The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 - Homelander's Homecoming: The Boys Unhinged

0:03 Calarogus Shark Media. Hey, their basement dwellers, it's your host Journey Joe back with another deep dive into the wild world of streaming TV. Today, we're talking about episode four of The Boy season four, titled Wisdom of the Ages, and let me tell you, folks, this one's a doozy. First off, can we talk about Homelander's little trip down memory Lane? Our favorite psychotic soup decides to revisit his childhood lab and it goes about as well as you'd expect. We're talking cake, waste, paper, basketball, and oh yeah, a whole lot of murder. Anthony Starr continues to knock it out of the park with his portrayal of Homelander's unhinged descent Chilling stuff. People, Boy, oh boy, did this episode give us a lot to unpack.

0:50 Our favorite blonde psychopath takes a trip down memory Lane to the underground vault lab where he grew up, and it's about as wholesome as you'd expect from the Boys, which is to say not at all. What we're seeing here is Homelander grappling with his trauma in the most Homelander way possible by inflicting it on others. It's like a twisted therapy session where instead of talking about his feelings, he's lasering people's groins. The real kicker comes when he confronts Barbara, the lab director. She hits him with some hard truths about his desperate need for approval and love. And how does our boy handle this psychological breakthrough by doubling down on his humanity as weakness stick and locking her in a room full of corpses talk about unresolved issues. What's fascinating here is how the show is peeling back the layers of Homelander's psyche. We've always known he was messed up, but seeing the root of his issues, the abuse, the isolation, the desperate need for acceptance, it almost makes you feel sorry for the guy. Almost. Then he goes and does something horrific and you remember, oh, yeah, this dude's a monster. Anthony Starr deserves all the praise here. The way he switches from childlike glee to cold fury to manic laughter, it's like watching a one man show of the entire DSM five. You can see the conflict in his eyes, the part of him that's still that scared little boy warring with the godlike being he's become, and let's not forget this all ties into his relationship with Ryan homelanders determined to crush any hint of humanity in himself and his son. It's like he's trying to create a mini

2:22 me, but one without all the messy emotional baggage. Good luck with that, buddy. Is Homelander beyond redemption at this point or is there still a shred of humanity left in there somewhere. Personally, I'm betting on more laser eyes and less group therapy in his future. But hey, stranger things have happened in the world of the Boys. Meanwhile, we've got Firecracker bringing the heat with her new show, The Truth Bomb. It's like if Alex Jones had superpowers and a personal vendetta against Starlight. Speaking of our girl, Annie, this episode really puts her through the ringer. Not only does Firecracker air all her dirty laundry on life, including a pretty heavy revelation about an abortion, but Annie ends up playing right into their hands with a very public beatdown.

3:07 It's a rough day for Team Starlight, that's for sure. On the boys side of things, we've got Huey dealing with some heavy family drama. The whole storyline with his dad in a coma is surprisingly touching, And hey, how about a train actually being helpful character growth? Folks? You love to see it. Now, let's talk about that butcher scene. Our gruff anti hero seems to be harboring some kind of compound v parasite, and it is not pretty the way it just decimated Ezekiel. Yikes. I'm both intrigued and terrified to see where this is going. And we can't forget about the deep and Sister sage. That lobotomy scene. I don't know whether to laugh or cringe, probably both. It's the Boys in a nutshell, equal parts disturbing and darkly hilarious. Overall, Wisdom of the Ages is a solid entry in what's shaping up to be a pretty intense season. It's got all the true trademark Boys chaos we've come to expect, with some genuinely surprising character moments thrown in. Sure, it's not quite as laugh out loud funny as some earlier episodes, but the stakes feel higher than ever. So what did you think, fellow basement dwellers. Are you team Firecracker or Team Starlight? What's your theory on Butcher's body invading parasite and seriously, how messed up his homelander going to get before this season's over. Until next time, keep it weird and keep it basementy, folks,