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This is by far my most anticipated show for 2024. I fell in love with The Boys almost immediately in season one. Then read all the comics before season 2 dropped. With the addition of Jensen Ackles last season (I’m a huge Supernatural fan) I fell even more in love. Then Soldier Boy showed up in Gen V not giving me the cameo I wanted there, but he definitely gave me one I deserved. I’m still searching for a Soldier Boy pillow. That being said, my expectations for Season 4 are higher than A-Train’s girlfriend the last time we saw her.
EPISODE 1: DEPARTMENT OF DIRTY TRICKS
This season kicked right off with The Boys trying to get to Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), while her and Robert Singer await the election results of the Presidential race. SIDENOTE: If you’re not already following Vought International on the socials, I can’t recommend that enough. The campaign video they posted for these two, was perfection (@voughtintl). However, the main focus of this episode was Homelander (Antony Starr). He’s not only on trial for murder, but he’s struggling with all the losses he has experienced and the fact he does have some humanity in him. He’s aging. This is of course portrayed in the most The Boys way possible.
As new supes must be vetted to replace those The Seven has lost, Homelander makes an unexpected, but very strategic decision that proves to be quite genius and terrifying. Whether his ego can withstand this decision long term, only time will tell.
EPISODE 2: LIFE AMONG THE SEPTICS
Episode two kicked off with a very unexpected and kind of hilarious cameo. Then as The Boys do surveillance at TruthCon, they and the audience end up seeing a lot more than expected. For any Supernatural fans, prepare to never look at Chuck the same again. Meanwhile, Homelander continues to emotionally struggle with where his life is going. Unlike his father, Soldier Boy, he doesn’t seem okay to step back and let his son enjoy the spotlight. This inevitably leads to Ryan going to a place he is not emotionally equipped to handle. A place Homelander may have never been, showing another layer of how deeply sick Homelander is.
EPISODE 3: WE’LL KEEP THE RED FLAG FLYING HERE
This third episode wraps this week up with some high emotions. Butcher’s (Karl Urban) goal has always been to end Homelander, however, now he just wants to save Ryan. Kudos to Cameron Crovetti, the actor playing Ryan, because he is killing it (pun intended)! With a couple new additions to The Seven, the dynamics are changing once again in the tower. The only place Ashley has control these days is in her office playing dominatrix to the host of Vought News. As this third episode wraps, emotions are at their highest with all of our characters. Emotions so heavy, that someone is destined to break.
Check out a comic review from this author.
OVERALL, TTHE BOYS IS DIABOLICAL
All in all, these first three episodes were [expletive deleted] diabolical! The Boys does a fantastic job of making you cringe, feel shock, and turn away from the screen, all while beautifully moving the story along. Their extreme shots aren’t just there for shock. They’re relevant to the story, no matter how many bodily fluids are shown. One second you may be shuddering at what you just experienced, then the next scene can be this beautiful emotional moment. Because, every character on this show definitely has PTSD, but much like Soldier Boy though, they won’t admit it, they’ll just self medicate.
While so far, the overall story in Season 4 really seems to focus on Homelander, we still see every other character going through their own personal, very heavy, crap. This season Frenchie’s story is quickly becoming my favorite. He really struggles with his past, and he’s literally being forced to face it. Yet, there are still laughs thrown about, and dialogue that makes you wonder, ‘how do people come up with these lines?’ The cherry on top of the milkshake, is the background. These sets (especially at TruthCon) are filled with jokes, easter eggs, and nods to the comics. Coupled with the foreshadowing we’ve seen in the past, these are two (of many) reasons this show is so re-watchable.
I have to give these first three episodes 9.75 glasses of milk out of 10. Season 4 continues to shock me, make me look away, cringe at how politically relevant so much of it is, and it makes me laugh. My only complaint so far is we need more Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and we need justice for Soldier Boy! Until next week, don’t forget to put the Christ back in Christmas.
The first three episodes of Season 4 of The Boys is streaming now on Prime Video. Check out the trailer below.
Lauren is half of Hops GEEK News: a weekly podcast that discusses all things geek pop culture, while enjoying a craft beer of the week. They also interview many different people from the comic book world and beyond. Check out the video below, when they interviewed Darick Robertson, the co-creator of The Boys.