The Boys Season 4 Episode 8 Review
‘The Boys’ comes to an explosive close with the season four finale, with a lot going on. But while this might seem like it’s overwhelming, it’s natural for the show, with things spiralling out of control in a controlled way. It does leave some characters underserved, but overall there is a strong throughline that holds everything together. There are strong performances from everyone. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of ‘The Boys’.
The first half of ‘The Boys’ deals with the Supe shapeshifter, who seems intent on not just ruining the country by killing the President but Hughie’s life too, morphing Annie into a sex freak and getting engaged with Hughie. It’s intentionally difficulty to watch, with Hughie piecing everything together all too late that something is wrong.
Part of this is watching Homelander continually fail at politics, as on the news just before the election certiification, he outs Neuman as a Supe. It’s driven by his distress at failing to be a father for Ryan, and setup in prior episodes that with Sage’s support, Homelander is a child. On the same news broadcast is the hard cancellation of A-Train’s film for tax write offs, directly referencing Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to do the same thing for its movies. It’s a hilarious moment, and is just another example how how life has become crazier than ‘The Boys’.
After screwing up on live TV, Homelander puts together a list of people he needs the Seven to, take care of permanently. Ashley overhears her name come up, and takes Compound V in order to better her chances of survival. It’s not picked up what her powers are, but her transformation looked disturbing, so it’s unlikely to be anything good. It would be hilarious if she got a terrible power in season five, especially as now having Compound V in her system makes her a target for future. Also of note here is that the meds Firecracker is taking to make her create breast milk are making her ill as a side effect, it’s an interesting development that going to put her in jeopardy. No one is safe.
Butcher’s story in this episode is tragic. He’s hospitalised, still fighting against Kessler, when Grace brings Ryan in. Butcher attempts to convince Ryan to go with her, but when it’s clear that Ryan doesn’t want that, he sees the futility in it, admitting that if Ryan feels safe with Homelander, then that’s where he should be. Grace doesn’t take kindly to this, revealing the truth of Ryan’s conception and the horrors of Flight 37, despite Butcher’s protestations. Worst of all, she argues that Ryan needs to kill Homelander. Understandably, Ryan snaps, and in the process of forcing his way out kills Grace.
It’s in this moment where everything truly collapses, as Butcher, upset at Ryan’s actions, gives in to Kessler. But this moment works as it’s easy to see why each character reacted the way that they did, and really is the linchpin on why this finale works. If this scene didn’t feel right, what follows would fall apart. It helps that Karl Urban delivers a gut-wrenching performance of Butcher at death’s door, a shell of the man audiences knew.
This is the last audiences see of Ryan. It’s unclear what he’s going to do now, and one more moment with him might have cleared this up. Season five looks like it will be the true battle for Ryan’s soul, and now that he knows the stakes of his existance it will have more weight behind it, unlike this season. Another character that one more moment would have been great with is A-Train, as his absence is felt here.
Meanwhile, Neuman is now truly comprehending the cost of an alliance with Homelander, not one born out of mutual trust and respect, but one where she’s subservient to his every desire. If not, then her daughter will pay the price. Neuman, begs Hughie for help, and in return she’ll help them take down Vought. Hughie goes to the Boys with this proposition, and is unsurprisingly rejected. But this prompts him to deliver a heartwarming speech about humanity, which is delivered with poise from Jack Quaid. This convinces them to help, and for Annie to let Hughie out of the doghouse at least a little bit for sleeping with her sex-crazed doppelgänger. As a precaution, Frenchie fully develops the virus.
When Neuman arrives, everything is suitably tense, but manageable. That is, until a renewed Butcher walks in, with murder in his eyes. He ignores Hughie’s calls for compassion, and uses his powers (what look like DNA tentacles) to brutally end Neuman in a shocking moment, and takes the virus. He leaves, giving into his worst tendencies. The battle for Butcher’s soul is lost. Hughie and everyone else is stunned at what they’ve just witnessed, and poor Zoe, Neuman’s daughter, is sent to Red River Institue, the very place Neuman didn’t want.
Bringing the episode to a close, Homelander is in his room upset that his coup didn’t work and Ryan has left him. It’s a brief moment that he thinks he’s lost everything, but then Sage walks in, explaining that she has footage that makes it look like Singer ordered a hit on Neuman, and well now she’s dead. It’s a moment that doesn’t quite land, and makes it feel like she’s said “um, well actually” to pull her plans together. It’s a fine line to run when writing know-it-all characters, and one that has overall worked well apart from this moment.
The Speaker of the House is put in charge, enacts martial law, and puts Homelander and his Supes in charge of enforcing it. Homelander’s first act is to arrest the Starlighters, the Boys chief among them. In a montage at the end, returning Supes (including a hilarious moment with Love Sausage) capture the Boys, though Annie soars off. Homelander finding Soldier Boy adds to this setup for season five, what will he do with him?
This is a strong finish for ‘The Boys’, with it pulling the type of twists typically associated with the show. It’s emotional moments land thanks to strong performances, but hilarious when the show wants. Minor quibbles aside, it’s a great finale and tease for the future of the show.
