The Boys 4×06″ Dirty Business” reveals some things that have been suspected, but nothing surprising. Learning about the internment camps was not too huge of a shock. It’s been pretty clear this whole time that Homelander is becoming more authoritarian and is willing to do just about anything to create his twisted vision of a perfect utopia.
However, we still don’t have any clue what Sage’s real plans are. She’s been writing notes in the little diary she carries around and setting things up for Homelander’s takeover. But surely her plans are grander than that, right? Then again, her spot on The Seven might be in jeopardy after this episode. Underestimating Mother’s Milk was a huge mistake on her part and revealed her weakness to Homelander. If there’s one thing Homelander hates in his team: it’s weakness. Especially since they were in a room of politicians that he needed on his side. Luckily for him, Neuman was able to salvage the situation.
The Truth About Joe Kessler
For a while, there has been some suspicion that Joe Kessler might be a figment of Butchter’s imagination who appealed to Butcher’s more sadistic side. A devil on Butcher’s shoulder who whispers to kill all Supes and show no mercy…
Lo and behold, that is exactly what he is.
The Boys 4×06 “Dirty Business”’s big reveal is that the real Kessler is dead because Butcher left him in Panjshir Valley. The Kessler in Butcher’s mind represents all of his darker thoughts and guilt whereas Becca represents all the good in him. The whole reveal wasn’t really surprising. What was surprising, was hearing Kessler say he’s the one who killed Ezekiel. That’s a pretty scary thing considering that Starlight and Kimiko are technically Supes. If Kessler is the one in charge of the parasite, that could be trouble for the ladies in The Boys later on.
If Butcher’s internal battle wasn’t interesting before, it is now. We have Becca who’s trying to lead him on the path to redemption and good. To be everything she wanted him to be and what he wanted to be for her. There’s Kessler, who’s telling him to forget being good and get the virus to kill Homelander once and for all. Consequences be damned. It’s not just a battle of saving Ryan from becoming the next Homelander, but also a battle for Butcher’s soul.
Hughie Can’t Catch A Break
As if the events from 4×05 weren’t enough, Hughie couldn’t catch a break in this episode either. It was sweet to see him and his mom take the Maid in Manhattan tour to honor his dad even though they don’t like the movie. But of course, the moment has to be ruined by a Hometeamer who sees Starlight walking behind them.
If that doesn’t sound pretty sad, Hughie has to go to Tek Knight’s party disguised as Webweaver. It sounded pretty simple: get in, plant the bugs to listen in on conversations, and get out. But things can’t be that simple because this is The Boys we’re talking about. Tek Knight takes him to his Tek Cave and things get…interesting. If you thought Herogasm was a lot to see, the Tek Cave scenes in “Dirty Business” are pretty close to it. Putting Hughie in a situation where he’s almost cut up and assaulted by his childhood hero and making the scenes go on for as long as they did seemed excessive. The Boys has prided itself on shock value when it comes to adult scenes like this, but this just felt a bit too much.
The Boys 4×06 would’ve been a great chance to give A-Train more time to shine as The Boys’ guy on the inside. He could’ve easily planted the bugs since no one suspects him of being the traitor. A-Train is following a similar path that Maeve did last season and becoming a more heroic figure. Whether he makes it out alive or not remains to be seen but now would be a great time to show him taking more steps against Homelander and Vought.
This episode left us with a lot of WTF moments, but this season isn’t over yet. There’s plenty of time for more. Here’s to hoping Hughie has a little more time to grieve and recover from his ordeal in this episode.
Some random thoughts about The Boys 4×06 “Dirty Business”…
- I feel bad for MM having to “help” Webweaver.
- The scenes in the Tek Cave were…something to witness. Like Hughie, I felt uncomfortable.
- A-Train got to have a heroic moment. That doesn’t bode well for his future.
- Brain-damaged Sage is a hoot.
- Was anyone really surprised about Joe Kessler? I wasn’t.
- MM is clearly not doing well. If he leaves, does that mean Butcher is the leader again?
- Firecracker proving her loyalty to Homelander by appealing to his milk kink was not on my The Boys bingo card.
- Kessler saying “Daddy’s home.” sent shivers down my spine.
- Frenchie, please see Kimiko.
The Boys is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
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”
