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Homelander is experiencing a midlife crisis when Season 4 starts; the titular team is showing signs of disintegrating; a new threat has emerged as Victoria Neuman becomes Vice President and tries to topple the US government with her secret pro-Supe agenda. Homelander against Butcher is sidelined for new plots involving an investigation of Kimiko's history, Butcher's reunion with Ryan, and Homelander's quest for global domination, therefore offering a nice diversion from the emphasis of the last two seasons.
With Hughie as his only supporter, Butcher is now on the outs with his buddies following the end of The Boys season 3. For Homelander, having a new threat to handle relieves some of the burden; for the show, it's a nice diversion. Quietly sinister as the head-exploding vice-president is Claudia Doumit For The Boys, Supe and her abilities create a fresh obstacle. Her ascent and Homelander's friendship with Sister Sage give otherwise old villains fresh depth.
The Boys Season 4 maintains a skewed mirror of today's events in its three-episode opening as fascists enter the government and a supposedly untouchable figurehead is the defendant in a well reported trial. Homelander's murder of a civilian in the season 3 finale is greeted with sympathy from his "Hometeamers," who maintain the man was a violent psychopath attacking his son Ryan but they are not without enemies. Just as active on the frontlines of protest, Starlight's faction—dubbed "Starlighters"—causes bloody confrontations in the first few episodes.
In the first three episodes of season 4, The Boys is still an interesting show; yet, as time passes, its sharp edge is starting to get somewhat duller. Should it not be so predictive, it would be overly on-the-nose. Rather, it finds itself in a transitional position between true Satire and a reminder of the depressing reality of things. Although this truth doesn't help the show, Kripke and the team behind The Boys had no idea that the premiere episodes would be aired just weeks following Trump's finding guilty in his hush money trial. The violence against protestors, the relentless blonde megalomaniac, and the deep state conspiracy theorists no longer feel like satire—the mirror isn't twisted anymore.
Two years after season 3, The Boys is going back to a rather different world. Marvel and DC are both actively retooling their film and television slates amid declining box office results and mixed responses from critics, so Superhero tiredness seems to have fully set in.
Conversely, it's an election year and, as in the first and second seasons of The Boys, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are square-off in a national election that will be just as acrimonious and taxing as the prior two. Though it challenges to strike a balance between Satire, commentary, and the gross-out action and humor the series is known for while still offering something that seems fresh, The Boys has always been prescient. This season is no different.
The Seven have not really had seven supes among their membership for much of the three seasons The Boys have had, despite their deceptive name.
Though its social commentary is unsettling, The Boys season 4 keeps a kinetic pace that somehow avoids the gloomy reality of its satire and the creeping sensation of repetition. Kripke and his associates have discovered an interesting and workable recipe. Enough nasty people on the receiving end of that violence and action abound to keep us hooked. As time gives their roles nuance, the actors keep shining. Particularly Starr is able to give Homelander depth that prevent him from turning into a one-note monster even if his relationship with the main antagonist of the show is starting to feel that way. Examining Kimiko and Frenchie's pasts also allows Karen Fukuhara and Tomer Capone space to investigate fresh angles to their characters.
Though its social commentary is unsettling, The Boys season 4 keeps a kinetic pace that somehow avoids the gloomy reality of its satire and the creeping sensation of repetition.
Susan Heyward as Sister Sage, a recent member of The Seven whose power is the most brilliant person in the world, is the most fascinating addition to the show. She is the first person who can give Homelander a run for his money in the sociopathy section; they make a wonderfully terrible couple that will upend the dynamics even more as the season runs on. The Boys is still an interesting show in the first three episodes of season 4, but its sharp edge is getting a little duller as time passes—even as overall elements of the program are moving in fascinating new directions.
Closer than ever to the Oval Office, Victoria Neuman is under the muscular thumb of Homelander, who is solidifying his influence. Along with losing his job as The Boys' commander, Butcher, with only months to live, lost Becca's son. Their stakes are stronger than ever, hence they have to cooperate and save the earth before it is too late.
Prime Video Thursday, June 13 marks the premiere of the fourth Boys season, episodes 1-3. Until July 18, the remaining episodes will release Thursday each week.