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The Boys season 4 trailer
- Thread starter DeafTourette
- Start date
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Yeah, I saw that final one later, I didn't stay around for the post-credits in my first watch.
Geomancer86
Member
I haven't watched the episode, but the strategy of having 7 below-mediocre episodes just to be topped by a spectacular final episode, doesn't look right to me.
bitbydeath
Member
Gen V Season 1 was better.
Season 2 will be set after Season 4 so will be interesting what they show with Cate and Sam since they were at the end of The Boys.
Season 2 will be set after Season 4 so will be interesting what they show with Cate and Sam since they were at the end of The Boys.
March Climber
Member
Brings me back to 2000s-era procedural TV shows. Supernatural, House MD, Fringe, Arrow, The Flash, etc. A lot of them did things just like that. Villain/Case of the week with very, very slow development until that one big story finale.
The Walking Dead was the worst for that, we joked that the only episodes with major plot were 1, 2, 6, 7, 12 and 13.
March Climber
Member
Uploaders are fast today, this was such a good scene:
"Why would you do this?"
"...to see if I could. Thank you."
"Why would you do this?"
"...to see if I could. Thank you."
Geomancer86
Member
I think they missed the good fights in every episode, good superhero fight where they are even so it's not splat one of them explodes in half. Sadly this season is mostly that, single sided superhero fatalities.
FingerBang
Member
This was one of my favorite shows, with Season 3 being my favorite. And now I wish they ended it there.
This season was terrible. You're praising the finale only because everything else was absolutely subpar.
Character development felt like fillers, where you can't really build, so you take a step back to get back where you started.
Let's have Frenchie fall in love with a guy all of a sudden and then get depressed and turn himself in but then he's alright and back to being in love with Kimiko.
Let's have Butcher be conflicted between being nice and being a murderous asshole, and then at the end he's back at being his murderous asshole.
The plot feels like a long filler to set up S5. Shit barely happens. The only thing that happens is gore, assholes, and dicks. And I have no problem with gore, assholes, and dicks.
Sage and Firecracker could be removed from the show, and the plot would still happen. Again, how was Sage a good/well-written character? You can't call someone "the smarter person on Earth" and then all that she does is come to you and say "see, this is exactly what was going to happen, the plan worked!". Remove her and you lose nothing. Remove Firecracker and you lose nothing. Remove the new Noir and you lose nothing.
You could do this for many other main characters this season. Everything is so fucking plot-driven.
This season was terrible. You're praising the finale only because everything else was absolutely subpar.
Character development felt like fillers, where you can't really build, so you take a step back to get back where you started.
Let's have Frenchie fall in love with a guy all of a sudden and then get depressed and turn himself in but then he's alright and back to being in love with Kimiko.
Let's have Butcher be conflicted between being nice and being a murderous asshole, and then at the end he's back at being his murderous asshole.
The plot feels like a long filler to set up S5. Shit barely happens. The only thing that happens is gore, assholes, and dicks. And I have no problem with gore, assholes, and dicks.
Sage and Firecracker could be removed from the show, and the plot would still happen. Again, how was Sage a good/well-written character? You can't call someone "the smarter person on Earth" and then all that she does is come to you and say "see, this is exactly what was going to happen, the plan worked!". Remove her and you lose nothing. Remove Firecracker and you lose nothing. Remove the new Noir and you lose nothing.
You could do this for many other main characters this season. Everything is so fucking plot-driven.
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March Climber
Member
While I understand your frustration with Sage, as it seems like the showrunners are leaving intentional blanks for a big reveal later. I just wanted to point out below the things she did that Homelander would not have done, as it would go against his character.
Here's what Sage did, confirmed:
-Sage fueled the chaos between the Starlighters and Homelanders with planted bodies and starting a riot/brawl, forcing higher parties like President Singer to take action and making Starlight take a backstep. (It's possible Homelander could have done this, but it probably would have been through a media push alone, no setting up of dead bodies or anything like that).
-Sage pushed for Ryan to have space and be alone on his own journey when Homelander wanted him to be a coddled sidekick. (Homelander would not have done this)
Whether or not this would have always led to Ryan going down the path he went is unknown. It's clear that at this point Ryan does not like either of his father figures.
-She used the selfie in the above scene to recruit Firecracker who wanted to spread her messaging and propaganda to the largest stage and audiences, fueling the above chaos even further, because Firecracker had a grudge against Starlight from her past and would do whatever it took to bury Annie's image. (Homelander would not have personally recruited Firecracker as she would have been a useless supe in terms of power, nor would he have even went to that convention in the first place)
Firecracker was successful in doing this so Annie is no longer a bastion of good intent, publicly. Starlight's campaign building is in shambles and most of her workers have left after the scene of her snapping. She lost a huge amount of momentum she had going against Homelander.
-She appealed to Neumann's disdain for the people pulling the strings, even using the 'little girl' line to appeal to Neumann's want for her daughter to not grow up in the same conditions she did. It strengthened an alliance for a person who Homelander/Sage would benefit from whether alive or dead, by attempting to relate to her. (Homelander wouldn't do this and would instead go for the usual 'force/threaten Neumann to do it' as seen in the finale when he loses his patience, causing Neumann to flee or go to The Boys much sooner than intended).
-Sage was the one who suggested hiring the January assassin/shapeshifter to Homelander and he greenlit the idea. The assassin successfully infiltrates The Boys' group through Annie. Thanks to this, there were two ways to win. The first way is by using Annie's image to take out Singer. The other was the recording and the assassin was able to record the conversation of Singer asking about The Boys' progress on killing Neumann. Assassin is presumed to have sent the footage while getting water. (Unclear if Homelander would hire an assassin, as his methods have been very upfront, direct, and brutal and old Noir was sent out in the past by Stan).
-By continuing with her plan even after being fired and leaking the video, she has gained Homelander's ultimate trust without the need for using convenient distractions like breast milk.
Here's what is unknown:
-Why Sage was in the library next to Tek Knight's lair door. Was having Neumann speak on behalf of Homelander in order to publicly show that the two were in solidarity, on purpose?
-If Sage actually saved A-train's life with a misdirect and stall on identifying the leaker to Homelander. She knew it was him by the time they had the press conference about their new Marvel-esque timeline of Vought movies, maybe even before that.
-What was actually in the notebook that she left and came back to pick up?
-We don't know what happens after the document was given to the guy in the street by Sage (which was presumedly not the assassin, just some guy as a misdirect so that A-train would take pictures of this to warn The Boys) and the assassin/shapeshifter is found hiding in a closet afterwards from The Boys' perspective. That seems like an odd way for someone to be found, and it doesn't seem accidental.
I listed moments above that justify Firecracker's involvement.
This, so far, I agree with almost completely. He is being used as a joke character right now so I don't have much to say about him. I feel that he is going to be pushed even further into the background as we get pretty big returning characters and a brand new character played by Supernatural's leading co-star.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
Looks like next season will have Sam and Dean back on the same show!
Geomancer86
Member
Fully agree with this, they could completely remove the 4th season and condense every major plot hole in a single 40 minute episode.
If next season is 7 episodes of filler and a tiny epic battle at the end, it's going to massively suck.
FingerBang
Member
I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding here. I don't mean to say, "Sage and Firecracker do nothing in the show," but they work as plot devices instead of characters who move the plot forward.
Firecracker is just a caricature for right-wing media, she's taking over fake Tucker Carlson and it's so on the nose it makes a literal nazi blush (Stormfront). Her role is just to give a reason to Starlight for struggling, something that also feels like a huge retcon. After that, she's useless for the rest of the season, where she is just a milk dispenser.
I have a huge problem with Sage. Her plan is full of holes that rely on people making mistakes. The smartest person doesn't take risks, but she admittedly did for the entire show. She wanted to see if she could make it, as she declared at the end. Because, in the end, what we have is a bunch of things that just happened and her taking merit for it. I don't dislike the actress or the idea of the character, but this is not done well and I could smell that from the start. On top of that, her character has nothing else going on in her life and only exists as a complement to the other characters.
But again, those two are just examples of a ton going wrong in this season and the reason why I single them out is because the show, so far, has done an AMAZING job at introducing new characters. I'm thinking of Stormfront and Soldier Boy, which had interesting backstories and motivations that shaped the events. Unfortunately, we didn't get much of that, or in general, good character development for the cast of heroes. All of them have gone virtually through the same arcs they've gone before. I disagree with the characters changing/growing (except for A-Train), and the way Season 5 is set up, it doesn't really matter.
I know I sound very negative, but I have been watching this show since Season 1 and consider it to be one of my favorite shows ever. I have rewatched it in preparation for Season 4 with my girlfriend, who had never seen it before, and the feeling that something went wrong with the writing is huge.
Caught up with s4e7 and wow, finally some female butt! And a nice butt, wonder if that is really Erin or if they slapped her face on a body double (my guess).
The Deep continues to be the star of the show, the only character and actor REALLY willing to go all the way and be cruel, the butt of the joke, the stooge, and the vulnerable one. He really is the glue of the show, holding in the ridiculous, the horrible, the silly, and the gross together. Goofs like the Webmaster guy, or that auto-erotic duplicating guy, or even the dick exploding shrinking sneezing guy need balance, the show is relying almost exclusively on Deep to provide it. Even Ashleys turn as a dom isn't nearly as convincing as Deeps journey and insecurities manifesting as erratic action. That actor sells it EVERY time.
The Deep continues to be the star of the show, the only character and actor REALLY willing to go all the way and be cruel, the butt of the joke, the stooge, and the vulnerable one. He really is the glue of the show, holding in the ridiculous, the horrible, the silly, and the gross together. Goofs like the Webmaster guy, or that auto-erotic duplicating guy, or even the dick exploding shrinking sneezing guy need balance, the show is relying almost exclusively on Deep to provide it. Even Ashleys turn as a dom isn't nearly as convincing as Deeps journey and insecurities manifesting as erratic action. That actor sells it EVERY time.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
That was a non-existent butt. Nowhere near nice. IMO
Well, you go right ahead and kick her out of your bed and right into mine
March Climber
Member
This is why I'll wait until the end of the entire series before making this type of claim. If they have a big reveal episode that fills those holes or does a decent enough job of explaining them, then it invalidates what we both have pointed out. We also don't know if she had multiple contingency plans in place depending on how things moved. We saw that she used one: benefitting from the death of Neumann. She talks as if she either has eyes or ears on The Boys' movements. Again this wasn't shown but implied. One additional big thing I picked up on was that aside from a couple of scenes, nearly every time she did something out in public (outside of the tower), it was from the perspective of The Boys instead of Sage. That part feels intentionally directed that way.
Regarding her personal life, we got little bits and pieces of how she is. Before meeting Homelander, she did just the bare minimum (of her level) to live a decent life. She lost motivation to do more, based on her backstory that she told Neumann with how all of the people with money didn't care about her creations and would not help her. She seems perpetually bored with everything outside of working on her grand plan to which she shows the most emotion and care for.
I think they will have to take a different approach with Sage this next season, at least when it comes to showing the audience her movements more clearly. There were some smaller or subtle things she did that people simply did not pick up on. An anime or comic would emphasize it with inner dialogue/thought bubble, but live action shows normally don't do this.
The problem here is that Stormfront and Soldier Boy both had actual connections and prior relationships to other characters who were already present in the show, when they were both introduced. The only tiny connection Sage had was A-train who didn't really care about her in the past. So she has no connective tissue to lean on, like Stormfront and Soldier Boy, in order for us to learn more about her. She is also a string-pulling type of character which means she would also tend to avoid the spotlight. Due to both aspects, it makes her seem less like a character because there's very little relatability or human connection with her.
Regardless, I agree that this season had issues, as I've listed them twice in this thread. I'm not going to blindly defend it and there's some points I'm not even going to touch because you make a good point here and there that I agree with, like this Season coming across as the weakest season.
Also, no need to do the qualifiers thing as I don't care about the actress or who actually plays Sage, I just like the concept of super smart characters potentially doing super smart things or at least setting up events to go in their favor. It's been a thing in anime for a long time now. The big difference is that we barely got Sage's perspective of events, whereas in anime that person would be the protagonist or prominent antagonist.
March Climber
Member
They don't and they aren't the same. This has been shown multiple times.
This part is true.
I kinda agree they seem to be super strong and super tough WHEN THE SCRIPT NEEDS THEM TO BE, but then Homelander can rip one apart with ease.
I guess you can argue that it's the super strong ones that go into the crime fighting business and reach the level of The Seven so its a bit of selection bias, but really, it's just the script wanting a fight with no casualties versus folks getting gibbed by Homelander or whomever.
March Climber
Member
'The Boys' Universe Supes Ranked: Who's the Most Powerful?
From mind-control to flight to shrinking and growing in size, we're ranking all the supes from "The Boys" universe, including "Gen V" supes.
www.thewrap.com
Here is the latest ranking of power levels from The Boys TV. As a warning, the article will contain spoilers.
bitbydeath
Member
Don’t know how Tek Knight ranked so high…'The Boys' Universe Supes Ranked: Who's the Most Powerful?
From mind-control to flight to shrinking and growing in size, we're ranking all the supes from "The Boys" universe, including "Gen V" supes.
Here is the latest ranking of power levels from The Boys TV. As a warning, the article will contain spoilers.
March Climber
Member
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
Marie is just as powerful as Victoria... Could be MORE powerful since she can manipulate blood OUTSIDE the body too... She just needs more training... She's one of the few supes who actually wants to do good and not just be a corporate shill and celebrity. She took a blast from Homelander and wasn't killed!
I wonder if Butcher's cancer can kill Homelander like it did Victoria.
I wonder if Butcher's cancer can kill Homelander like it did Victoria.
I'm curious why they think the virus can't kill Homelander. Was there some bit where they tested it on him as a kid or something? But they seem so convinced.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
I have no idea... I've been asking myself the same question
March Climber
Member
The scientists were testing the strength of it in Gen V Season 1 and after Neumann grabbed the samples at the end of that season, and presumably her and her husband did extensive tests (off screen) to come to that conclusion, as Neumann was also looking to find a way to kill Homelander.
I'm not saying this is a good enough explanation, but the little context that Gen V, Neumann, and Neumann's husband gave can suggest that it isn't potent enough for someone who was essentially genetically engineered from birth to be the strongest supe of all time.
That's as good an answer as we are likely to get.
FWIW they should have you on their writing team, you know more about this show than anyone!
bitbydeath
Member
There’s been so many unnecessary side plots this season but the writers refuse to fill them out or even the main story properly.
The worst is never addressing the season 3 cliffhanger, just a mention of Soldier Boy being frozen 3 or 4 episodes in, and of course showing him at the end.
They could have spent a whole episode on the aftermath but instead skipped over it entirely like it never happened.
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BearNecessity
Banned
So Im guessing theyre hinting at homelander getting infected with breast milk or something.
March Climber
Member
I appreciate the compliment lol, but I think at best I'd rather be one of those loremaster guys who helps make sure the lore stays consistent so that future events don't conflict with past ones. People underestimate the importance of that job, especially with the long running stuff.
Both recent Marvel and Star Wars already have a plethora of inconsistencies and from what I hear about Star Trek from their fandom, their new stuff suffers from the same problem too. The Boys being as good as it is, even with the slight hiccups in episode quality, is still a great thing to me and I hope to see Kripke continue to refine his talents on whatever his next project will be once this is all over.
Since firecracker seemed ok in the broadcast at the end, I'm thinking she just had a cold. But they are setting up her breast milk as a way to get homelander infected (ie its kinda like his kryptonite) with an infection.
There are real viruses transmitted through breast milk (or the trace amount of blood in it) so it's a logical thing. Sounded like just getting a needle into a supe was difficult so maybe part of the "this won't kill homelander" was because there was no way to inject him (versus a respiratory or ingestion method that would kame the virus too contagious).
xrnzaaas
Member
That was the weakest season by far, I found myself fast forwarding through some arcs, because I simply didn't enjoy them (especially Frenchie's). It's kinda sad that a season is only 8 episodes and yet they can't fill all of them with meaningful content.
I will be surprised if the final season isn't the same and major stuff won't happen until the series finale.
I will be surprised if the final season isn't the same and major stuff won't happen until the series finale.
Eiknarf
Banned
Speaking of the bolded part.
Everyone I talk to at work, and even my wife, have pointed out that there’s been a lot of dicks being shown on shows these days, but almost no tits.
What happened?
I get that we don’t wanna oBjeCtiFy women, but have no problem bombarding the viewer with male full frontal nudity?
How about we show both?
Geomancer86
Member
Imagine the outrage we would be having if a super hero was a woman with a huge pussy chomping away the bad guys XD
Yamisan
Member
Watch the movie "Teeth"
There was a chomping va-jay-jay in one of the Legend of Overfiend episodes as well, IIRC. Or maybe Demon City? If Kripkie wasn't so laser focused on just showing male depravity (slight Ashley deviation aside) then I bet we'd see it.
Putonahappyface
Gold Member
Pretty sure it was Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend.
Putonahappyface
Gold Member
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
There's already a movie about that
It's great and you should watch it
It's called Teeth
Worth it!
March Climber
Member
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Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
Watched the finale finally. Pretty good, but it felt like we could have gotten to that point a bit faster. Still feel like Sage is wasted by the writers and Homelander is in stasis without much agency or logical character growth. Hoping they go all out on some expensive set pieces for the final season considering it seems like a war is coming.
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
Fan service can work only at some point, then becomes bad. This show mostly gets right, still, my advice is for you not getting much hype. This season has a bad pace, lots of stuff that people don't care, and overall weak. Past season was better, but weaker than second
Geomancer86
Member
Yeah it's like a venn diagram between fan service and alienating your fans with "woke takes", the season with Dean eating burgers on motels was very Supernatural, but I think they made all of the fans of that show ran away already.
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
I guess not. Views got higher this season. Maybe was new people that got into the show recently, but one thing doesn't null the other
@thread
My humble opinion:
NecrosaroIII
Ultimate DQ Fan
Watched the Tek Knight episode the other day.
It hurt they were playing such awesome music during the Hughie molestation scene. I love yacht rock, so hearing all these songs I love play there made me feel like a creep. Like a sexual deviant.
It hurt they were playing such awesome music during the Hughie molestation scene. I love yacht rock, so hearing all these songs I love play there made me feel like a creep. Like a sexual deviant.