Two years after season three, The Boys is returning to a different world (kind of). Superhero weariness appears to have set in, as Marvel and DC are both retooling their film and television slates following disappointing box office returns and mixed reviews from reviewers.

On the other hand, it’s election season, and, just like in the first and second seasons of The Boys, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are facing off in a national election that promises to be just as controversial and draining as the previous two. The Boys has always been prescient, and this season is no exception, but it struggles to strike a balance between satire, commentary, and the gross-out action and humor that the series is known for, while still delivering something new.

The Boys Season 4 Starts Strong

Dynamics have changed since the end of season three.

When season 4 begins, Homelander is having a midlife crisis, cracks are showing in the titular team, and a new threat has ascended as Victoria Neuman becomes Vice President and threatens to upend the US government with her covert pro-Supe agenda. It’s a welcome reprieve from the focus of the last two seasons: Homelander versus Butcher is sidelined for new stories, including an exploration of Kimiko’s past, Butcher’s reunion with Ryan, and Homelander’s plan for world domination.

Butcher is currently on the outs with his teammates after the end of The Boys season 3, with Hughie his only advocate. Having a new threat to deal with takes some of the pressure off of Homelander, and it’s a welcome reprieve for the series. Claudia Doumit is quietly sinister as the head-exploding VP Supe and her powers present a new challenge for The Boys. Her rise, coupled with Homelander’s relationship with Sister Sage adds new layers to villains that otherwise feel stale.

The Boys Is As Prescient As Ever — For Better & Worse

Season 4 settles into an all-too-familiar pattern

In its three-episode premiere, The Boys season 4 remains a distorted mirror of today’s moment as fascists infiltrate the government and a seemingly untouchable figurehead is the defendant in a highly-publicized trial. Homelander’s murder of a civilian in the season 3 finale is met with support from his “Hometeamers” — they insist that the man was a violent maniac attacking his son Ryan — but they are not without enemies. Starlight’s faction (dubbed “Starlighters”) is just as active on the frontlines of protest, leading to violent clashes in the first few episodes.

“The Boys is still an entertaining show in the first three episodes of season 4, but its sharp edge is becoming a bit duller as time goes on.”

If it weren’t so prescient, it would be too on-the-nose. Instead, it ends up in a liminal space between genuine satire and a reminder of the bleak state of things. Kripke and the team behind The Boys had no way of knowing that the premiere episodes would be released mere weeks after Trump was found guilty in his hush money trial, but this fact doesn’t do the show any favors. The violence against protesters, the unstoppable blonde megalomaniac, and the deep state conspiracy theorists no longer feel like satire — the mirror isn’t distorted anymore.

As chilling as its social commentary is, though, The Boys season 4 retains a kinetic energy that somehow skirts around the creeping feeling of repetition and the depressing reality of its satire. Kripke and his team have found a formula that works, and it’s an entertaining one. There’s enough action and violence — and enough bad people on the receiving end of that violence — to keep us hooked.

The cast continues to excel as time adds depth to their characters. Starr, in particular, is able to add layers to Homelander that stop him from becoming a one-note villain even while his dynamic with the series’ main antagonist is beginning to feel that way. Explorations of Kimiko and Frenchie’s pasts also give Karen Fukuhara and Tomer Capone room to explore new sides to their characters.

“As chilling as its social commentary is, though, The Boys season 4 retains a kinetic energy that somehow skirts around the creeping feeling of repetition and the depressing reality of its satire.”

Susan Heyward plays Sister Sage, a new member of The Seven with the ability to be the most intelligent person in the world. Her character is the most intriguing addition to the series. She’s the first person who can compete with Homelander in terms of sociopathy, and they make for a gloriously diabolical pairing that will upend the dynamics even more as the season progresses. The Boys is still amusing in the first three episodes of season 4, but its sharp edge is growing duller as time passes, even when aspects go in intriguing new ways.

The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3 premiere on Prime Video Thursday, June 13. The remaining episodes will release weekly each Thursday until July 18.