Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” 4×04, is a thrilling rollercoaster of unpredictability, a masterclass demonstrating how trauma and regrets can lead us down a rabbit hole of delirium. It’s a culmination of the overall narrative, finding solace in each plot thread introduced throughout the tapestry of the IP since the pilot.
The story continues to toe the line between facets of absurdity while satirizing our world’s reality, all in service to setting up an enigma that continues to amaze and keep viewers on the edge of their seats, eyes latched to the narrative unfolding.
Four seasons in, and the product continues to fire on all cylinders while severing the line between humanity and the ascension of godhood that Antony Starr as Homelander has been building towards since the rose-tinted glasses were plucked off the audience with precision and finesse at the core of the pseudo-mid-season finale.
The status quo between all the characters on the chessboard is being thrown through a loop, as many are going through a bit of inner turmoil, and consequences are starting to emerge from the cracks present throughout the bloody insanity. Left in the wake is a twisted subversion of how the need to amass power and stay in control is on display, this time in the case of manufactured heroes, children, and infants injected with a chemical with the power to create weapons of mass destruction, only to be praised instead of hunted and feared like those who harbor the X-mutagen or the meta-gene in another comic book reality.
In addition to the brutal glory of the Eric Kripke superhero experiment, Kripke and the writers raise the question of what happens when the pain and trauma infect the brain, taking hold of the cerebral cortex, the tension of when the moral “justice” is discarded by ample amounts of hubris and soft bursts of rage?
Viewers receive their answers as the latest episode delves deep into the character and legacy of Homelander, allowing Starr to showcase his array and bag of tools to the heights of a potential and future Emmy nomination. Starr has been breathing new life into what many feel as a jaded character. His performance works from the subtle ticks to the caveat of humiliation, and looming fear from his stare instills into the heart of the masses and those closest to him. This leads to the culmination of how every time Starr enters the frame, adorned with the colors of a familiar DC comics blue boy scout and the promise of hope and liberty dangling as a cape. A sense of remorse and internal fear rises to the surface as you are left glued and attached to the desecration of human life, which is about to unfold, and too much of it never disappoints.
Through the use and inclusion of clever editing, the propaganda that the series has scattered across the meta camera is shattered as the fall of the “savior for all” finally bubbled to the surface as the position of Homelander throughout the fourth season is the call has been a twisted and disturbing call to ascension. Starr’s Episode 4 performance is terrifying and chilling, from how he carries the script with the tweaks of pent-up aggression to the balance and timing of when to channel the darkness, to the point of a sociopathic breakdown. However, the patent subversion presents whether Homelander’s actions were justified, as that’s a scary thought to imagine due to the torrents of trauma highlighted through the script and engraved into the character. In this instance, a perfect example of Homelander, the latest episode allowed the pent-up malice to seep from their smile of Starr, as the PTSD of what drives him to see humanity as inferior while releasing his aggression with lasers galore.
As one can recognize, Homelander and Dr. Manhattan share equal philosophies. One is entirely unhinged and sees the human race as a box of toys, whereas the other is a god longing to find purpose while stepping away. Both are broken, and their ripped-apart husks contain the power to elevate the doomsday clock closer to midnight. Two characters never wanted to be born, molded, and twisted from the machinations and clay of humans attempting to transcend the confines left in place by a devout creator. In the wake of the unwavering hubris were two mutilated beasts, and as the justifications of chaos and order, they found new hosts. The human race stood back and asked who would save us now.
It’s a broken lie—a diamond absolute, if you would. The reality of “The Boys” is a corrupted mirage of childhood euphoric fantasy that we all yearned to be the standard—just like the depravity and black underbelly that the Watchmen reside over. With its dark and satirical tone, the series delves into the depths of human nature and societal constructs, leaving the audience with a profound sense of reflection.
Of course, I could be wrong, but it feels like all signs are pointing to the hit Amazon Prime series, heading toward the iceberg, with the stage set for an utterly unhinged emperor, Homelander, and that’s a scary image to fathom.
One could feel that the inclusion of Compound V, which took a majority of focus in the season prior, was a sense of humans (or The Boys) in this reality going to Mount Olympus at Vought Tower, acting symbolically of Prometheus taking fire from the gods. Now, the aftermath has left our protagonists with a dilemma and one of mortality, rushing towards the eventual decline, and it’s an impressive push and pull from how the series continues to show the dual travesty of how heroes are born and how power can corrupt. Like Icarus, one can fly too close to the sun to seek immortality, but burns will be displayed. Butcher and Hughie decided to go against the will of Annie, aka Starlight(Erin Moriarty), during the course of S3, and now both are dealing with the after-effects.
Hughie (Jack Quaid) struggles with the mortality of his father occurring before him and the emergence of his mother, which does a great job of toying with the concept of depression and the development of children without parents, only to think that V is the solution, but what if it’s not; juxtaposed with the undying fury of Butcher (Karl Urban) who is trying to write the wrongs of a ghost, and somehow it all works to the service of the story being told, due to the chemistry and involvement of Quaid and Urban being in constant sync, as you can see the roots of mutual respect between each other that have been pushed throughout the series, could be heading towards a schism, or a realignment, depends on what the writers have planned.
A season contrived and built upon the central theme: proverbial skeletons in our closest and the dangers of our past, riddled with the confession that are humans, gods? If we can reach godhood, can we have the life we choose? Frenchie tries to hold onto a regular life, but how do you look in the eyes of the person you love with blood linked to them on your hands? Kimiko is looking to destroy her past as the slavers who tore her life asunder resurface. Starlight and Firecracker could be interpreted as idols of broken political systems, each as an allegory of the political uncertainty in our country.
The heroes at Vought look to step out of the shadow of Homelander’s presence. A-train (Jessie T. Usher), a victim of abuse, looks for a way out as new allegiances are born. In contrast, others fall to the seduction of the power before them, which goes down quickly, like drinking another cup of coffee, never to be remembered. All pawns against a fully loaded house, as they constantly struggle to breathe under the fist of Homelander’s insanity, as the lies of peace and the choice to be heroes on the surface are all a soft blanket, nuzzled around the truth to be gods. Due to the subtle confession at the core, behind the terror, ludicrous amounts of blood, and sexual rampancy, it is a tale of how the world is always changing when trying to achieve the next element of evolution, despite knowing it’s not meant to be touched.
The series has always done a great job of making the audience question and come to terms with the satirical nature and placement of characters acting as extensions of modern-day elements, with voicing the choice to mock instead of praise.
Now, does everything work? Admitting yes and no is quite complex, as some elements feel derivative, and other moments lead to investment. Nonetheless, “The Boys” season 4 has much left to explore, and Kripke and company have a few aces left in the sleeve.
