A ChucksConnection TV Series Feature
Jack Quaid wears black high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the series.
The Boys Season 4
Hughie Campbell is back in his classic black high top chucks.
Hughie Campbell is back in his classic black high top chucks.
The superhero genre has often been parodied and mocked for its tropes and reliance on archetypes. It has also been deconstructed and analyzed over and over again. However, none of these parodies, examinations, or alternate realities have been as effective as Amazon’s The Boys. The Boys is a TV show that premiered on Amazon Prime on July 26th, 2019. Produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and developed for TV by Eric Kripke, the series is based on the 2006 comic of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Over the course of three seasons, the show has provided biting social commentary along with hilarious absurdity and iconic moments. The fourth season recently premiered along with the announcement that Season 5 will be its last. The penultimate season stars an ensemble cast that includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Claudia Doumit, Colby Minfie, Nathan Mitchell, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Hughie and Butcher share a moment.
Season 4 picks up where Season 3 and Gen V left off. Homelander (Starr) is on trial for the murder of the civilian he lasered in the Season 3 finale. The CIA has tasked the Boys to assassinate Victoria Neuman (Doumit), the Vice President-elect who is a head-exploding supe in disguise. Hughie (Quaid), Kimiko (Fukuhara), Frenchie (Capone), and Mother’s Milk (Alonso) lead an operation on election night, but the mission goes awry when they are discovered by Vic’s super-powered daughter, Zoe, who attacks the group. Meanwhile, Ryan (Crovetti) learns that Butcher (Urban) is dying and has about six months left to live due to the massive brain tumor he got from taking Compound V. Butcher then reunites with his old CIA friend Joe Kessler (Morgan), who he eventually tells about the supe virus he learned about in the Gen V finale. Butcher and Kessler resolve to use it to take out Homelander and Neuman for good. Homelander has his own issues though. Along with the murder trial, he has become obsessed with his aging and fed up with his sycophant group of idiots at Vought. To solve his problems, he recruits Sister Sage (Heyward), who is known as the smartest person on the planet, to join The Seven. Together, they aim to pit America against each other while they plan the coup to end all coups to insert Vic as President. Only the Boys can stop them, but it will take everything they have and more to save America and the world!
Hughie’s mom returns to help him get through a tough time.
Season 3 of The Boys brought forth a criticism that the show is suffering more from as it goes on: why can’t the titular Boys ever win? The first two seasons of the show were not scared to kill off major characters. However, over time, and as the major characters became beloved by fans, the show has shied away from taking any of them out of the show. The major characters have a serious case of plot armor that keeps any true stakes from developing. For example, in this season there comes a point where the Boys beat The Deep to a bloody pulp and look poised to take him out for good. However, the show provides a flimsy excuse as to why they have to immediately leave and not finish the job. The Deep is one of the most popular villains on the show, but if there isn’t a chance he or any other character is going to face consequences for their action, then why should we as an audience be invested? It seems the show decided that they were going to save all the major deaths and moments for the final season, but that has made the past two seasons suffer.
Annie gets a lot of support from Hughie this season.
The show also has some other problems with tone and how it treats some of the characters. Hughie goes through some terrible stuff this season but it doesn’t seem that the writing staff ever took it seriously which is a shame. Annie has also been made into a bit of a punching bag, but there is the opportunity to have her go on a revenge tour in the final season. Things aren’t all bad though and that is primarily due to the incredible cast. Jack Quaid as Hughie has always been the backbone of the show, being the chucks-wearing everyman in a sea of ridiculousness. He continues that role perfectly this season bringing his A-game to the biggest emotional scenes in the season. Karen Fukuhara is also another standout as she brings an incredible warmth to Kimiko when in most actors' hands she would be cold and lifeless. Her last scene of the season is also probably what this season will be most remembered for and is truly heartbreaking to see. This means that despite the season’s flaws, the anticipation for the final season is still high and if they can stick the landing, The Boys may go down as one of the best shows of the 21st century.
Closeup of Hughie’s black high top chucks as he steps into danger.
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