‘The Boys’ Season 4 overview: A punishing season of tv

When The Boys first premiered in 2019, it appeared like the proper in-your-face antidote to superhero fatigue. Not solely did Eric Kripke’s Prime Video collection ship up the pop cultural oversaturation of caped crusaders, it additionally took satirical swings at firms, politicians, and the corrupt interaction between the 2.

Because the U.S. political panorama grew worse and worse within the years since, The Boys labored time beyond regulation to match actual life’s outrageousness. The collection additionally confronted the problem of topping its personal ranges of gore and sexual chaos. These fixed escalations are how we get The Boys‘ unlucky fourth season, a dour eight episodes that suck many of the enjoyable out of the present and substitute it with lackluster satire and shock worth.

The Boys Season 4 sees the U.S. in disaster.

The Boys Season 4 picks up within the wake of Homelander’s (Antony Starr) homicide of a civilian on the finish of Season 3. The incident — for which Homelander is now on trial — has additional stoked division amongst U.S. residents, with Homelander’s diehard supporters squaring off in opposition to those that need regulation of supes. The similarities between Donald Trump and Homelander have by no means been refined, however due to the inclusion of a trial storyline and Homelander’s throngs of purple baseball cap-wearing followers, the comparisons have by no means been clearer. Add in a presidential election and mentions of a certification on Jan. 6, and also you’re a season of The Boys that feels nearer to actual life than ever earlier than.

However in hewing so near actual life, The Boys‘ political satire and references develop lazy. A Homelander supporter threatens Annie’s (Erin Moriarty) Starlight Home challenge in a muddled tackle the “pizzagate” conspiracy. A politician repeats former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s reprehensible “legitimate rape” feedback verbatim. And in one of many present’s most bewildering jokes, secret supe politician Victoria Neumann (Claudia Doumit) makes a joke about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — though she’s the present’s AOC analog. Satire should not simply imply copying and pasting from our world, nor ought to it imply throwing sloppy references on the wall. The place’s the sharpness right here, the precise twists on our lives?

To its credit score, lots of Season 4’s greater satirical set items stick the touchdown. Superhero conglomerate Vought’s personal model of Disney on Ice proves hilarious, even introducing us to a brand new Christmas earworm. Elsewhere, a go to to conspiracy theory-laden occasion TruthCon gives ample laughs — though an express scene there involving clones simply feels just like the present half-heartedly assembly a raunch quota.

That sense of a quota exists all through the season, each by way of intercourse and violence. Hardly ever are these gags earned, and even any enjoyable. Because the present grows darker, these trademark bouts of shock develop increasingly punishing. Particularly, a drawn-out sequence involving Homelander confronting his previous is torturous in additional methods than one.

The Boys are MVPs of The Boys Season 4.

Karl City, Tomer Capone, and Laz Alonso in “The Boys.”
Credit score: Jan Thijs/Prime Video

With The Boys struggling to seek out extra exaggerated methods to show how unhealthy Vought and Homelander are (as if we may overlook), many of the scenes involving Vought and the Seven suck the life out of the season. Even the addition of recent supes Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) and Firecracker (Valorie Carter) cannot shake issues up; Sage’s function as Smartest Particular person within the World is frustratingly skinny, whereas Firecracker is simply one other right-wing caricature with an unhealthy devotion to Homelander.

It is a aid, then, that the Boys themselves principally have extra compelling storylines. As they put together to strike down Vought, Homelander, and Victoria Neuman, our titular crew is extra fractured than ever. Hughie (Jack Quaid) is coping with a household disaster; Butcher (Karl City) has six months to dwell and is utilizing them to attempt to rescue younger supe Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) from Homelander’s clutches; Mom’s Milk (Laz Alonso) is battling the stress of retaining the Boys collectively; and Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) should confront demons from their pasts like Homelander.

Every of the Boys’ struggles include their justifiable share of poignant emotional beats — a welcome respite from the present’s bigger scale battle. Right here, they battle with questions of redemption and forgiveness. Are this stuff even doable for them, in spite of everything they’ve performed? And within the case of Ryan, can Butcher save him earlier than he does something he’ll need to atone for?

A few of these storylines function some ridiculous twists and turns, however for essentially the most half, they resonate. Higher an overdramatic reveal with precise penalties than The Boys‘ millionth send-up of Tucker Carlson.

Sadly, it is the latter strategy that tends to win out this season.

The primary three episodes of The Boys Season 4 premiere June 13 on Prime Video, with a brand new episode each Thursday.