The Boys 4×04 “Wisdom of the Ages” takes us on a wild ride and leaves us questioning a lot of things. This episode gives a glimpse of how Homelander grew up, Sage taking down the “pebble” Starlight, and The Boys struggling to make any progress. It feels like The Seven and Vought are making a lot more progress than our favorite ragtag group, and that’s utterly terrifying for various reasons.
“Wisdom of the Ages” isn’t the bloodiest or most progressive episode, but it’s left us shaken for what’s to come. If Homelander’s progress in 4×04 is anything to go by, he’s an even bigger threat. His need for love and approval is what keeps him human (using this lightly). All that has changed after visiting the lab where he was raised.
Homelander Goes Home
Homelander decides to back to the lab he grew up in and it’s pretty tough to watch. We don’t get the full-blown flashbacks, but the blinking glimpses of his past show a brutal upbringing. From being baked in an oven to getting a horrible nickname because he was caught with his pants down. Homelander’s past was anything but ideal. It’s hard to feel any bit of sympathy for him, but this is a rare occurrence where it’s somewhat understandable why he is the way that he is. When Homelander brings up key memories from his childhood, none of the past employees can remember them. For just a split second, we feel a little sorry for him. But this is Homelander. That sympathy doesn’t last long.
We know it’s only a matter of time before he kills everyone in the lab, but don’t know when or how. Even when we know something bad is about to happen, we’re never truly prepared for it. Gotta give it to Anthony Starr for leaving viewers on the edge of their seats every time with his menacing performance. By the time all is said and done, Homelander is leaving the facility covered in blood and guts with a maniacal smile on his face. If he’s truly let go of his need for love and approval from authoritative figures in his life, this doesn’t bode well for everyone around him.
Sage Knocks Starlight Down Using Firecracker
Starlight is undoubtedly the biggest name in The Boys and her influence stretches far and wide. And that’s exactly why she’s target #1 for Sage.
While we know Annie isn’t perfect, she seemed almost untouchable and flawless before this season. Now, we’re watching her struggle to keep her friendly hero and girl-next-door image clean as past mistakes and decisions come back to bite her. Unfortunately for her, Sage has found the perfect weapon to ruin her image in Firecracker. Even if she’s not as physically threatening or powerful as the other members of the Seven, the writers have done a great job of making Firecracker a huge threat to Starlight. They’ve managed to make her almost as frightening as Sage because she knows what to say and do to enchant her audience.
It was satisfying to see Starlight beat her to a pulp, but that’s going to come back and bite her too. No doubt that Firecracker will use this as an opportunity to declare war on the Starlighters and spin it to make it seem like Starlight is pure evil. Neuman and President-Elect Singer no longer associate with her, so Starlight is going to be struggling to get the general public on her side.
We still don’t know what Sage’s overall plan is, but it’s clear she’s setting everyone up like pieces on a chessboard. She refers to Starlight as a “pebble” on a mountain, and if that’s the case…who is the “mountain” in this? There are a lot of possibilities, but right now it’s unclear who. She wasn’t in “Wisdom of the Ages” much, but Sage proves she only needs a little bit of screen time to manipulate everyone around her.
The Group Is Still Divided
With so many plots going on, it feels like The Boys are barely making any progress in their plans to take down Homelander and Vought. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing Hughie and Kimiko together, but this did little to advance their plots or the overall plot. Kimiko is still very much in the beginning stages of her healing journey. Plus, Hughie is making questionable decisions in his desperation to save his dad. It was almost mind-boggling to see Kimiko chewing him out for asking for Compound V from A-train. Kimiko has usually been the monstrous role in the group whereas Hughie has been the good human. In a rare moment, we see them switch roles in this moral dilemma.
Though Hughie initially planned to give his dad Compound V to cure him, he backed out of that decision at the last minute. We did get a moment between Hughie and A-Train as Hughie has finally forgiven him for killing Robin, but it did little to progress anything. Maybe this has cemented A-Train’s position as the in-guy for The Boys? Only time will tell.
Frenchie reached his breaking point in this episode and revealed the truth to Colin, but it felt a little anticlimactic. Colin gave him the “Come near me and I’ll kill you.” warning after beating and choking him. It seems like that’s it for their relationship for now. As for Butcher, he’s still seeing hallucinations of Becca everywhere. He almost seems ready to give up on living, but Becca keeps telling him to fight. Whatever that parasite living in him is, it’s clearly messing with his body and his mind. We still don’t know what it is, but we do know it’s strong enough to kill a Supe. RIP Ezekiel.
Overall, it feels like Homelander made a lot of progress in confronting his past demons in this episode while The Boys made very little. Maybe they’ll get more stuff done in the next episode now that Frenchie told Colin the truth, Hughie’s dad has (suspiciously) gotten better, and Butcher is officially back in the group,
Some random thoughts about The Boys 4×04…
- Why does it feel like Butcher is looking for a reason to give up and die? I’m glad Becca is there in his head to keep him going. That parasite must be doing a real number on him.
- I really like Hughie and Kimiko as a duo. We need more scenes with them together. It’s like a big brother and little sister situation. Only the little sister has powers and has to keep the big brother safe or teach him how to fight.
- MM barely did anything. For being the leader, it felt like he was on the sidelines a lot in this episode. If the show wants us to believe he’s a leader, they need to show him leading more.
- Hughie’s mom is looking pretty suspicious. Am I really to believe this woman appeared now out of the goodness of her heart? It just feels like suspicious timing. Plus, she works at a Vought-owned Mary Kay-esque MLM as a saleswoman. Who knows what’s in those creams or essential oils? Or what she has access to…she looked like she knew what was happening right before Hughie’s dad woke up.
- It’s scary how Firecracker was able to twist what could’ve been a scandalous story for her into a redemption story. Seriously, how?
- Homelander is always a terrifying sight. Him letting go of his humanity is even more terrifying.
- That the metal rod in Sage’s room in 4×03 is indeed a lobotomy tool. She uses it to turn her brain off and keep it from growing too much.
- What in the world is Project Odessa? They showed us that memo hanging on the wall for a reason but it didn’t reveal anything. Is it the next big threat?
The Boys is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
The Boys 4×04 “Wisdom of the Ages” has answered some questions, but left us with just many. What do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments!
THIS SEASONS REVIEWS
- ‘The Boys’ 4×01 Review: “Department of Dirty Tricks”
- ‘The Boys’ 4×02 Review: “Life Among the Septics”
- ‘The Boys’ 4×03 Review: “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”
- ‘The Boys’ 4×04 Review: “Wisdom of the Ages”
- ‘The Boys’ 4×05 Review: “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son”
- ‘The Boys’ 4×06 Review: “Dirty Business”
