Coming off the last season, Billy Butcher has had his super powers drained out of him and is left in a wallowing, directionless state before his final days come. I believe that to be a perfect metaphor for this latest season of The Boys. Despite being a cultural pillar for years now, the constant shadow of Father Time has caught up with the show as season four succumbs to the usual tropes no die hard fan wants to see: random storylines, inconsistent pacing, immature and volatile humour and political gimmicks that overtake the story and now have as much depth as Twitter feed. That’s not to say it’s an awful season, it definitely has its moments, but the bad outweighs the good in my head.
Watch The Boys season 4 on Amazon Prime
A Transitional Season
To best describe this season is a pit stop. We all know of the oncoming finale next season, so this season basically aims to set things up. There is an obvious thematic thread throughout – letting go of the past to move onto the future. The problem is themes do not save writing from being choppy and sluggish. If anything, it makes the season feel very repetitive, not just in its own rights but in the previous ones too. Frenchie and Kimiko, for example, get the same storyline they’ve been getting since season 2. Ryan is also very circular. And when characters aren’t being repetitive, they’re being boring. Starlight does nothing but look haunted and then get angry all the time. Mother’s Milk has no reason to be here anymore. Basically, many of the characters are in the same position as we last saw them (more on that later).
Character Dynamics: Butcher and Homelander
Butcher and Homelander have always carried the show with their excellent characterisation and gripping rivalry. But in this, the two share one scene together and if one was to watch this season in isolation, you wouldn’t recognise that these two are biter enemies unless you were told. Butcher was always my favourite character but here he seems aggravatingly one dimensional at this point. And whilst Anthony Starr as Homelander is still perfection, even he didn’t seem to have much to do. There is one episode about him confronting his past, and the scenes there is a classic Homelander horror show, but aside from that, he doesn’t do much.
New Additions and Their Impact
The new additions are nothing to write home about. New antagonists Sister Sage and Firecracker end up being substitute Madelyn Stilwell and Stormfront. Sage is particularly tiresome as her power of supreme intellect makes her a mere plot convenience than an actual character. Firecracker fared better. She’s a fun, unpredictable presence thanks to Valori Curry who holds her own in her many scenes with Starr’s Homelander, who can out act any one of his costars. Still, it puts Homelander through the same story of power delusion and Oedipal complexes. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is always a treat but his character and relationship with Butcher needed far more attention and that twist was far too predictable.
A Train’s Redemption Arc
The diamond in the rough this season is A Train (Jesse T Usher), who finally gets his full fledged redemption. Every scene with A Train is consistently paced and, unlike Maeve, his redemption isn’t drawn out or circular. Hughie looked as though he would join A Train with a gut wrenching story that shows his growth. However, this came crashing down in episode 6 through a disgusting scenario that leads to my next point…
Humour and Satire: A Double-Edged Sword
The gimmicky and/or grottiest humour is a format of The Boys, but this season seemed hellbent on amplifying it. Then the political satire is littered with unsubtle references to recent or current issues in America. When the show made these digs, it benefitted the story. The airplane crash in season 1 was a clear reflection on how superhero movies were relied on after 9/11. Here, it seems the story is a byproduct of the satire.
Season Highlights and Final Thoughts
Season 4 is not without its moments. A Train and Firecracker are great and Butcher’s arc comes together toward the end. The cast is impeccable, even those who aren’t given much to complement their commitment. Episode 5 was a brilliant albeit brief return to form and featured an earth shattering performance from Simon Pegg. And the finale left on several great cliffhangers that allows season 5 to be a satisfying conclusion. But overall, this season felt like a choppy, unnecessary chapter of The Boys legacy that did little to advance things.
The Boys is available on Amazon Prime in its entirety. It stars Karl Urban, Anthony Starr, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Karen Fukuhara, Chase Crawford and Jesse T Usher.
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