Sometimes, television gives us the gift of a show that keeps us guessing every episode.
After nearly five years since its release, The Boys has somehow managed to surprise us at every turn. Tuning in every week is starting to seem risky.
Will we have to watch a centipede man having sex in a steam room, or will the writers try to stir up feelings of sympathy in us for the most terrible and cruel character on television since Joffrey Baratheon on Game of Thrones?
Yes, I was as shocked as everyone else, but the writers pulled off a miracle this week. In The Boys Season 4 Episode 4, we get a more detailed look at Homelander’s upbringing, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little impressed.
Look, I’m not saying I’m a local now, I’m just saying I feel bad for the guy. He didn’t have a completely perfect childhood.
After the trauma of being raised like a lab rat, is it so hard to believe that a man drinks breast milk and collects his gray pubes in a bowl?
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The trip down memory lane was as difficult for Homelander as it was for us to watch. Did I want to watch a man forced to masturbate in front of his colleagues? No. Are you shocked that this happened? Also no.
I can’t really explain why, but the fact that Homelander brought an ice cream cake into the lab for everyone to share was a lot creepier than if he had just brought a regular cake. Perhaps it made the scene seem more urgent as we waited for the Carville classic to thaw. Whatever it was, it made me feel uncomfortable.
After that, actually, watching everyone eat ice cream cake in silence, all awkward and worried about what Homelander was going to do, was practically unbearable. Great job by the writers on this whole scene – even if we take the whole “man being cooked alive” thing and ignore the forced masturbation in the workplace, it’s the sentiment alone that stuns Gibby.
Let’s move on and talk about poor Ryan. There’s no way this kid will turn into a healthy, well-adjusted adult, right?
Homelander pushes Ryan to be more visible to the audience, and the plan is to have Ryan on camera performing an organized rescue. It should have been simple, but Ryan still can’t decide what to do, and it’s unfortunate that he accidentally kills someone.
Naturally, Homelander is completely unfazed, which is pivotal for Ryan because it sets a precedent for how he reacts when such things happen. He struggles to reconcile Homelander’s indifference about the death with the fact that he feels traumatized by it.
This rift between father and son is bad news for Homelander, who has big plans for his offspring, but it’s even worse news for the rest of the world. Ryan seems very desperate to win Homelander’s approval.
How far will he be willing to push himself to make his father proud?
And how much influence does Butcher have on the situation, especially as he’s falling apart at the seams himself?
Butcher’s veins are worming again, and he’s still hallucinating Becca as his condition deteriorates.
It’s really interesting to see him realize he’s not going to get better and try to get his affairs in order.
I’ll admit, I cried a little when Mother’s Milk was asked to find a way to save Ryan if he wasn’t able to do it himself before he died.
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Oh, and speaking of irritation, Huey’s father’s condition has worsened and he is now brain dead.
Hughie has a hard time adjusting. It’s a very human and relatable story in a show that generally steers clear of anything very realistic, and it’s hard to watch him suffer.
Hughie’s mother has power of attorney and decides to take off life support, making the poor man feel even more helpless than he already feels in a world surrounded by superhumans. So, it’s not a huge shock when he ends up desperate enough to save his father as he tracks down a dose of Compound V.
Now, is that a good idea? of course not. Didn’t we learn last season that messing with these things was a sure way to turn everything from bad to worse?
If not, why would Butcher’s current state of health be such that Huey would think, “I know what would save my father! The same thing that’s killing my friend!”
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why he would want to try it, but with a little critical thinking, he might realize that it does more harm than good.
In other relationship news, Frenchie (who is now officially bisexual, much to the delight of thousands of LGBTQ+ fans) finally told Colin the truth about his relationship with his family (you know, the fact that he brutally murdered them all).
Eric Kripke isn’t exactly known for his stellar treatment of quirky characters (we’re still heartbroken over Castiel from Supernatural, okay), so it’s no surprise that Frenchie doesn’t seem to be getting a happily ever after story with Colin.
Kimiko is getting a new layer to her backstory this season, and we’d love to see it.
That is, we would like to see it if it were not so tragic. We now know who the secret female sniper is, and it’s depressing.
Kimiko was a victim of human trafficking as a child (hence her silent breakdown about human trafficking conspiracy theories from last week’s premiere). As it turns out, she was involved in training the woman she was now facing.
The more we learn about Kimiko, the more heartbreaking her story becomes. She’s lost everyone she’s ever loved, can’t trust herself and her memories, is so traumatized that she can’t even speak, and is constantly being “killed” in horrific ways and then having to put herself back together again.
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When are you going to take a break?!
Oh, and we can’t forget to address the starlight in the room.
Now her alliance with President-elect Singer has imploded, and she’s left with no choice but to deal with the fallout from Firecracker’s revelation that Annie had an abortion.
In some ways, the miscarriage news is more insidious to Firecracker fans than the bombshell Firecracker dropped about her previous inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Go and conclude.
No one seems to care about the fact that Annie accidentally blinded a woman during her first rescue, but – yeah.
Before we go, we can’t forget Sister Sage.
Last week, we wondered about the strange metal stick on her coffee table, and this week we find out!
not important. She’s just entertaining herself to get a break from her genius.
Now that she’s been invited to delve deeper into her activities, he’s finally feeling appreciated and more confident, and there’s no chance this will be good news.
Poor Ambrosius. Tilda Swinton may have given you her velvety, sensual voice, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to stop Depp from straying with Sage.
Here I am feeling bad for the abandoned octopus again.
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The episode ends with Butcher catching Hughie getting the Compound V stolen from A-Train. Butcher clearly has strong feelings about Huey’s plan, so it will be interesting to see if his warnings carry any weight for Huggie, who is growing more desperate with every passing minute to save his father.
Well, fans. What is the best reveal of the episode? Was it a good continuation of the three-hour premiere? What are your theories about what comes next?
Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget you can watch The Boys online with Amazon Prime Video if you need to catch up!
Haley Whitmire White He is a staff writer for TV Fanatic.
