The following contains spoilers for The Boys Season 4, currently streaming on Prime Video.

As expected, The Boys Season 4 unleashed plenty of chaos. Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher had to dig deep and figure out a way for the crew to take down Vought International. However, his terminal illness hampered him, not to mention, his untrustworthy ways had already alienated him from his peers.

The timing couldn’t be worse, as Antony Starr’s Homelander was expanding his ranks. He had more agency after taking over Vought, which built into a culture war and him using his media arm to win over followers to his right-wing cult. Season 4 quickly became more about philosophies than just throwing hands. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of how the eight episodes ranked.

8‘Department of Dirty Tricks’ Lit a Dramatic Powder Keg

Season
Episode #

4
1
“Department of Dirty Tricks”
David Reed
Phil Sgriccia
June 13, 2024

The Season 4 premiere dealt with Homelander hiring Sister Sage, the smartest person alive. She began running his political scheme to take over the White House. She was quick, efficient and deadly, leaving no trace behind as she manipulated pawns to do her boss’ dirty work. It perfectly set the stage for the season to come, touching on timely topics such as fake news, bigotry, and how the media could help incite a coup.

What made “Department of Dirty Tricks” even more harrowing was Butcher becoming more sick, Ryan beginning to enjoy Homelander’s tutelage, and Hughie’s father also getting sick. It’s not often the Boys are dealt mental and physical daggers like this. It affirmed that, while they were due for the biggest challenge of their lives, they may not have the numbers required for combat. This cast a defeatist pall that would last for the majority of the season.

7‘We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here’ Revealed Light in the Dark

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
3
“We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”
Ellie Monahan
Fred Toye
June 13, 2024

“We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here” continued to batter the heroes, seeding doubt and fear into them. Butcher was getting more sick and having hallucinations of his dead wife, Becca. It inspired the team to keep him out and have Mother’s Milk lead, which was a paradigm shift that added conflict and drama. On the side, Frenchie’s old sins caught up with him, while Kimiko tried to kill the terrorist cell that weaponized her years back. To top it off, the new Vought recruit, Firecracker, revealed Starlight had skeletons of her own she wanted to keep hidden.

That said, Hughie was patching things up with his estranged mother, Daphne, while A-Train began helping the Boys out as a Vought turncoat. It gave audiences hope that the heroes could be steeled up. They needed boosting, and a little went a long way to returning them to the status quo of when they had the upper hand. “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here” was a clever blend of action and cerebral conversations that reminded viewers how human Butcher’s team was. Still, it didn’t downplay how Sage was making Homelander’s empire even more intimidating.

6‘Life Among the Septics’ Unleashed Kooky Carnage

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
2
“Life Among the Septics”
Karen Gaviola
Jessica Chou
June 13, 2024

“Life Among the Septics” showed how influential Firecracker could be to Vought’s cult. It also waded heavily into A-Train wanting to be a hero to the Black community by creating an intriguing duality to what Firecracker wanted: white supremacy, versus A-Train craving representation for people of color. The Boys tracking down Firecracker eventually led to a signature fight filled with blood, gore and nudity, highlighting how wacky the show was — an essence it won’t ever let go of.

This was The Boys fully getting back to brand. The more interesting stuff came with Homelander being humanized in Ryan’s eyes as more than just an evil Superman. It was sympathetic seeing Homelander being vulnerable and wanting to be a good father. But, as usual, his power trip and god complex kept raising red flags to leave audiences uncertain how he’d react for the rest of the season. The show created a polarizing Homelander using this tactic, with Ryan as the vehicle to see him in a somewhat different light.

5‘Wisdom of the Ages’ Shed Tons of Blood

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
4
“Wisdom of the Ages”
Geoff Aull
Phil Sgriccia
June 20, 2024

Homelander took center-stage in “Wisdom of the Ages.” He massacred the lab that engineered him, especially those who were cruel to him. Harsh truths came to light about his own abuse as a guinea pig. Fans also learned the shocking truth of Homelander’s surrogate mother before he came a lab rat. It informed his rage and why he grew up with his issues. This contextualized why he needed his workers to go to the extreme to create the “perfect family.” It’s also the reason Firecracker publicized Starlight’s abortion and other nasty secrets on TV — they had to win by any means necessary.

Sadly, it was timed with the Boys self-destructing. Frenchie revealed more of his murderous past and how he killed the family of his new lover, Colin. It was a bad break-up, to say the least. “Wisdom of the Ages” very much kept tilting power to Homelander, while splitting the Boys even further. It later hinted Butcher had scary powers when he blacked out, adding another mystery to the mix. It was capped by the ideal cliffhanger of Hughie’s mother giving his comatose father Compound V to heal. This cemented how desperate Butcher’s side was getting, in both their personal and professional lives. At that point, it was tough to bet on them.

4‘Beware the Jabberwock, My Son’ Was a Tragic Mess

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
5
“Beware the Jabberwock, My Son”
Judalina Neira
Shana Stein

“Beware the Jabberwock, My Son” had a lot of bloodshed. Hughie Sr. developed terrifying powers that saw him accidentally kill a bunch of people. Hughie would have to put him down in one of the show’s most heartbreaking moments. There was some light at the end of the tunnel, however, as Butcher’s crew allied with Stan Edgar and Victoria Neuman to find the supe-killing virus. Fans got a raucous fight when they battled a bunch of super-powered animals on a farm.

This was classic Boys comedy, with pretty good CGI. However, it led to harrowing consequences, as Butcher kept the virus for himself and Frenchie turned himself in. It continued to take the heroes two steps back for every one step forward. Homelander’s team (including Gen V’s Sam and Cate) were enjoying their kills, and preparing to assassinate President Singer. Sage kept shining as a master manipulator, although seeds for a civil war were planted by Firecracker being jealous. In the end, “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son” spoke to narcissism being the downfall of both sides.

3‘The Insider’ Gave Underused Figures Time to Glow

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
7
“The Insider”
Paul Grellong
Catriona McKenzie
July 11, 2024

“The Insider” saw Homelander sanctioning the Deep and the second Black Noir to hunt the Boys. It created a crowning moment where A-Train joined in and beat his former colleagues down. This was a brawl many waited to see, as A-Train hated working with a xenophobe like the Deep. Black Noir’s new powers, however, stunned fans, teasing at some big revelations down the line.

While action was high on the menu, there were many softer arcs. Frenchie got out of jail to help with the virus. He and Kimiko’s romance blossomed more, while showcasing more of the grief and trauma they hid from each other. Ryan began to realize he would become a monster if he followed his father. Meanwhile, Annie found herself replaced by a shapeshifter in the game Sage laid out. “The Insider” reiterated that not every fight needed to be loud and that some battles could be quiet while still being shocking.

2‘Dirty Business’ Dropped a Massive Twist

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
6
“Dirty Business”
Anslem Richardson
Karen Gaviola
July 4, 2024

The dichotomy of “Dirty Business” was very thought-provoking. Part of it focused on the heroes raiding Tek Knight’s cave for info, all due to Hughie disguising himself as a Spider-Man pastiche. This created a lurid story that was quite controversial due to what happened to Hughie in Tek’s sex dungeon. Tek’s party had Homelander rallying his cultists for funding, so it wasn’t just about gags and jokes.

This stuck close to home for those following American politics, affirming how white collar crime, campaign financing, and owning the legislative framework of a country gave elites true power. The big twist, however, came with the bombshell that Joe Kessler wasn’t Butcher’s CIA partner. He was a dead colleague that Butcher was hallucinating out of guilt. Kessler was Butcher’s dark side, who wanted the virus to kill all capes, even Butcher’s friends and Ryan. This was one of The Boys’ most exciting reveals, teasing an enemy not even Butcher or Ghost Becca could repeal.

1‘Assassination Run’ Went Out Guns Blazing

Season
Episode #
Episode Title
Writer
Director
Air Date

4
8
“Assassination Run”
Jessica Chou & David Reed
Eric Kripe
July 18, 2024

The Boys Season 4 ending saw the Annie doppelgänger trying to kill President Singer. The Boys saved him, suggesting they would come out on top, even after Sage had footage of a violent Annie leaked. However, Butcher revealed his monstrous form: Kessler in control. He murdered Neuman (the Vice President) and took the virus for himself. He wanted full control, hating the idea of partnering with supes like Neuman.

Unfortunately, this allowed Speaker Calhoun to become President, as Sage also outed Singer on a recording for saying he wanted Neuman (Homelander’s secret puppet) dead. It was definitely a swerve, as fans thought Homelander abandoned Sage for being uncontrollable. Instead, Sage came off like Watchmen’s Ozymandias. Last but not least, while “Kessler” was off to cook his virus, Homelander’s army beat down and arrested the Boys, except for Starlight. This was Homelander’s biggest win yet and very much an episode that left audiences as gutted as Avengers: Infinity War. It had great fights, nuance, and multiple cliffhangers to hook folks for The Boys Season 5.

All four seasons of The Boys are available on Prime Video.