‘The Boys’ S4 Finale Recap: From a Shocking ‘Assassination’ to a Mid-Credit Cameo, 11 WTF Moments That Ruled Final Episode of Season 4! (SPOILER ALERT)

The Boys Season 4 has ended, and there is too much ground to cover here. The season finale brought together quite a few twists and turns, some major political upheavals, some major deaths, and the titular Boys once again finding themselves nowhere close to defeating Homelander (Antony Starr), particularly after one of them betrays the whole group. Before we proceed, let’s warn you that the following article will be filled with major spoilers about the eighth episode of The Boys S4, which is also its final episode. The Boys Season 4 Episode 7 Recap: From Deep’s ‘Octopussy’ Moment to Starlight’s Sex Scene Twist, 9 WTF Moments From Superhero Show That Left Us Shocked.

So what happens here? There is a failed assassination attempt on US President Singer (Jim Beaver), with Homelander doing his best to bring about a political upheaval in the country, starting with murder and mayhem at Vought. He also pushes VP Victoria Neuman to the corner so much that she seeks out The Boys' help. Too bad how it turned out for her. Butcher (Karl Urban) is in hospital, still pestered by his mental alter-ego Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) seeks him out, only to find out what plans Butcher and Mallory (Laila Robins) have in store for him. That also doesn’t go down well.

Towards the final episodes, there are some major political upheavals after a certain 'assassination,' and The Boys are now in a deeper mess than they ever were. So is the United States of America—they just don’t know it yet. There are also some excellent performances on display particularly from Erin Moriarty, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Claudia Doumit and Antony Starr.

So, without further ado, here are some major WTF moments from the season finale and what they mean for the next season.

Honourable Mention - That Disclaimer

Previously, the finale of season 4 was titled "Assassination Run", the name which was dropped during the airing in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, who is running again for the President of the USA for the Republican party. The episode even began with a disclaimer that you can see below.

1. Shifter-Starlight and Hughie Do 'Butt' Stuff... Offscreen

The doppelganger Starlight, dubbed by the subs as 'Shifter-Starlighter,' continues to act her part as Hughie’s super-girlfriend, even after erasing all of Victoria’s wrongdoings that were in Hughie’s possession. She overdoes her part at times, like wearing a costume during the crucial Senate hearing and even proposing marriage to a still-oblivious Hughie. Later, they are lying post-coital in bed, where Hughie talks about her having two fingers up his butt. Shifter-Starlight even taunts the OG Starlight, still in her captivity, by saying her boy likes butt stuff.

2. Homelander Outs Victoria Neuman

Victoria has been keeping her superpowers a secret from the world, but an erratic Homelander, impatient about bringing more control to the country, exposes her as a super during Firecracker’s live news session. Needless to say, this creates one hell of a political chaos, even getting the elections postponed.

3. Ashley Takes Compound V

Ashley overhears that Homelander and the remaining members of The Seven plan to take down all employees who know their dirty secrets, and she is on top of the list. She frantically runs to Homelander’s quarters, takes one of the Compound V doses he has hidden in the secret drawer, and injects the serum within her. Her wig falls off, and we see what working under Homelander has done to her hair. What we don’t see is how exactly Compound V has affected her; as the scene cuts after, we see something pulsating on her nearly bald pate, and she is never seen again in the episode.

4. Shifter-Starlight Decimates the President’s Security Detail

The President is shifted to a secret basement, where Hughie, MM, Kimiko, and Shifter-Starlight also join his security detail, waiting for the doppelganger to attack. However, a throwaway line by Shifter-Starlight makes Hughie realise she is not his girlfriend but the assassin. Shifter-Starlight realises her act is up and gruesomely decimates the President’s security and even incapacitates Kimiko. The Boys and the President get cornered by the assassin and nearly get killed, if not for the timely intervention by the real Starlight, who has escaped her shackles (in a manner reminiscent of the film Gerald’s Game), and she kills her doppelganger. ‘The Boys’ S4 Finale: Amazon Prime Issues ‘Viewer Discretion’ Warning at Beginning of Episode 8 of Superhero Series Following Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump.

5. 'The Seven' Goes on a'Clean-Up'

On Homelander’s orders, The Deep, Black Noir II, and a coughing Firecracker (the breast milk-inducing meds doing her no good) start killing off Vought employees on their list in gory fashion. For instance, The Deep punches a man’s face, leaving it as a smashed pulp of bones and viscera, and Black Noir II kills the wrong Ashley. He even gets a ‘murder boner’ out of it.

6. Kimiko and Frenchie Kiss

Ideally, this romantic moment would not have been a WTF moment had the series played their love story straight. Fans have been waiting for them to fully confess their feelings for each other for four seasons now. But this season saw Frenchie have his separate love track, encouraged by Kimiko herself, and then that went bust before the makers decided to re-establish the relationship status quo. Still, the timing felt a lot off here.

7. Ryan Kills Mallory

After trying to bond with his foster-father Butcher and reuniting with his 'aunt' Mallory at the hospital, Ryan is eventually told that only he is powerful enough to stop Homelander (after being told his birth father had raped his mother). Ryan, unwilling to agree to the plan, tries to leave, but Mallory stops him and pleads with him to stay. A stubborn Ryan instead pushes her away using his super-force, and the impact kills Mallory. That doesn’t stop Ryan from leaving. Though we never see him again in the episode, it certainly made Butcher convinced whatever Kessler has been brainwashing him—Supes are bad.

8. Butcher Kills Victoria

The Boys finally agree to bring Victoria Neuman and her supe-daughter Zoey to their hideout to protect them, but Butcher drops in with some malicious intentions. He finally reveals what Compound V has done to him and how he had killed Ezekiel as he reveals tentacles bursting out of his body, tearing apart Victoria and killing her, much to the shock of the rest of the Boys. They can only helplessly watch as Butcher walks away with the virus that Frenchie has made.

9. Sage’s Final Ace

Sage returns to Homelander, who was devastated by Victoria’s death, believing his plans have failed. She reveals nearly everything has gone according to her plan, even predicting that Victoria would go 'patsy.' She then drops her final ace—a recorded conversation of President Singer from his secret room where he had told MM that they should have listened to him about killing Neuman. Homelander is visibly relieved that his plan is back in place, and Sage asks him to be prepared for 'Phase 2.' Well, we get an idea of what that is in the final moments...

10. The Boys Get Ambushed

With Singer getting arrested for Victoria’s assassination, the new President is elected, who gives his allegiance to Homelander and instils martial law in the country. Homelander invokes all supes in the country to round up the 'Starlighters' and presumably throw them in internment camps. We see the Boys going their separate ways to save their skins, but each group member gets ambushed by supes—for instance, MM gets attacked by the one who can elongate his... reproductive organ. Even Hughie gets captured, but Starlight finally finds her power, and she flies off to avoid captivity again. It looks like it is up to her and Kimiko to save their human compatriots from capture in the new season. Meanwhile, we also see Butcher driving away and seeing Kessler in the backseat, confirming his murderous alter-ego has completely taken over him. By the way, where has A-Train escaped to?

11. Soldier-Boy Returns... Sort Of

In the mid-credit scene, the new President is seen bringing Homelander to a place where they have made a startling discovery. That discovery turns out to be the previously thought-dead super and Homelander’s father, Soldier-Boy (Jensen Ackles), who is alive and in some sort of cryosis chamber. Homelander is shocked to see him alive, though what he plans to do with his father remains to be seen.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2024 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).