When all is said and done, will we look back at season four as the trauma season? So many stories right now revolve around our main characters’ pasts and the struggle to get over old mistakes and move forward. Maybe that’s just a common theme in general, especially on The Boys, but it feels particularly pronounced this season, with the word “trauma†dropped by both Kimiko’s therapist and Hughie in this episode.
Hughie’s trauma is probably the most commonplace: His mom left him and his dad when he was six years old, breaking a million promises, both stated and unstated. He can’t let that go as she flaunts her essential oils around his dad’s hospital room, revealing that Hugh Sr. gave her power of attorney and signed a DNR. When Hughie returns next, he opens up to his mom about the particular broken promise that sticks with him: she said she’d get them Billy Joel tickets, and then she completely disappeared. He even threatens to challenge her in court if she doesn’t involve him in all medical decisions moving forward.
While Hughie spends most of the episode mumbling imaginary comebacks to himself out loud and completely ignoring most of the world around him, Annie’s primary concerns (like ensuring the safety of her Starlighters) are again directly tied to the mission. She knows A-Train must’ve been responsible for framing two innocent Black Starlighters for the murders of the three Hometeamers, so she and Hughie stake out a park where A-Train always goes on Sunday afternoons. Taking a break from his own issues, Hughie helps remind Annie that symbols hold power, and she could use the Starlight persona for good if she moves past all the Vought baggage it represents in her mind.
A-Train is clearly on some kind of path to redemption, and at this point it’s just a question of if he’d ever fully turn and help stop Homelander directly. The guy is more and more sickened by his position on the Seven every day, and he’s losing what few connections he had — this time his two nephews, whom his brother forbids from seeing their uncle again. It’s hard to blame Nate for his decision, and he’s not at all wrong when he calls out A-Train for lying about all his saves. But I do have a degree of empathy for A-Train during these scenes because he does want to change, even if he’s slow to put those desires into action. But his reward for Hughie and Annie is a good start: Because they didn’t reveal themselves or get involved during the park confrontation, A-Train shows up at home base to pass along some security cam footage of the accused Starlighters. It proves their innocence, and they go free.
The root of Frenchie’s trauma is more unusual than Hughie’s, to put it mildly: Years ago, presumably back when he was employed by Little Nina, he murdered the entire family of the man he’s now dating. We don’t find this out until Frenchie’s final big scene in this episode when he snorts some crushed-up pills and FaceTimes his old friend Cherie to open up about his guilt. But it’s pretty easy to figure out from context clues, so it’s just a matter of watching him swat away Kimiko’s good-natured encouragement until he can admit the truth to someone. Cherie suggests that his pursuit of Colin fits with a pattern of “taking in strays,†as he did with Kimiko, and she has a point. I can’t think of many worse boyfriend options than the one surviving member of a family you massacred back in the day. This is one scenario where “it just happened!†really doesn’t cut it.
The big exceptions to the dwelling-on-the-past theme so far are Homelander and his son Ryan, both of whom have their own complex internal conflicts to worry about. That’s probably why this is the most successful subplot of the episode: You know that Ryan’s first staged save will most likely go horribly wrong (I said, “he’s going to throw him way too hard†out loud), but it’s fascinating to track his and his dad’s evolving emotional reactions along the way.
Homelander’s fatherly pride, for example, is contingent on Ryan sharing the spotlight; being perceived as aging and increasingly out-of-touch plays into his ongoing midlife crisis, and it’s only with great reluctance that he initially signs off on a call sheet without his own name on it. But that, of course, does not stick. When it comes time for the real deal, Homelander surprises Ryan by showing up in the middle of his save, throwing Ryan off his game. When he pushes the stuntman like they choreographed, his super strength sends the actor careening a block down the street, splattering against a building. Ryan is understandably scarred by the experience, which Homelander doesn’t understand at all.
In addition to the solid character stuff, this story also just provides some fun world-building: We get a peek at how the business of staging saves goes, with Ryan as the audience surrogate and entry point into the process. (I imagine Gen V could provide more opportunities.) This episode really hammers in that supes practically never actually save lives, both with A-Train and with Homelander. (“I’ve saved a lot of people,†he insists unconvincingly.)
The actual main story driving this episode, though, is a trip to Harrisburg for a QAnon-esque conference called TruthCon, where every variety of racist conspiracy theorist has their own diorama. The child-trafficking setups are pretty triggering to Kimiko, who has been seeing various therapists about her selective mutism. It all comes back to, yes, her trauma: The Shining Light Liberation Army killed Kimiko’s parents and forcibly enlisted her and her brother, sending them to America to become supe soldiers. Like everyone else this season, Kimiko obviously needs to confront her past, and in a healthier way than attacking anyone who trivializes her experience, no matter how much they might deserve it. With a possible new cell in the area, she’ll have plenty chances.
But the real anchor for this story is probably the power struggle between Mother’s Milk and Butcher, the former of whom officially fires the latter after Butcher shares the news of his illness. I get MM’s point: Butcher is more of a liability than ever, and he seems even less capable of respecting authority than before. But I’d like to see less of MM’s anger and frustration and more of the internal conflict: the shock and preemptive grief of losing a man he has considered a close friend (on and off) over the years. “Life Among the Septics†doesn’t have a ton of time to show anyone really processing Butcher’s situation, which is a missed opportunity — especially for Hughie, who might be losing both his real father and a sort of father figure at the same time. I get his fixation on his parents, but there’s something missing here.
Against MM’s orders, Butcher shows up at the same hotel they’ve tracked Sister Sage to. There, they sit in on “alt-supe†Firecracker’s deranged two-hour presentation on “Starlight and the Hollywood Pedophile Cabal.†Sage is here because she recognizes her potential: She sees that Firecracker is here to sell purpose to people who have nothing and feel ignored by their government. It’s basically an audition for a spot in the Seven, and Firecracker can secure a spot for herself if she just does one thing for Homelander: kill the literal CIA deep-state moles who have infiltrated this event. Sage knew MM had tailed her here from the beginning.
The fight that follows is pretty fun, mostly because of the inspired lunacy of Splinter (Rob Benedict), a middle-aged Firecracker simp who has the ability to spontaneously spawn new clones of himself that violently rip themselves off the side of his body. Before long, dozens of nude Splinters are on the attack, with the battle spilling over into the Mrs. Maisel-themed bat mitzvah next door (a funny bit of Prime Video synergy). In the end, the Boys win out, mostly thanks to Butcher disobeying orders and showing up to save their asses and impale the “prime†Splinter with a crowbar. Sadly, it’s still not enough to earn more than a brief thank-you from MM, who remains firm in his decision.
I’ve been wanting The Boys to slow down and focus more on character drama for a while now, so I’m interested in this direction for the story. What remains to be seen is where exactly season four will devote most of its energy. We’re not off to the most captivating start, but I’m hopeful that the show can escape that “trauma plot†designation and take its time where it really counts.
Extra Frames
• “I’m not giving off too much of a Blind Side vibe, am I?†The opening scene of A-Train acting opposite Will Ferrell is pretty funny, with director Adam Bourke (the returning P.J. Byrne) insisting that this is not a white savior story.
• We also just saw Bourke teaching at Godolkin over on Gen V, penance for exposing himself in front of Minka Kelly. But I guess the public got over that pretty fast, because he’s back to directing sanitized inspired-by-a-true-story supe biopics.
• In case you’d forgotten (I certainly had), Hughie explained to Annie back in the season two finale that he and his mom used to dance to Billy Joel together before she abandoned him.
• Homelander’s quick smile for a selfie in the midst of inner turmoil is probably the funniest acting moment of the episode.
• I’m curious to see how far the show takes this idea of the Deep’s inflating ego, which could be promising, especially for the acting opportunities it provides an always-game Chace Crawford. (His growth since Gossip Girl, as always, makes me proud.) And I’m intrigued by Sage’s involvement. By planting seeds of resentment and gassing up the Deep, is she hoping to eventually take Ashley’s place?
• I appreciate that we’re getting to see more of Kimiko’s funny side, as when she drinks eight beers and drunkenly texts an eggplant emoji to Colin from Frenchie’s phone. “You should stick your penis somewhere!â€
• The image of Splinter’s Human Centipede-esque train of ass-eating clones (with the front version jacking off to Firecracker footage) is certainly something to behold, and it reminds me of an old Philosoraptor meme. But I have a lot of questions about how the individual members experience it. On second thought, I’d rather not think about it.
• Enjoyed the photobooth images of Kimiko and Firecracker fighting.
• Here’s a question: Did Sage really think her “final audition†idea was foolproof? And will Firecracker’s failure to accomplish her mission disqualify her from the Seven, or did she prove her gumption anyway?
• Splinter’s final words: “We loved you from your first Holocaust hoax video.â€