The trashy series shifts into political and social commentary and therefore takes itself a little more seriously. In doing so, it loses its madness but gains in complexity.
The best years of The Boys are behind her. This is an observation that we could already make in front of the delightful freshness of Gen V, its very successful spin-off at the university. So while waiting for the final chapter scheduled for soon, season 4 attempts to renew the trashy and crazy show, by sliding from pop-cultural satire towards political and social commentary. A rather successful transition.
This time, there is talk of a presidential election in The Boys, and Homelander teams up with Victoria Newman (the head-exploding congresswoman) to take over the White House. How will Butcher and the others manage to prevent this?
We feel that the series is going a little wrong in its confrontation against the Supes, after having reached its climax of superpowers in the bloody finale of a season 3 which had really pushed the cursors. There had been the Ant-Man style penis explosion (sorry, Terminte), there had been Herogasm and sex with an octopus… It’s difficult to go further into the trash. The Boys refuses subversive one-upmanship and is very careful not to become a caricature of itself, by delivering a new season that is less crazy and takes itself much more seriously.
By talking about manipulation of the masses, disinformation on social networks and uninhibited populism, the series sounds much more serious, holding up a worrying mirror to American (or even Western) society which is preparing to elect its next President. Be careful not to let yourself be fooled by the Übermenschen saviors of the nation, these Homelanders of all kinds who present themselves as protectors of everything and nothing. Ostensibly inspired by the fractures of Trump-era America, The Boys has never seemed so political. Politicized even.
By changing focus, the series was able to keep its bite, but it lost its casualness. Less fun, less spectacular, it sometimes gets bogged down in painful subplots (the arrival of Hughie’s mother, the procrastination of A-Train or Starlight). Fortunately, she still has a knack for causing shocks. Make no mistake: hemoglobin is still happily squirting on the walls and a few crazy moments (the musical comedy sequence on ice is a treat) remind us that, no, The Boys did not become House of Cards !
The Boys, season 4, to watch on Prime Video from June 13, 2024.
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