their backstories fleshed out significantly, but the reveals still feel rushed – but it means that we don’t have to spend a lot of time learning about new characters this time around.* The season arcs could, overall, also be a bit tighter. Balancing the multiple storylines has always been a bit of an issue for the series, especially as the cast of characters expanded over the years, but this season really felt like one where that perfect balance was achievable and the show got closer than it has in past seasons in at least making sure the action never felt too overlong.
*I mentioned Gen V, the college spin-off of the series, above, and while you don’t need to watch the series to understand what happens this season (as in, the Previously On will show you what you need to know when you need to know it), there are several characters from that series that appear this season in supporting roles – and not necessarily ones you might expect. So, if you have the time, I’d check that series out. It’s pretty good in and of itself and will provide you some additional information that will help flesh out some of the background action.
But what the series does best – bloody, visceral, hard-hitting action and drama (with a nice mix of very dark comedy) – is well on display this time around. The parallels between Homelander’s charged rhetoric and that of a certain former president are even more pronounced – and even more terrifying as we come into this upcoming election. The sycophantic nature of many of his hangers on – supes and humans alike – is shown in stark sequences with no sugarcoating. As for the “good” guys, well, Butcher’s health has taken a turn for the worse (he was given a mere six months to live at the end of season three and he certainly isn’t on the mend), and with it, his vendetta against Homelander is at the forefront of his mind. Unfortunately for him, The Boys are more concerned with keeping Neuman out of the White House – the more immediate threat – and if they can get Homelander along the way, awesome. But saving America from whatever danger Neuman poses as a secret supe is a bit more pressing. Which means Butcher might need to go rogue – and, for reasons you’ll see, that might be just as dangerous to everyone as Neuman in the White House.
The most interesting element of the season is the complexity of The Boys’ mission this time around. They want to stop Neuman and Homelander, sure. But how to do that? And what if the answer to the question means putting all supes at risk – even those they love and who are working on their side of things? Is there a way to stop Vought – and the rogue supes under Homelander’s control (which, let’s be honest, would be all of them should he ask – he’s not someone you say no to and live to tell the tale) – and manage to save those who aren’t under his thrall? Is that even what they would want to do? Is there a way to put the supe genie back into the bottle? And, perhaps even more pressing, is there a way to control the existence of Compound V? Is it too prevalent and is this particular train too far out of the station? (I suspect the answer to that one is absolutely – I don’t think there’s a way to really stop the creation of supes at all, but it’s something that will need to be addressed should The Boys succeed in their current mission to stop Neuman and Homelander.) While many of these larger questions have hovered over the series throughout its run, this is the first time the series really starts to look at what the endgame for this story might actually be. Stopping Homelander is one thing, but what’s the cost? And if it’s steep, are The Boys willing to pay that price, especially if it means a lot of collateral damage along the way?
And it’s that that makes The Boys still such a compelling series, even when it feels like the story is spinning its wheels a bit. There are a number of massive questions being asked along with the entertaining season arcs and character development. And the performances this season are uniformly excellent – with a special kudos to Antony Starr’s continued depraved descent with Homelander and Colby Minifie’s manic Ashley. If you’ve been a fan of The Boys thus far, you’ll be a fan of season four. I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s in store for season five, our final outing with the gang.
The Boys premieres on Prime Video on June 13. All eight episodes of season four were provided for review.
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