The Boys - Season 2 EP4 ‘Nothing Like It in the World’
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Whilst the fourth episode of The Boys isn't bad, per se, it isn't until the final sequence when the glacially paced character study feels like it gains its purpose. However, it’s not quite enough to justify the overlong and under-edited full hour that precedes it.
There are a whole lot of threads explored in the fourth episode, to the point in which they can be hard to recollect. Ironically, this works against the episode's original intent of increasing the depth of the characters because, by the end of the episode, so many of these threads have been advanced – but not resolved – that it can be hard to recollect with certainty much of what has happened at all. It also doesn't help that, since so much of the episode subverts what viewers expect of the series, it is likely that their attention will be waning, as for much of the episode it doesn't feel like much forward progress is being made and trying to recall specific scenes in the second act is difficult. This almost paradoxical issue culminates in an issue wherein the harder the episode tries to clean up character dynamics and set up plot developments, the less relevant and more forgettable it all feels.
Furthermore, large stretches of the episode go without any action whatsoever, and with so little in the way of memorable scenes or moments, the more esoteric the heavily dialogue-driven scenes feel. There are a large number of scenes in the episode, many of which could, and should, be cut into more manageable chunks and some which could be cut entirely. On paper, a road trip scene where the characters sing along to Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire' could feel like a welcome break from these; instead, it turns out to be another couple of minutes to slog through with little consequence for character or story. Despite writer Michael Saltzman's best efforts to flesh out worldbuilding and lore, the personal moments shared by the cast unfortunately often feel uneventful and frustrating. It's especially bad timing for the series, too, considering this episode not only has to carry the audience's interest for a whole week until episode five – which is getting ever harder to do than ever in the streaming landscape – but also has to prove its worth as the first weekly installment after the triple episode drop seven days earlier. Perhaps a better release model would have been simply to release the episodes in doubles, which would lessen the boredom of this episode when paired with the relative lunacy of the third and also shorten the overall release window. The derived consequence of this all is primarily underwhelming, which is disappointing considering the efforts the writer went to in order to expatiate upon the characters.
Whilst the episode of The Boys may feel skippable for many viewers – and for those who are there for the action, it probably is – it still has its moments. Homelander’s arc is unique and interesting, the plot reveals are unexpected but still feel justified and worth going in blind for, and it’s still well-made across the board. Here’s hoping next week gets the ball rolling again.