‘The Boys’ Season 4, Episode 2 Scarred Me for Life (Again)
Nothing can ever really prepare you for the cursed images that The Boys parades on our screens nearly every damn episode. The series has already subjected audiences to an Ant-Man sex-parody-murder, a Herogasm orgy, and even a “Cocksplosion” in its spin-off, Gen V. I hate to inform you that season 4, episode 2 may take the cake. Lord, help me find the words to describe what I just witnessed. And please, don’t blame me for the words you’re about to read. A man named Splinter—who has the power to duplicate himself—forms a six-person human centipede made entirely of his own clones so that they can all perform oral sex on one another.
I may need to gouge out my eyeballs.
While I consider my options, let’s talk about episode 2’s Will Ferrell cameo. He plays himself, acting in Vought’s A-Train-centered origin-story film. “Damn it, Reggie, you’re the most talented superhero I’ve ever seen,” Ferrell tells A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) when he catches him dealing drugs in the movie scene. “Yet you’re throwing it all away slinging yayo for gangbangers?” That’s definitely something I never thought I’d hear Will Ferrell say! Slinging yayo for gangbangers. He tells the director that he’s hopefully “not giving off too much of a Blind Side vibe.” Then Ferrell leaves without doing any embarrassing sex stuff (thank God!). If The Boys had made me watch Will Ferrell fuck clones of himself, I would have never forgiven them.
A Change of Heart
Meeting Ferrell has some great ripple effects on A-Train. He’s beginning to think differently about the way he uses his powers, especially after the murders he committed for Homelander (Antony Starr) in the previous episode. When A-Train runs into his disappointed brother at the park, it’s the final catalyst for him to do some good. “You never actually saved anyone,” he tells A-Train. The superhero then gives Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Annie (Erin Moriarty) evidence that acquits the accused Starlighters of the murders he committed outside the courthouse. Why did A-Train help the Boys? After three seasons, maybe he’s finally feeling guilty.
A-Train isn’t the only one. Hughie’s estranged mother appears, played by Rosemarie DeWitt (Little Fires Everywhere). She reps Voughtality, some multilevel-marketing-sounding skincare scheme from the corporation. “You know Vought killed my girlfriend, right?” Hughie asks her. She left her family when Hughie was only six years old, but she’s back because she has power of attorney regarding his father’s incapacitated state. I wonder if that’s Simon Pegg lying in that hospital bed or just a well-made mold.
Homeboy
Elsewhere, Vought creates an origin story and costume for Homelander’s son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), ridiculously naming him Homeboy. Sage (Susan Heyward) disagrees with this marketing plan. He’s the world’s first natural-born superhero, so his public image should reflect that. Her presence also rubs off on the Deep (Chace Crawford). He begins to demand some respect around Vought, spurred on by Sage’s advice and Homelander’s influence.
Even though Homelander brought Sage here because he needs her help, he seemingly starts to regret his decision. She plans a staged crime for Ryan to save the day with no casualties. Homelander crashes the event and tells Ryan to murder the actor playing the criminal. “Accidents happen all the time,” Homelander says. “Humans are fragile.”
Sage has yet to explain her motivations for working with Homelander. Is this a joke on her character as “the smartest person in the world”? Would the smartest person in the world team up with Homelander? I need some more answers here.
TruthCon
Before the Boys’ next mission, Marvin (Laz Alonso) kicks Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) out of the group for being volatile and untrustworthy. Still, Butcher refuses to leave. He follows them to their next operation at TruthCon, a convention for Homelander’s supporters—which is full of conspiracy theorists and right-wing nutjobs. The Boys attend a panel titled “Starlight at the Hollywood Pedophile Cabal,” led by Firecracker (Valorie Curry), a new character created for the show. Sage is in attendance, seemingly monitoring all of Vought’s activities moving forward.
After Butcher fails to keep himself together and insults Marvin’s family, Marvin beats him up outside with some heavy punches. “Just go home, man,” he tells him. Butcher isn’t the only one losing his cool at TruthCon. Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) refuses to deal with her past and is triggered by images of children in cages. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) is romantically linked with a man named Colin (Elliot Knight) now that he and Kimiko have broken up. The split is affecting her more than she thought it would, in addition to distracting Frenchie from his work with the Boys. Kimiko walks out of therapy and starts pounding beers.
Butcher’s absence and Kimiko’s drunkenness affect the group most when Sage captures the Boys with the help of Splinter (Rob Benedict) and Firecracker. The gang flees into a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel–themed bat mitzvah occurring next to TruthCon at the hotel, where they fight many nude Splinters. Butcher returns just in time. He helps them escape, incapacitating Firecracker and killing Splinter.
Later, Butcher comes clean to Marvin back at their base. He has six months to live, and he just wants to get Ryan safe and away from Homelander. Shockingly, Marvin doesn’t care—even after Butcher helped save their asses. “Too fucking little, Butcher,” he responds. “Too fucking late.”
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