In the finale of the 4th season of The Boys, the series ceases to be merely what it was—a historical follow-up to over a decade of absolute dominance of the superhero genre in pop culture as a parody of it. With the finale of the 4th season, The Boys transforms from parody into political allegory, delivering perhaps the sharpest fictional commentary on the political landscape of the world's greatest imperialist superpower as it has evolved in recent years. In this way, the decline of superheroes (which the parody itself follows) coincides with the rise of the far-right, one of the two political poles of the bourgeoisie (guess which is the other and whether Amazon has a position in it) in the capitalist metropolis, becoming the unexpected vehicle for its depiction in pop culture. And what a depiction it was...
Trying to organize my thoughts and feelings and moving past the introductory comment, speaking purely about the television drama, it seems that the 4th season, to the extent that it seemed to many of us to "lose its way" in terms of plot, was carefully putting the pieces of the puzzle in place for the explosive 5th season and the series finale. I think that, even if the season as a whole didn't excite me personally as much due to its tone (perhaps a consequence of the producers' objectives for it), it masterfully sets up the end of a series that, ultimately, is so much more than just a "simple" parody of superheroes.
The epitaph of superheroes now carries the Touch of Reality and it is: "Make America super again." No further words needed: Chilling.
The last scene is one of the most incredible things I've seen on screen. I could rewatch it 10 times in a row.
This doesn't happen because I've been listening to "Heart-Shaped Box" on repeat for the last couple of hours (which played in that scene).
The most chilling part (among many) of the scene was the incredible performance by Valorie Curry (Firecracker).
Maddie Phillips, despite your surreal and otherworldly beauty, it was your black nails that made me fall in love with you.
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