REVIEW: The Boys – Season 4, Episode 6, “Dirty Business”

“So how are we supposed to break into an alt-right cocktail party?”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

“Dirty Business” finds Butcher and Joe Kessler squeezing Samir for the virus as Daphne and Hughie spread his dad’s ashes. A-Train contacts Marvin and reveals Cameron Coleman’s dark fate. MM and Hughie capture Webweaver so Hughie can pose as him at Tek Knight’s party. The new Black Noir struggles with his role. When the Boys lose contact with Hughie, they decide to infiltrate the party. Rebecca visits Butcher and asks if he’s even trying to save Ryan. Starlight encounters Firecracker, and sparks fly. Marvin accidentally shoots Sage in the head. Annie and Kimiko arrive in time to save Hughie. A-Train gets to do something heroic. Victoria appeals to her former political enemies. Tek Knight gets some of his own medicine. Homelander finally finds the milk he needs. Kessler Interacts with Becca, making Butcher realize that he’s not real. 

I had seen theories that Kessler was a figment of Butcher’s V-induced imagination, something I honestly hadn’t thought of or noticed myself. But I did watch the beginning of “Dirty Business” closely, and it became clear that was the case. I wish I had figured it out myself before the episode where it’s inarguably revealed to be the case. To everyone who noticed/theorized this, great job; you’re more perceptive than I am. Kessler seems to be representative of Butcher’s tumor, even saying he killed Ezekiel for him. Could this be a form of dissociative identity disorder? The ending of “Dirty Business” reminded me of A Beautiful Mind, with the voices in Billy’s head arguing and fighting for control of his choices. I’m pleasantly surprised that Butcher apparently won’t take the scorched-Earth approach with the virus, now knowing that it would kill all supes, not just Homelander. I’m sure he’s only showing mercy because of Ryan, but it’s not what he would have done in season 1. It’s amazing how much characters like Annie and Butcher have changed since then. Notably, Frenchie doesn’t appear in “Dirty Business” at all, being in jail and refusing Kimiko’s visits. Rude. 

Firecracker is on an uptick as she takes over VNN news for the now secretly dead Cameron Coleman. Possibly more importantly to her, she is now Homelander’s milkmaid, having followed Sage’s advice to lactate. I guess when Firecracker said she’d do anything for Homelander, she didn’t just mean the sexual favors she heavily implied. I’m almost disappointed because I hate Firecracker, and watching her fail was fun. Madelyn Stillwell and Stormfront were smart and knew how to manipulate Homelander; Firecracker is dumb, and as a result, I find her less interesting to watch. We also learn a lot more about Tek Knight in “Dirty Business.” Tek Knight was introduced in Gen V as an opportunistic news show host with a proclivity for holes. In this episode, I wondered if they had forgotten that as they focused on several other bizarre kinks in his “Tek Cave.” This and several other lines of dialogue reveal Tek as a Batman parody, something I don’t think has previously been clear or hinted at. He’s rich, has a sidekick, and even asks Homelander for a team-up. Tek also sexually abuses his sidekicks, probably a reference to unpleasant jokes about Batman and Robin. The hole thing comes back in a horrifying way, as Tek threatens to drill additional holes into Hughie, bored with the usual holes humans have. This show remains as blunt and crass as ever. Webweaver, the C-lister Hughie impersonates, is an equally disgusting reflection of Spider-Man. He shoots webs out of his butt, is addicted to drugs, and is apparently a freak behind closed doors like Tek Knight. His safe word, Zendaya, is another reference to Spider-Man. She played his love interest and is dating Tom Holland in real life. I feel for Hughie in this episode; he’s sent on a routine recon mission and ends up getting sexually assaulted by Tek and Ashley, of all people. And this comes just after losing his dad. 

There’s some excellent stuff with A-Train in “Dirty Business.” He initiated the episode’s events, telling Marvin about Cameron Coleman’s death. He’s afraid Homelander and Sister Sage will come for him soon because he’s the actual leak. He also deals with the usual racism, with Tek Knight bragging about his slave catcher ancestors being able to keep up with A-Train. A-Train gets to do some genuine good, taking Marvin to the hospital when he collapses after shooting Sage. He’s even seen doing it by some kids; I’m not sure if these were supposed to be his nephews or just random children. Marvin finds out he had a panic attack rather than a heart attack like he thought. This fits with his character and mental problems perfectly, but it reminded me a lot of a scene in Mindhunter. I’m sure it’s a coincidence; that’s just where my mind went. 

The show’s political overtones are on high this week. Tek Knight and everyone at the party are far-right extremists, with one guy even saying women’s bodies can reject rape and abort any pregnancy caused by it. Even Victoria, who sucks, hates them all. But you know what? She still appeals to them and says only rich people should have any say in society. Now, the Boys have recordings of what she said at the party. This is something I’ve always liked about the show: it’s politically blunt, but it doesn’t let anyone off the hook. Sure, these people are disgusting, but our minority woman politician isn’t above them or doing whatever it takes. None of these people are good on either side. 

“Dirty Business” lives up to its name, with Butcher doing questionable things to meet his goals and Hughie forced into some really dirty stuff. Victoria, too, engages in dirty business. I mostly enjoyed this episode, especially the stuff with Butcher and A-Train. A-Train is one of my favorites this season so far, showing some actual growth and self-awareness for once. I fear he won’t make it to season 5, though, especially with Sage and Homelander killing people they suspect.