The show is at its funniest when it mocks the very idea of superheroes.
As this season of The Boys, Amazon’s superhero-hating blood fest, comes to a close, its storylines have grown closer to our own reality as the show gears up for its fifth and final series.
Notably in this US election year, Homelander (Antony Starr), the super villain we love to hate, has unquestionably become an analogue for Donald Trump. Throughout the entire series, Homelander finds that not only does his increasingly bad behaviour go unchallenged, but in the divided political landscape of The Boys, the worse he behaves the more his approval goes up among his followers.
With the assistance of his new colleague, the super intelligent “Sister” Sage (Susan Heyward), he manipulates the media and effectively discredits his opposition, with the planting of agents provocateurs and unproved accusations of paedophilia.
Season four of Eric Kripke’s adaption continues the tale of the brutish Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his eponymous anti-superhero group’s conflict with the vicious Homelander, along with the corrupt Vought corporation that created him. The latest storyline doubles down on the satirical content and manages to be both thought-provoking and entertaining.
There has been some discussion that the current season is more political than previous entries, but given the ongoing hints that Homelander is building up to a run for office, it’s not really much of a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. After all, over the four seasons to date, he has gone from celebrity superhero to the de facto CEO of Vought International.
The supposed backlash from some viewers is a topic that both Kripke and Ennis have addressed in recent interviews, with both making the point that The Boys was always designed as a criticism of the political right. In a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, Kripke expressed his frustration:
Some people who watch it think Homelander is the hero. What do you say to that? The show’s many things. Subtle isn’t one of them. So if that’s the message you’re getting from it, I just throw up my hands.
I mentioned in my review of the season’s first episodes that part of the enjoyment of watching The Boys comes from the grinding tonal gear shifts – from over-the-top violent gore to tender character interactions and back again. This time around it is the narrative gear shifts that are a little more obvious.
With Kripke recently announcing that season five will be the last, it is noticeable that characters are being strategically manoeuvred into position to set up the inevitable big finish. The broader picture is clearly being prioritised and the current season’s structure suffers a little.
Nonetheless, over the course of the season, there are some entertaining twists and turns involving shape-shifting supers and multiple invisible imaginary characters. The middle episodes sag a little as the various plot strands are carefully arranged, but there is an attempt to keep the excitement bubbling along with on-brand extreme fight scenes and kinky sex exploits.
It does feel a little try-hard at times, with deliberately silly devices including flying sheep and killer chickens, but only the most solemn would fail to be amused by a gross-out Spider-Man parody who most definitely does not shoot web out of his wrists…
The show is at its funniest when it mocks the superhero genre and the corporations behind the big-money franchises – ironic given that The Boys is bankrolled and distributed by Amazon Prime. Part of episode five takes place at Vought International’s V52 Expo, a clear spoof of Disney’s D23 marketing event.
It sends up the hypocritical brand activism of corporations with campaigns that deceitfully support movements such as Black Lives Matter only as a means to profit. “Go woke, get yoked!” yells an on-stage character, promoting an insincere Vought Juneteenth campaign (an American holiday on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the US) campaign. Meanwhile, parody Vought social media accounts promote an app that can be used to review-bomb “woke” TV shows.
Amid the irreverence and political point scoring, there are some genuinely touching moments, primarily dealing with the theme of redemption. Multiple characters face their past sins and confront their guilt. For example, although it may jar a little, a subplot featuring Boys’ team member, Frenchie (Tomer Capone), falling in love with the surviving victim of a prior assassination mission fits well with the overall theme of forgiveness.
Is atonement possible? Which characters will be destroyed by their guilt and inability to let go? Even Homelander confronts his past, although predictably in a disturbing manner that involves far less forgiveness and much more bloody mayhem.
Doubtless, the bloody mayhem will continue in season five final conflict, with the culmination of several plot strands. Will Ryan, Butcher’s adopted son, turn to the dark side and fully commit to his biological father, Homelander? Or perhaps even find his own path? Will the nefarious Vought International ever be brought to justice? Will the increasingly unhinged Butcher find that the end justifies the means? It should certainly be fun finding out.
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John Caro does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
