The Boys S4 Review: Yet Another Diabolical Season!

July 31, 2024August 21, 2024 Zach Kraus 1 Comment Amazon, Amazon Prime, Antony Starr, Eric Kripke, Erin Moriarty, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Karl Urban, Prime Video, The Boys, The Boys S4

Amazon continues to outdo Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony, and Warner Bros. in interesting superhero content. Even with the newest season of The Boys being less well received compared to the previous seasons, interests are higher than for whatever anyone else is doing.

This was yet another diabolical season of The Boys. Creator Eric Kripke knows one thing top-to-bottom: shock value. This show continues to undo itself in how insane the graphic violence, sex, and superhero absurdity can go. Shock value can be a risky element to manage, but Season 4 of The Boys makes it a worthy endeavor for the insane escalation of this plot.

What also helps is the continued insanity of these characters. It should come to no surprise that Homelander is yet again so enjoyable to watch as a villain. His sociopathic tirades of violence carried by Antony Starr’s excellent acting carry him as one of the best antagonists of all time. Billy Butcher is taken in a new direction that stems from the consequences of Season 3, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s roll and chemistry with Karl Urban are a great way to bring this character arc towards a rousing conclusion.

The Boys knows what it does well, and continues to do it. Sadly, the severe lack of focus and control over the excess of competing subplots makes Season 4 my least favorite. There is so much going on all at once, and a lot that the narrative of this season is trying to say. It feels like each character and subplot is only given a small percentage of attention to make an impact.

Diabolical!!! pic.twitter.com/JBuPJmBAMU

— THE BOYS (@TheBoysTV) July 25, 2024

Starlight is much less significant in this season compared to the previous seasons, and what they tried to do with Frenchie lost a lot of traction halfway through. As for everyone else, especially new characters like Sage and Firecracker, I welcome their inclusion overall. I just wish that the writers did not try to cram and rush a lot of their development in a very short period. It’s the weakest season, but not a bad entry in the slightest. The Boys fourth season sets a lot in motion to stage some important stories to come.