‘The Boys’ Season 5 Episode 4 Review - The Prophet of America

The fourth episode of The Boys, King of Hell, more or less plays out as padding. It's filler, designed as an outlet for its characters to vent their suppressed thoughts and frustrations. This is achieved with the help of a manipulative plant that fuels the fires of hatred within its victims, making them turn on each other.

Hughie, MM, Frenchie, Butcher, and Kimiko come across this threat in Fort Harmony, where they go in search of V1. They are not the only people there, though. Homelander and Soldier Boy also arrive at the same location. Thanks to that plant—sapling, whatever—all these characters first push one another's buttons and then engage in a physical confrontation. The Boys being The Boys, it finds humor even in such circumstances. When an angry Kimiko bends a rod in front of MM, he runs and hides like a scared little kid, while Hughie locks himself inside a small circular chamber. Only Frenchie remains immune to the hateful spell because his brain is wired differently, thanks to his excessive drug use over the years. The Indian censor board, which never misses an opportunity to stick anti-smoking or anti-tobacco warnings onto as many "relevant" frames as possible, probably won't appreciate the underlying message.

In Fort Harmony, we also see Homelander going through a weak moment before the grand announcement. The episode opens with this narcissist informing Firecracker about his "angelic vision" and his plan to rebrand himself as God. Firecracker talks to Ashley and Oh Father about Homelander's new idea, and they come up with a plan to present him as a Prophet of America. Will some Catholics protest? Will the Starlighters roll their eyes and mock Homelander even harder? Will the Pope issue a statement, only to be rebuked by someone from Vought telling him to mind his own business?

Speaking of Starlighters, what is Starlight up to here? Where did she fly off to after leaving Hughie in Every One of You Sons of Bitches? King of Hell shows Starlight visiting her father. There, she meets her brother from another mother and tries to educate him about his blinkered worldview. She tells him how easy it is to brainwash someone like him—someone who goes to a school that supports a single, regressive identity and then spends his time on TikTok, a platform that only reinforces those same ideas. But the most crucial lesson one can learn from watching this kid is that one should never enter a teenager's room without knocking. Starlight's father learns this lesson the hard way. The Boys teaches you this with its R-rated mirth and giggles.

And this sense of humor once again saves an episode that's just watchable. The series might not have many surprises left to throw at you, but at least it knows how to have fun. With four more episodes to go, let's hope the jokes keep you glued to the screen, in case this final season ultimately fails to stick the landing. Fingers crossed.

Final Score- [4.5/10]