Blood, Guts, and … Chickens? ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Promises a Wild Ride
"The whole world is about to burn."
Prime Video’s hit superhero satire The Boys is many things, but subtle isn’t one of them. Season 4 just rang in its three-episode opener on June 13, delivering a scathing critique of right-wing extremism—and it sounds like we’re in for a cluckin’ good time when the next episode arrives.
The latest season of creator Eric Kripke’s The Boys might not’ve kicked off with too much a bang—well, not compared to the first three seasons, at least. But even though there might not be as many exploding genitals, entrails, or Herogasms this time around, season 4 might be the series’ most crucial yet.
With the three-part season premiere out of the way, The Boys is reverting back to a one-episode-per-week format. Eager fans can look forward to catching next week’s episode, titled “Wisdom of the Ages,” on Thursday, June 20, at the usual time of 3AM ET/12AM PT. Given that this is a (relatively short) eight-episode season, this puts its finale on July 18, giving us a good amount of time left to soak up these characters before they’re gone—at least, until season 5 rolls around.
“Wisdom of the Ages” has yet to receive an official synopsis from the folks at Prime Video, but based on previously-released clips and trailers, there’s still a lot left in store for Hughie, Butcher, Annie and Co.—especially now that alt-right YouTube streamer-turned-The Seven recruit Firecracker (Valorie Curry) has made her debut. Chickens bursting out of human chests Alien-style, flying sheep, and plenty of blood, guts, and gore … yeah, things are only just getting started as The Boys season 4 continues to unwind.
Minor spoilers ahead for the first three episodes!
This season, it seems like The Boys is going all-in on tackling Trumpism, with Homelander (Antony Starr) having an eerily similar arc to that of a certain orange-hued former U.S. President after he’s put on trial for murder, which we saw play out in the season 3 finale. After he’s found not guilty by a jury (with a little help from The Seven newcomer Sister Sage, played by Susan Heyward), Homelander comes to understand that he can manipulate both sides of the political spectrum—a.k.a., his sympathizers and those partial to Annie January’s (Erin Moriarty) more left-leaning “Starlighters.”
Now, Homelander is a bigger threat than ever before, with his son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), Vought International, and newly-elected Vice President Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) all wrapped around his finger—and he has some seriously effed up plans to create a “kingdom” for Supes. Enter Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), who, with only six months to live, is running out of time to avenge his late wife and make a final play to save Ryan from following in the footsteps of his father.
Although Butcher’s relationship with The Boys is strained, to say the least, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), and Hughie (Jack Quaid) will have to put their feelings aside to finally bring Vought crumbling to the ground once and for all—especially now that a Supe-killing virus (yes, the same one introduced in the spinoff series Gen V) is in sight, one powerful enough to wipe out The Seven for good.
Now that we know The Boys is slowly inching towards the finish line, as season 5 was recently confirmed by Kripke to be its last, it’s clear that season 4 is serving the broader narrative here, putting plot-driven storytelling at its heart rather than, say, Homelander’s mommy fetish or The Deep (Chace Crawford) returning a dolphin to its natural habitat (RIP). Still, we’re not exempt from some absolutely unhinged moments (i.e. The Deep’s octopus girlfriend—PETA has entered the chat), and things are only revving up as the season continues on Prime Video.
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