Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 4

Summary

• The Boys season 4, episode 4 feels like a mid-season slow burn, setting the stage for future episodes.
• Homelander's midlife crisis adds depth to his character, showing a new side beyond his sociopathic tendencies.
• Sister Sage's character development and disturbing relationship with The Deep make her a standout in season 4.

The Boys season 4 came out of the gate with three episodes that, while entertaining, felt like much of the same. That's not always a bad thing — Prime Video's superhero satire is still able to find humor in the bleak politics of our times, and its action remains as violent and nasty as ever. Four seasons in, though, the superhero spandex is wearing a bit thin from overuse.

The Boys season 4, episode 4 feels very much like a mid-season episode. Now that the chess pieces have been moved into place, the game is slowly progressing and while it doesn't feel like the series is treading water, it does feel like The Boys is pulling punches. Now that Eric Kripke has confirmed that The Boys season 5 will end the series, it should feel like we're building toward an endgame, but the series is not quite there yet.

So What's Up With Homelander?

The Seven's leader is having a crisis

Homelander heeds the call home, visiting the Vought laboratory where he grew up. The unsuspecting employees of this lab are some of the very ones that conducted experiments on a young Homelander and, though he feigns pleasantries, it's clear that he's not there to make nice. It's an altogether unsurprising conclusion, hammering home once again that Homelander is a sociopathic monster. Antony Starr's deranged performance is on full display here, and he continues to deliver layered work even if the plot around him fails to reach the same heights.

This is the first time that we've seen Homelander care about someone in a way that truly alters his behavior, and it's a new side to the character that is more fruitful to explore than his sociopathic side.

Homelander's midlife crisis is, so far, an interesting thread to tug at — not only is he worried about aging, but he's also worried about legacy and building a world where his son can thrive (though "thrive" means something entirely different to someone like him). This is the first time that we've seen Homelander care about someone in a way that truly alters his behavior, and it's a new side to the character that is more fruitful to explore than his sociopathic side. Luckily, there's a new sociopath on the block anyway.

Sister Sage Is Still The Boys Season 4's Most Interesting Character

Her depravity is reminiscent of the feeling season 1 inspired

Sister Sage is one of the new Supes in The Boys season 4 and her character grows more interesting every episode. Her psychosexual relationship with The Deep goes even further and is the best scene of episode 4. Watching him give Sister Sage a lobotomy is the most I've squirmed at The Boys in quite some time — the combination of Susan Heyward's chilling performance, the off-putting sexual chemistry between Sage and The Deep, and the act of the lobotomy itself is delightfully disgusting.

Not much progress is made on Sister Sage's plan for world domination, but the groundwork has been laid, and now we get to know her a little bit more. Sage explains the reason behind the lobotomy to The Deep. Since her brain can regenerate itself, but the rest of her body can't, her mind is constantly working in overdrive and the only way she can feel "normal" is by giving herself the lobotomy. This is the first we've heard about Sage's discontent with her powers, though it's too early to tell whether this'll come into play later in the season.

The Rest Of The Boys Are All Over The Place

Annie makes a big mistake & Kimiko is still looking for answers from her past

After holding back in the first three episodes, it's nice to see Starlight fight in episode 4. Starlight has played respectability politics so far, teaming up with the new president to curtail Supes' role in the government and taking a pacifist approach to the surrounding turmoil. It's satisfying then to see her beat up nut-job Supe Firecracker as she peddles conspiracy theories and propaganda in front of Starlight's headquarters.

The mystery around Kimiko expands and Frenchie's affair with Colin comes to a tragic end when he confesses to killing Colin's family years earlier. Hughie has injected his dad with V and Butcher is knocking on death's door. All of our heroes have hit a new low, especially as Starlight is no longer able to work with the president. It's an interesting position for them to be in, and they'll likely only face more crazy things in the weeks ahead. Here's hoping that that craziness helps pick up the momentum and keeps The Boys season 4 as fresh as it can be with the series' endgame in sight.