'The Boys' Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: 3 Wildest Moments, Explained
The Boys has never shied away from creating shocking moments. The series has made bonkers scenes and jaw-dropping sequences part of its calling card.
Inspired by the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and brought to television by Eric Kripke, The Boys, which premiered its fourth season on June 13 on Prime Video, follows a gang of vigilantes on a mission to stop a power-hungry group of superheroes. The series stars Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jack Quaid, Tomer Capone, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Claudia Doumit, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Karen Fukuhara and Colbie Minifie.
Read more: 'The Boys' Season 4 Gets More Interactive With This Prime Video Feature
Beware the Jabberwock is the title of the fifth episode this season: an apparent reference to Lewis Carroll's famous poem about the killing of a creature called the Jabberwock.
There are plenty of nonsensical monster threats here — a few hilarious ones and one that's downright heart-wrenching (literally). But before I dig into things further, I must remind you that spoilers abound below. If you have yet to catch up on season 4 of The Boys, proceed with caution.
Here's a mini recap of key events that transpired in episode 5:
Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) returns, and this time he's in cahoots with Butcher (Urban), of all people. After being set up by Homelander (Starr) and Victoria (Doumit) in season 3, he was ousted from the Vought board and sent to prison. He's freed to obtain the Supe-killing virus from Victoria. He fails. Homelander's parenting journey takes an interesting turn. Instead of forcefully managing Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), he takes a more subtle, manipulative approach, appealing to Ryan's sense of agency. It may be a successful first step in molding the young man to serve his interests. Ashley (Minifie) and A-Train (Usher) forge an unlikely partnership to keep Homelander from finding out their indiscretions against Vought.Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Butcher make their secret partnership official, going rogue from the CIA's official directive.Frenchie's (Capone) guilt from his past actions drives him to turn himself in to the cops.Now, let's get on with it. Here are the three wildest moments from this week's episode of The Boys.
Antony Starr as Homelander in the key art for season 4 of The Boys.
Amazon MGM StudiosUntil now, Vought has maintained a heavy hand in managing The Seven's public persona. The pantheon of superheroes make public appearances, perform staged saves and headline a stacked lineup of Marvel-like entertainment titles.
This celebrity status is all about to change.
The season 4 trailer teased Homelander's mission to transform his Justice League-style crew into a gang of wrathful gods. If he gets his way, The Seven's role will change dramatically. He's been pulling strings and grinding the societal gears to gain domination over the human race. And his shock doctrine–style plan is unfolding right before our eyes.
Remember, he replaced Ashley with Sister Sage (Heyward), all but kneecapping her influence in her position at Vought. At this point, she's a public-facing spokesperson for the group — a glorified mascot, if you will.
Removing her managerial powers is one more guardrail down on Homelander's ultimate plan of global domination. If Victoria Neuman makes it to the White House, all bets will certainly be off.
Hugh woke up with superpowers and it wasn't prettySimon Pegg as Hugh in The Boys on Prime Video.
Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNETI've wanted to know the long-term plan for Simon Pegg's involvement in the series. Ennis used Pegg as an inspiration for his initial inception of Hugh in the comic book. Kripke casting him as Hughie's father was a nice shout-out to comics fans.
But Hugh hasn't had much to do throughout the first three seasons, and up until recently I was beginning to think he'd remain in the background of Hughie's life. Boy, was I wrong!
Hugh's been on life support since the beginning of season 4, causing all sorts of heartache for his son. Add the return of his deadbeat mom to the mix, and the family drama got a huge boost. In episode 4, Compound V was introduced to the equation and this week, for a hot minute, Hugh was back to being his old self.
The Boys regularly reminds viewers that Compound V is bad. Its effects on a fully functioning human have been thoroughly documented. But never have we seen Vought's Supe drug take hold of a failing brain or a dying body, until now.
Hugh's superabilities are discovered in a blood-soaked vortex of confusion. The first to go is his memory. Then he realizes he can transport himself through solid objects. It's a cool ability to have if you ever want to walk through walls.
A very confused Hugh (Simon Pegg) roams the hospital covered in blood in The Boys season 4 on Prime Video.
Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNETBut what happens if you want to go through a person, only to find yourself stuck in the middle of their body? The answer is a gut-drenched slate of accidental murders where Hugh is the unbeknownst weapon.
Emotional stakes have never stagnated in The Boys. But this moment will rank high on the show's rundown of heartbreaking scenes. Terrifying and tragic, bloody and beautiful — it was a worthy send-off for Pegg.
Billy Butcher meets a Supe bull on the farm.
Jasper Savage/Prime VideoCongratulations if ravenous Birdemic-style flying sheep were on your The Boys season 4 bingo card! You can confidently tick off that box.
Butcher and crew headed to Victoria's farm under Stan Edgar's guidance, but instead of finding the Supe-killing virus, an array of Compound V-fueled farm animals sprung to attack.
Joining the devil sheep in their onslaught were other livestock, including a monster bull, some super chickens and a peculiar bunny that may allude to Butcher's future this season.
Like him, this bunny was injected with V. And, perhaps like him, a tentacle monster attempted to burst from the chest of this cute little fuzzball. Butcher stomped it into rabbit mush before anyone — the rest of the group or the audience — could better understand what they're dealing with.
Injecting farm animals with Compound V probably wasn't the smartest idea.
Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNETAll in all, Beware the Jabberwock was an eventful episode. What will next week have in store? Come back for more observations next Thursday, July 5, when episode 6 of The Boys season 4 hits Prime Video.
