5 Key Moments From ‘The Boys’ Season 4, Episode 6

Look, I get it—we like sensationalism and memes—but I do feel like The Boys is running out of gas, even if there is a story to be told in Season 4, Episode 6. “Dirty Business” trundles the story along slowly, but I’m just getting the sense that the alternative superhero series is trying to get outrageous moments trending on social media, and it’s wearing thin.

Dare I say it, but I am a little bored at times. I like obvious humor, but when it’s laid on thick constantly, I require something else to stimulate my brain. Either way, there are plenty of talking points from the sixth episode of Season 4, so I’ve broken them down and analyzed:

Butcher Has Lost His Mind

Butcher (R) is hallucinating Joe Kessler (L) in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 (Credit – Amazon Prime Video)

Plenty of theories have been circulating online regarding Butcher’s state of mind. We knew he was hallucinating his deceased wife, Becca, who is likely representing the angel on his shoulder, but “Dirty Business” confirms he has a devil on his other shoulder, too.

That devil is Joe Kessler, and he’s been influencing Butcher to kidnap Samir so the virus can be made. Butcher is hallucinating Becca and Joe, which was the main twist at the end of Episode 6.

Butcher needs The Boys more than The Boys need him. If he’s losing his mind, he’s a danger to himself and others. He’s a stubborn character, so the story reaches a junction where he becomes unpredictable.

Sameer Confirms Worst Case Scenario For Replicating The Virus

Sameer gives Butcher an ominous prediction if he replicates the virus (Credit – Amazon Prime Video)

After Sameer was kidnapped and had his leg chopped off in Season 4 Episode 5, Butcher was desperate to coerce the scientist into re-creating the virus. The objective is to kill Homelander so that Ryan does not become the next narcissistic, PR superhero/villain. The consensus is that the world would be ruined if Ryan became anything like Homelander.

However, Sameer provides a depressing outlook for the virus, even if he could recreate it. He tells Butcher that after tests, the virus would be unstable and airborne, making it highly contagious. The result would be super lethal, killing every Supe on earth. Butcher would risk killing those close to him, not just Homelander.

Butcher is in a vulnerable position. The temptation to do the “greater good” will be at the forefront of his mind, but that would mean the risk of losing Ryan.

Homelander Wants A Political Coup, But Sister Sage Is Becoming A Liability

Sister Sage is really not useful with brain damage in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 (Credit – Prime Video)

At the center of Episode 6, Homelander, Sister Sage, and Victoria Neuman head to Tek Knight’s manor for a party with government officials and corporate power players. They plan to encourage them to support a plan to oust Singer when he becomes President so Neuman can take over.

But having the world’s most intelligent person by your side has disadvantages, especially while they are enduring temporary brain damage. Before Homelander presents his plans to the powerful people in the room, Sister Sage is shot in the head by Mother’s Milk, so she is in her dumb form.

So, while the powerful players in the room are unconvinced, Sage is in the corner of the room, giggling and eating chocolate cake. Fortunately, Neuman steps in and agrees with plans to utilize the 25th Amendment—she tells the wealthy acquaintances to support her and be smart.

The only issue is that Homelander has zero patience, and if his plans do not come together because Sage cannot keep her brain intact, he will resort to more serious measures. At the same time, The Boys have not been effective thus far in this Season 4 story — the series is doing well to convey what will happen if Neuman gets the highest office in the world in the scenario that they fail to stop her.

Hughie Gets More Than He Bargained For At Tek Knight Mansion

Derek Wilson as Tek Knight as seen in ‘Gen V’ (Credit – Prime Video)

As always, when Homelander and Vought are up to something, The Boys want to spy and infiltrate. It’s a repetitive plot point in this series, but it is fun. I’m unsure why The Boys sent Hughie disguised as Webweaver to Tek Knight’s party to figure out Homelander’s plans with Neuman, especially after his father had just died. And Starlight feels the same, especially after Hughie is taken down to Tek Knight’s strange sex dungeon.

The meme-worthy moment is when Tek Knight asks Hughie to sit on a chocolate cake and fart while chains hold him back. But it gets even weirder when Ashley joins in on all the dominatrix “fun.” Whatever floats your boat, I guess?

But it gets worse for Hughie when Tek Knight figures he is not Webweaver, so he starts to torture him properly. Luckily, Starlight and Kimiko show up to save him.

This is nothing new in The Boys, where it displays outrageous moments to shock the audience, but as I said at the start of this article, it’s getting a little boring now.

But the real twist in the whole Tek Knight debacle is when one of Knight’s sex slaves reveals that Homelander and Sage want to use his prisons as camps throughout America. This poses a real danger for America if Homelander is ever in charge in liaison with Victoria Neuman.

Homelander’s Obsession With Breast Milk Continues

We’ve seen Homelander’s obsession with breast milk before (Credit – Prime Video)

There’s never a more confusing villain than Antony Starr’s Homelander. Season 4, Episode 6 shows how insecure this Supe is, desperate for love and affection. After Homelander learns that Cameron Cole was not the Vought leak and that The Boys were at the Tek Knight Mansion, he points his suspicions at Firecracker.

However, Firecracker is such a simp for Homelander and offers her loyalty to him by providing breast milk. She’s taken a range of drugs to allow this hormonally to happen for him. Homelander gets to work and sucks on Firecracker’s breasts immediately. I guess that’s one way to convince Homelander that you are not the whistleblower. In 2020, CBR discussed the relevancy of Homelander’s obsession with breast milk, which may take your interest.

Vought Files #6

Here are more noteworthy plot points that are important and may be good for reference in future episodes:

• Kimiko is struggling without Frenchie after he gets himself arrested and in prison for the murder of Colin’s family. She tries visiting Frenchie in prison, but he refuses visitors. Near the end of Episode 6, she tries again to secure visitation, hoping for Frenchie to change his mind.
• Homelander knows that Victoria Neuman helped Stan escape prison.
• The fake Black Noir removes his mask and tells The Deep he wants to quit The Seven. The Deep is dismayed and tells Black Noir that violence is power.
• A-Train saves Mother’s Milk in Episode 6 by dropping him off at the hospital after he suffers a panic attack when confronting Sister Sage. A-Train feels like a hero again, and it may be the moment that makes him join The Boys for good.