Movies News Talk
The Boys showrunner, Eric Kripke, has spoken out about the striking parallels between Season 4, episode 6, "Dirty Business," and real-world events. The episode features Sage and Homelander attempting to win over America's wealthiest individuals to support a plan to assassinate President Robert Singer and install Vice President Victoria Neuman in his place.
In a recent interview with TheWrap, Kripke acknowledged the episode's eerie resemblance to current political happenings. He pointed out how Neuman's speech, for example, echoes sentiments about democracy being a myth and the need for power to reside with billionaires. Kripke confessed to being "really troubled" by the show's uncanny ability to reflect reality.
"This show has an increasingly disturbing track record of reflecting reality one way or another. There’s some throwaway dialogue, for example, in that billionaires are talking about how they have to stack the Supreme Court to get the decisions that they need. I’m not happy being Satan’s writers room. I’m starting to get really troubled by it. But there does continue to be a certain eerie similarity between the show and the things that are happening in the real world," Kripke said.
The Boys has never shied away from political commentary in previous seasons, but Season 4 has ramped up the specificity of its satire. Homelander, a character who has always been used to satirize aspects of far-right Politics, has become a more direct parody of Donald Trump. This increased specificity has resulted in a more divided audience response. While critics have generally praised season 4, with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audience scores have dipped significantly, sitting at 52% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Whether this dip in audience score is due to review bombing or genuine dissatisfaction with the show's increased political focus is unclear. However, one thing is certain: The Boys' exploration of Politics is unlikely to slow down, meaning that future seasons will likely continue to be divisive.