After nearly two years of waiting, Amazon’s smash hit is back for its penultimate season. These eight episodes are as gleefully violent, sexually diabolical and politically ruthless as you’d expect from The Boys, even when the plot sometimes loses its way through the carnage.
This season slows things down a bit, while setting the stage for its eventual conclusion. Showrunner Eric Kripke is sticking to his original five season plan, which is admirable given how wildly successful the show is. However, with the endgame in sight, this batch of episodes can’t help but feel like somewhat of a bridge season. That’s not to say it’s uneventful or doesn’t deliver what fans have come to expect from the show. There’s just a lot up in the air right now, and eight episodes simply isn’t enough time to accomplish everything it tries to.
Despite being overcrowded and having a less focused trajectory, The Boys still knows how to show its audience a bloody good time. The season follows Victoria Neuman on her campaign trail, and with this being an election year in the States, the political commentary is especially pointed. The Boys has never been subtle in its skewering of far-right politics, American media, and the superhero genre itself. The show unapologetically doubles down on all of it this time around. Of course, there’s also the over-the-top violence and sexual debauchery the show’s known for, and if you thought it could no longer surprise you in that area, you’ve got another thing coming.
We get some really interesting character arcs this season, from both old and new faces. A-Train in particular is given his most interesting arc since season one, and I really liked where they decided to take his character. Hughie is given a family focused story, which sidelines him for the first half of the season, but it’s important to his character’s growth, and packs a surprising emotional punch. Oh and how could I forget Homelander - the role Antony Starr was born to play. He’s every bit as terrifying and impulsive, but now has to navigate being a father figure to Ryan. The handful of new characters make great additions - especially Sister Sage - the smartest person on earth. She has no physical supe abilities, but uses her mind in manipulative ways that keep her several steps ahead.
Season four of The Boys finds the series slipping back into comfortable territory, with slightly lowered stakes but just as much of everything else we love about it. Razor sharp sociopolitical satire, buckets of blood and plenty of other deviousness elevate this bridge season, as the show sets the stage for what’s looking to be an epic final run.
4/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett