TV Review: ‘The Boys’ Gets Scary Topical In Season 4
by Frank Martin
The Boys has always been a very topical show. It has no qualms about grabbing something that’s going on in the headlines and applying it to its superhero universe. The first three episodes of Season 4 take it to a whole new level! Homelander (Antony Starr) has firmly positioned himself as a fascist icon, and the show has drawn deep parallels to a real world political climate by putting him on trial. The mirrors to reality have become so close it’s almost scary. The beauty of the series is that it doesn’t lean in one direction or the other. It has no problems attacking all sides for all viewpoints and being both an intense show of shock value as well as a character drama, superhero epic, and satire firing on all cylinders.
The season opens with Homelander on trial for murder after killing a counter protester at the end of last season. He is eventually acquitted because of a very active campaign from political commentators led by alt-right conspiracy theorist Firecracker (Valorie Curry). Homelander also recruits the world’s smartest person, Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), as his confidant and, well, sage within the Seven. Meanwhile, Butcher (Karl Urban) is estranged from the rest of The Boys because he hid his brain cancer prognosis. With very little time left, he’s on a mission to save Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) from Homelander’s grasp, something that’s become increasingly difficult now that Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) is the vice president.
The most dynamic aspect of this season so far is the addition of Sister Sage. Homelander tends to be a blunt force object. Everyone is afraid of him because of his power, but Sage brings an entirely new level of danger. She’s intelligent and cerebral, constantly thinking three steps ahead of everyone else. She has plans, and although they haven’t been fully realized yet, the wheels are in motion. Homelander no longer has to rely entirely on threats of violence to achieve his means. Sage provides him cover to work behind the scenes at solidifying his power, something that’s becoming all too real given the real world political climate.
The Boys streams Thursdays on Prime Video.
