The Reel Rejects - THE BOYS 4x4 Breakdown & Review!!!

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

BEST EPISODE OF S4 SO FAR! Visit https://san.com/rejects & download the app The Boys Season 4 Full Reaction Watch Along: https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects The Boys Season 4 Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, Spoiler Review, Easter Eggs, & Ending Explained! In The Boys Season 4 Episode 4, Homelander revisits the underground Vought lab where he was raised, revealing the traumatic experiences that shaped him into the villain he is today. The episode delves into his past, showing the audience the cruel experiments and psychological manipulation he endured as a child. Hughie and Butcher continue their mission to gather evidence against Vought. They target Firecracker, a supe who is close to Homelander, in an attempt to blackmail her. The plan involves a risky heist, which Hughie convinces A-Train to help them with, promising that it will be his last task for The Boys. Meanwhile, Starlight struggles with her public image after being labeled as a traitor by Vought. She tries to navigate her way through the complexities of being a supe in the public eye while dealing with personal issues. The episode also explores the personal lives of other characters, such as Frenchie, who is still haunted by his past actions, and Mother's Milk, who is dealing with the consequences of his involvement with The Boys. The episode ends with a shocking revelation that has significant implications for the rest of the season, setting up a major conflict that will likely play out in the remaining episodes. With Election Year gearing up between Donald Trump & Joe Biden, this season seems to be honoring the America we know. The Boys cast & characters consist of Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell, Antony Starr as Homelander, Erin Moriarty as Starlight/Annie January, Dominique McElligott as Queen Maeve, Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, Chace Crawford as The Deep, Tomer Capone as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko, Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir, Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman, Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett, Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, Simon Pegg, Rosemarie DeWitt as Hughie's mother, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead), & Firecracker, an alt right member of the Seven.  Follow Coy Jandreau:  Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coyjandreau?l... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coyjandreau/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CoyJandreau YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYH2szDTuU9ImFZ9gBRH8w Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Music Used In Manscaped Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm so exhausted. So that was episode four of season four of the boy. and it is exactly why the show has to end at season five because how much darkness can any of us handle? I personally think that's my favorite episode this season so far. What did you think John? I'm not being ironic. That was

television. Fascinating. I mean, certainly it was a gripping hour of TV. This was like plunging and I like pretty dark and bleak material certainly and this definitely got to the sort of meanest core. Like there's been

a thread of this throughout the entire show obviously it's not a show that's afraid to get dark and grim but this was definitely like compounding bleak on grim on hopeless on twisted uh and yeah certainly striking uh and i'm not gonna fault the show for it i do feel just like in my chest that sort of remember the first episode of black mirror i ever watched and i just had this feeling in my chest afterwards and i was just sort of like ooh i just i feel uneasy and i feel kind of kind of gross. I'm glad it's not an all-season binge because I need, I need some puppies. Yeah, that's the thing is like, this is a show that I almost can only kind of take one season at a time.

I also need a week to recover. Like, like, binging the entire show, I feel like would put me in a weird place. This was well done. This was really well done. And I mean, certainly, I guess the first thing that comes to my mind out of so many things is, I mean, I feel like the meat of what we'll talk about is, I mean, I feel like the meat of what we'll talk about is, homelander, although the stuff out in public, the stuff with, uh, firecracker and starlight and everything and the way the political landscape is progressing and morphing and warping. This is like a really great, uh, summation of how these things can work, because like you guys

were talking about, like there's so much in, uh, especially the sort of like super right grifter crowd that is, you know, the crowd that profits, the crowd that profits, uh, you know, there's so much about, there's so much hypocrisy and truth bending in that pocket. Nine upside down is six, John. It is. That's just true. And there's 12 letters in January

or whatever. Yeah. Watching all that happen and watching this, you know, mastermind that sister Sage has put together and watching two as firecrackers like, yeah, put the truth out there, you know. Some people aren't going to care. And for those who do, I'm going to

take it and spin it and then I'm going to use your own like this is you know the kind of the futility to me of arguing on Twitter yeah like that's a good microcosm for it because yeah it's like your opponent and and certainly in these political and societal debates you know they will take your language and your sensibilities and use them against you and and feign as though they are, you know, in the pursuit of morality and piety when really all they're trying to do is get a rise out of you so that you can discredit yourself. And I think this did a nice sort of rendition of that. That's one of the reasons I really like this episode is I think it did a really good job. Like Grega pointing out like, oh, but like they'll all have community after. Like

there's an element that I struggle with where like the left really likes to be right more than it likes to be understanding and it's a very aggressive like it hates itself it hates other people within itself and it hates the right whereas at least the right man they they love each other but I really like this episode

because it felt like what I remember loving about the pacing of when this show really hits its stride it's got a great A plot a great B plot a great C plot and then it'll surprise you by like having the D plot be some favorite elements like it juggles a lot and this episode

It reminded me of how strong every component of the teams are. It's all of the boys. It's all of the seven. We've got this giant ensemble. And I love that it's a show without, like, a lead. It's a show of disparate parts that just equals this world. And this episode, to me, felt like that again. But what were some elements that you were vibing with?

Other than the game being respected. You got to respect the game. That was crazy with Sage. she the because they did focus on that what is that thing that she's putting in her eye it's uh it's to do that

but what is it I don't know what that didn't needle it's like a lobotomy needle yeah it's essentially an ice pick yeah basically but yeah because they focused on that in the last episode we were all like what is that like why are they focusing when she was hooking up with

because that's when she was watching reality TV like oh this she had just lobotomized she just lobotomized herself and that's and so she was turning off her It's so funny. Even for, because one of the things with the boys is they constantly bring back how having the powers is some form of suffrage.

And even for her, it's a form of suffrage. Oh, I definitely think being intelligent is like, I definitely know. As smart, man. As being Mr. Intelligent. I think there is an Ingrance of Bliss concept. I was even talking about me. I just think that smart people are usually more depressed and suicidal. Like, there's a darkness to knowing things.

That can be fair. That's why I drink, Greg. Well, like just with her, with her brain, just constantly keeps growing and getting bigger and bigger, but like the more of an outsider she probably feels and the more knowledge she gathers, that could be more hardships that she's actually gathering as well. So she's just such a fascinating character to me.

But yeah, I mean, this episode was easily the, like John was using a lot of words like mean and grimy, and there's no better words for it because unlike a lot of the show where they can deal with real life situations, but there's usually some type of super heroic edge to it or some type of super power edge to it. This episode doesn't actually really rely on that, even with the whole Homelander thing.

They're aware that they can't outpower him, but the torturous maneuvers was not only just a psychological game, but then like this physical torture was not dependent on him like lasering people or, you know, beating them to death or something like that. It was really just the fact that he has the power to do it. Or even when Starlight breaks because of the personal medical records that were released to the public, like, that is a harsh, horrible thing to deal with. And while a lot of people can have difference of opinions, and often, it's, I imagine since

you were born, you've heard the debate of which side do you fall on when it comes to pro choice or life, yeah, pro choice, right? Like, which one is it? And even if you are someone who does, like, I love what she was saying at the end of like, oh, I never even considered that possibility, too, of just, like, it's, it's not, some, I imagine there are some people who can go through with terminated pregnancy and it could be something that they just don't remember. But I can imagine for most or many, for many, even if you are okay with doing that, I imagine it's still a very hard thing to do. So even if she has people who are in support of her and were okay with the choice, just the fact that she has to live with this reminder in all aspects of whether people

who judge her or even support her having to live with this very private thing that is exposed, like, it is so nasty what they did. Like, it is really like vile and it feels real. That's, that's the thing about this season in particular and but this episode is it, I don't feel like I'm

watching something. Like, so she shows up with like a little bit of starlight power, but she's really just, she could have been like in real life or someone rushes the stage and starts pounding someone, you know? The fantasy is largely removed. But also like the disgustingness of like investigating and releasing

seen private matters. Like, there was, this episode was just nonstop of like, oh, this is a, this is really dark.

It's not, it's not fun. Like, I had, I weirdly had fun with the self lobotomy moment. Like, that was the, that was the,

that was the, that was the, it's so, it's so over, it's so over the top. Yeah. It's so ridiculous. And you know it wants,

it's challenging you to look at it, and it wants you to squirm. And yeah, it's a game. It's also consciously funny, the sound design, the squelching. Her,

her o face during it like that's great like that's really funny but man is it dark if you go underneath you know staying informed these days can feel like navigating a labyrinth with a blindfold on right the news is biased confusing and sometimes ridiculous tough to know who to trust right but fear not rejuctation for i found a beacon of hope in the murky waters of media and that is thanks to our sponsor straight arrow news because straight arrow news is like a breath of fresh air and a room full of stale opinions. They cut through the nonsense with unbiased, fact-based reporting. No spin, no agendas, just straight facts. It's an app and a website that delivers news the way it should be, fair and balanced. This is the hand gesture for balanced. Like a tightrope walker with impeccable

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And the Frenchy stuff was so dark And then yes And the Frenchy part I'm like Oh God like that paints Frenchy In such a horrible Is there a more selfish decision? That is true

Like it's weird to be here As the audience member rooting for him at first But when you find out what really did You're like This is actually really bad It's the worst thing you could do Kamiko bringing in that girl Like and facing her past

Homelander facing his past Frenchie facing his past basically everything in this episode was just like everything coming to light and even Huey like signing off with A train at least yeah like choosing to let the vendetta go also I love that he chose to not make that decision for his dad and then it was made for him

that was also a moment of like really good tension this whole episode the reason I think I loved it like I had a great time at the first three but I do one think it's overwhelming to watch that much of this type of thing. I prefer like a really good dense cake to parse it out. Like I think there's a

richness to the show that I prefer it weekly and I think that I got overwhelmed in the first three, whereas this episode I had time to marinate and now being back in it, it did such a good job at tone to have each of these moments rise at the exact, like

everything climaxed at once, including Sage. This season feels really devoid of some sense of a sense of adventure yeah like the other seasons i think usually have some type of sense of adventure even if it's really micro this season i'm like i have no sense of adventure with this this is just like so dark this is just in the gutter yeah and and uh i mean i even i even love when firecracker because i mean i was just joking that they would because i was joking on the truth that they would just forgive her yeah that's what the right does right that's what they

yeah they'll they stand they no matter what they're not as long as you're on the right crusaders yeah as long as you're on the right there's a chance of forgiveness long as you're on our team we'll bend over whatever direction to make it okay yeah so i i she goes through and just posting it anyway and sure enough instant forgiveness right uh i love that that's so fun but the chemico storyline stuff is the one part where i'm still wondering what that's going to really become or turn into or relate Is she going to liberate the liberation army? Yeah, I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I'm actually glad this show's ending. Because I could see how it could be running out of steam and story. You talked about the Frenchy thing. Like the rehashing of like his thing is his past. I think it's good that there was a five season plan from the jump and that Eric Krippski is getting to make that show. And he's back out here saying it will end at five.

Right, exactly. So I think that it's really beautiful that Gen V can be something that expect. fans the world. I think there's going to be the boys Mexico. Is that? There's a spinoff. So like there are the boys's to come, but I'm glad that this set of characters is getting the arc that was planned. Oh my God. And the

Homelander thing with how they psychologically programmed him to have it. We brought in psychologists. Genius. That is so clever. And that's what I mean. Like that is so mess up. Yeah. It's so messed up.

But like, because that's been Homelander's vice. this entire show and they explain that it was actually just because you kind of just assume that he's a boy and he was dressed so he wants love and so it's ingrained in him because of it but they literally intentionally made him that way to control him and they confirmed that it's so smart and then yeah that last shot I don't know if homeland was going to truly be liberated from this need like I think the last shot is supposed to be some type of implication that he's liberated from it I I think it's part of him.

And I think that mirror shot was him, like, you know, go back home to solve the problem. I think a part of him knew that it was a problem, but I don't know if you get out of that. Yeah. I don't know if killing me makes you love less or need love less. Yeah, fair. Or just creates more inner conflict. Yeah, like who's going to. And I love that his whole thing is like, I can't kill them because I need people to worship me.

Like, that's such a deeply narcissistic, which is such a deeply human thing, which is what he doesn't want to be. He doesn't even want his kid to identify as human. I love that Homelander's biggest vice is. is he having a human flaw, because that part of him is human, and that's the last thing he wants to be. Yeah. Like, this show is, again, I liked the first three, but this is back to being like, oh, this is why I adore this show, because all the ways they were manipulating me into feeling

things, I was squirming at, like, sound design over an ankle breaking. Like, it was so charged that everyone was like, oh, like, it was visceral, and that's what this show can be. Oh, and Butchers definitely got powers. Butchers definitely got powers. It's going to be a homelander, like, butcher fight. Like, they're going to be actually, like, fist fighting. They'll add butcher to Mortal Kombat

Yeah And Simon Pegg's gonna fight I don't know how I feel about I mean it's more like the comics I feel like I feel like it should still kill him I think I feel like he should still ultimately kill him You think he bites it this season? I think it would be I don't know if he'll bite it this season

I feel like he could I think like they could expand it out Where he lives through the next season But he should still die via through the powers at least Okay Because he's obviously got powers now Like it's the most obvious thing in the world How did that guy bite it Unless someone just randomly came in and saved the day.

Yeah, the Jesus dude, how do he go? I mean, I'm wondering if we actually find out what his power said is the next episode. Yeah. How would he blow up that guy? Yeah, that's weird. But either way, I hope that if he does have powers, that he does die from it. I would prefer he dies. Some consequences.

Well, that was episode four. I'm exhausted. I'm not excited to watch this again, but I'm glad that they can still get to that point where I'm like, you are pushing the boundaries. like you're showing me stuff that I yeah that I hadn't anticipated necessarily well it's interesting because this is a show that reflects superhero culture and

reflects our culture and reflects capitalism and reflects politics like the what comics can be is a mirror right like and I love that the boys started as a mirror to a certain dynamic of what superhero culture was and now as that's evolved over the last five years as the show

has it's like what boundaries do we push oh when it's an election year and what do we do to reflect our current time and honestly Like, I think it was always planning to go as dark as it is, but I do think it's interesting that Kripke, you know, being as politically minded as he is, uh, the despair that I feel when I'm too exposed to the news and the world definitely feels like this show. It definitely feels that bleak and hopeless. Because at the end of the day, like, you know, we look at the world and I think philosophically we're exposed to too much negativity and I think literally we're exposed to too much negativity. But at the end of the day, you know, we're living in a, in a world where we have access to so much data. overwhelming. So where does a show go

that reflects that? And like to make you feel overwhelmed this episode. Yeah, fair. So yeah. The boys! That is going to do it for this episode. Please let us know in the comments below what your favorite of this episode moments were because I feel like

this was an episode full of moments but it wasn't at the cost of the actual show. We made a joke I think episode three with the human centipede moment where it was like, oh, they got to have one of those. This felt like it had moments but it didn't feel like it wasn't serving the narrative. This was just a bullet train of insanity with moments in there.

So what was your favorite moment from this episode? Please do like this video, so we know you liked the enjoyment of us suffering through enjoying this show. Man, what a time. This was great. And please, please, please, share it. Despair. Disparate.

Share it and despair it. Yeah. Misery Love's company. Much love. Reject Nation. We'll see you next week with more boys. Beke. Thank you.