Homelander just went home. Honestly, it was never going to be a cozy reunion with cookies and milk. Episode 4 of the fourth season, titled "Wisdom of the Ages," is arguably the most disturbing stretch of television the series has ever produced. That is saying a lot for a show that once featured a guy shrinking down to enter... well, you know. But this isn't about gore or shock value for the sake of a cheap laugh. It’s a psychological nosedive into the fractured, milky-eyed trauma of the world's most dangerous man.
You’ve probably seen the memes. The milk. The lasers. The god complex. But in The Boys Season 4 Episode 4, the writers decided to strip away the Vought International marketing and show us the raw, bleeding radiator of Homelander’s psyche. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s deeply, deeply "cringe" in the most intentional way possible.
The Lab: Where Monsters Are Made
The core of this episode revolves around Homelander returning to the underground lab where he was raised. This isn't just a trip down memory lane; it’s an exorcism. He gathers the remaining scientists who experimented on him as a child—the people who deprived him of a mother, a father, and any semblance of human touch—and forces them into a twisted game of "quality time."
Antony Starr’s performance here is nothing short of legendary. He manages to look like a petulant five-year-old and a genocidal deity at the exact same time. One minute he’s asking for his favorite childhood snacks, and the next, he’s painting the walls with the people who "made" him. It’s a masterclass in tension. You’re waiting for the snap. You know it’s coming. When he forces the head scientist to endure the same sensory deprivation he suffered, the cycle of abuse isn't just a metaphor anymore. It’s a literal, agonizing reality.
Most shows would handle a villain's origin story with a flashback. The Boys doesn't do that. It makes the villain live it in the present tense, dragging us along for the ride.
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Firecracker and the Art of the Grift
While Homelander is busy murdering his "parents," we get a clearer look at Firecracker. She is a fascinating addition to the Seven, mainly because she isn't powerful in the traditional sense. She’s a conspiracy theorist. A grifter. A woman who knows how to weaponize the "alt-right" media pipeline to get what she wants.
Her confrontation with Starlight at the Truthcon-style rally is hard to watch. It’s a targeted, personal assassination of Annie January’s character. By revealing Annie’s past—specifically the abortion she had—Firecracker isn't just attacking a supe; she’s attacking a symbol. This highlights the season's broader theme of information warfare. In the world of The Boys Season 4 Episode 4, a microphone is often more dangerous than a laser beam. Firecracker knows that if you can’t kill a god, you can at least make people stop believing in them.
Annie's reaction? It’s human. She snaps. She beats Firecracker on a live stage, which is exactly what the villains wanted. It’s a "gotcha" moment that plays right into the hands of Vought’s PR machine.
Hughie, Fatherhood, and Compound V
Then there’s the B-plot. Or maybe it’s the A-plot if you care about the emotional stakes. Hughie’s dad, Hugh Sr. (played by the incomparable Simon Pegg), is brain-dead in a hospital bed. Hughie is desperate. He’s so desperate that he actually considers using a vial of Compound V to save him.
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This is a huge moral pivot for Hughie. He’s spent three seasons railing against the stuff, seeing it as the root of all evil. But when it’s his own blood on the line? Principles get blurry. Watching him wrestle with the choice—and the eventual intervention of his mother—adds a layer of grounded, domestic tragedy to an episode filled with exploding heads and sentient sheep.
Actually, let’s talk about the sheep.
V-doped farm animals are officially the weirdest thing this season. It’s absurd. It’s hilarious. It’s classic Kripke. But underneath the sight of flying, carnivorous sheep is a reminder of how reckless Vought has been with the substance that built their empire. It’s leaking into the ecosystem. The world is literally turning into a monster because of their greed.
Why This Episode Shifts the Narrative
For a long time, the show felt like it was in a bit of a holding pattern. Homelander was mad, the Boys were incompetent, and Vought was evil. Rinse and repeat. The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 breaks that cycle by forcing the characters to face their pasts in a way they can't recover from.
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- Homelander is untethered. By killing the scientists, he’s severed his last link to his "human" creation. He’s no longer seeking approval; he’s seeking purity.
- Starlight is broken. Her public image is shattered, and her "pure" reputation is gone. She’s going to have to find a new way to fight that doesn't involve being a pageant queen for the resistance.
- The stakes are biological. Hugh Sr. being injected with V (spoiler: it happened, just not how Hughie intended) changes the rules for the Campbell family forever.
The Misconception of the "Filler" Episode
Some critics called the early episodes of Season 4 "slow." They’re wrong. This episode proves that the "slow" build-up was necessary to make the payoff in the lab feel earned. If we hadn't seen Homelander struggling with his aging—finding that first grey hair—the massacre in the basement wouldn't have felt like such a desperate attempt to reclaim his youth.
It’s not just a superhero show anymore. It’s a psychological horror-drama that happens to have people in capes.
Moving Forward: What to Watch For
If you’re keeping track of the chess board, several pieces just moved into dangerous territory. Sister Sage is still the smartest person in the room, and her plan for Firecracker is clearly working. She’s baiting the "Starlighters" into becoming the monsters the media says they are.
- Monitor the Ryan factor. He’s watching his dad descend into total madness. At some point, the boy has to choose between the man who loves him and the man who created him.
- Watch the V-Leak. Hughie’s dad waking up with powers is going to be a disaster. Compound V in an untrained, elderly mind is a recipe for a localized apocalypse.
- The Butcher Countdown. Billy is dying. Every minute he spends hallucinating Becca is a minute he isn't killing supes. His desperation is the most volatile element in the show right now.
To really understand where the season is going, re-watch the scene where Homelander stares at the oven in the lab. It’s a callback to his childhood "punishment." He isn't just a villain anymore; he’s a victim who has become the very thing that broke him. That realization is the key to the entire season.
Stop looking for a traditional "final boss" fight. The real battle is happening inside these characters' heads. Go back and look at the background details in the Truthcon scenes; the posters and slogans are terrifyingly close to real-world headlines from the last few years. The show isn't being subtle because the world isn't being subtle.
Pay close attention to the sound design in the lab scenes. The high-pitched ringing and the muffled voices are meant to put you in Homelander’s headspace. It’s uncomfortable for a reason. You aren't supposed to enjoy his revenge; you’re supposed to be terrified by it.