The world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.
FULL SEASON REVIEW BY: Darren Zakus
RATING 4.5 out of 5
The Boys serves up its most diabolical, outrageous and entertaining season with all the vile, gory and hilarious moments fans have come to expect from the ever popular series, as it sets the board for what is bound to be an unforgettable final season.
Ever since its premiere back in 2019, The Boys has consistently been pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on television, including a boat sawing a sperm whale in half and last season’s unforgettable “Herogasm” episode that your eyes can never unsee. Yet somehow Eric Kripke and his writers have outdone themselves in the show’s fourth season, conjuring up so many shockingly brutal events that will delight fans to no end. At the same time, this season delivers the most exciting narrative that maintains the show’s critical commentary on corporate America while amplifying its focus on politics and religion, creating a biting commentary on today’s society with all the blood soaked superhero drama and violence that has defined this series from its inception. It’s safe to say that fans are going to devour every second of this season, as it is arguably the series’ best season to date.
With Victoria Neuman running for Vice President of the United States of America and the clashing of ideologies between Homeland and Starlight after her departure from The Seven last season, it comes as no surprise that the latest season dives head on into politics and religion. It becomes the groundwork for the series’ dark season yet as the political undertones and religious ideologies fuels the central conflict of the season as Butcher and his team plan their next move against Homelander and Vought International, while The Seven deals with internal change as two new superheroes are added to the mix. The storytelling draws parallels from the discourse in today’s society and the conflict that is causing unrest in parts of our world, with Kripke taking a strong stance with his commentary and he could care less whether you agree with him or not. Alliances are tested, battle lines are drawn, characters are tested, resulting in shocking moments that you won’t see coming, altering the landscape of the series for the better. At the same time, each main character is given a strong individual storyline to explore, which allows for some great character development to push every character to where they need to be going into the series final season. Even though this season plays out like a big game of chess setting the stage for what is destined to be one shocking and unbelievably insane final season, every event is an exciting moment within the season and ensures that every episode is a gripping thrill. Some of these events continue to push the boundaries of what you thought was possible to show on a major television series, especially in the season’s fifth and sixth episodes, while the season finale is one of the most startling episodes of television that you will watch this year because of where the story goes in it… as you won’t see it coming.
The returning cast of The Boys all continue to turn in sublime performances, especially Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid and Erin Moriarty who once again shine in the series’ lead roles. Starr is truly unhinged as Homelander this season, helping to make one of the most hated characters on television even more despicable, while Moriarty gives an emotional turn as Annie who faces the most personal turmoil that her character has seen over the course of the season. A few characters that were introduced on Gen V make an appearance, with those actors extending their entertaining performances, and there are some truly wild and brilliant celebrity appearances that will make you question how this show got them to agree to appear. But, it is newcomers Susan Heyward and Valorie Curry who consistently steal the show as the newest members of The Seven.
Heyward delivers the most calculating villain of the series as the highly calculating Sister Sage, using her superpowered intelligence to help empower Homelander and back Butcher and his team into an inescapable position. Utilizing a calm and collected cool, infused with an undeniably sinister agenda, Heyward helps to create one of the most terrifying villains of the series behind only Homelander. Curry, on the other hand, as Firecracker, the incredibly left leaning podcaster, born again Evangelist creates some truly uncomfortable moments as one of the most shocking superheroes to be part of The Seven behind Homelander and Aya Cash’s Stormfront. She delivers her lines with a sickly sweetness to mask her terrifying and manipulative agenda that uses media and disinformation against the nation to turn them against Starlight and her followers… sound familiar? Both Heyward and Curry are excellent additions to this already talented ensemble cast, and I cannot wait to see the part they will both play in the conclusion of the series in the final season.
It’s safe to say that if you have not liked the first three seasons of The Boys, its fourth season is not for you. There is no doubt in my mind that the show’s fans are going to love every second of the newest season; and for those viewers who thought the series was good but a little overhyped like myself, the latest season is certain to convince you that it is one of the best written and most daring shows currently airing. All while Eric Kripke and his team set events into motion that is bound to create one of the most anticipated final seasons of a television series in a long time. Filled with blood soaked and outrageous moments that you won’t soon forget, riveting storytelling and strong performances from the entire cast, but most importantly full of the series’ unapologetic, critical, unchecked and biting commentary on today’s world, the fourth season of The Boys without a doubt lives up to fans’ expectations and delivers one of the best seasons of television of the year so far!