The Boys' fourth season presents a wildly entertaining superhero world, this time bringing us into a post-hope era in which absolute power goes unchecked, unpunished, and even enabled by the masses. The action and humor are yet again filled with shock, wit, and satire, though we find ourselves in a messier season than the last two.
The season has a lot of wild moments, and some shock when the stakes are raised and the fragility of democracy thanks to men playing god is revealed. Karl Urban, Antony Starr, and the rest of the cast have plenty of outstanding acting moments. Susan Heyward brings an outstanding dynamic as Sage. But we spend too much time with others, including too many characters needing to feel like the “main character” of their story (what’s the Deep still doing here?).
The first three episodes are terrific, particularly the breathtaking season premiere. But later, it lacks that clear direction, objective, and stakes that gave Seasons 2 and 3 their irresistible momentum. It wants to get a lot done, but has too much on its plate for its own good. That said, the commentary on capitalism and political polarization is spot-on and delightful, as are the different V-infused threats the gang comes across.
A-Train’s arc in particular feels earned, as is Hughie’s actualization and Claudia Doumit’s performance as Neuman. We often feel a sense of doom looming over the irreverence due to the nature of mankind, and the violence is creative and each character is pushed to the brink. But the climax isn’t as rewarding as in S2 and 3, and may make you feel like this was a “bridge season”, though it’s still very much a jaw-dropping moment.
The Boys proves again why it’s awesome action and satire TV with a less sharp season that may threaten to become formulaic, but is still as anarchic and thrilling as we love. The darkness and insanity are at the right level, but the arcs aren’t as focused and the end is great but the amount of payoff had me wondering if this penultimate season should’ve actually been the last.
4/5
Review by: Gal Balaban