REVIEW: The Boys Season 4, Episode 5, “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son “

“They are decent people. But you and me, we don't belong with decent.”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

In “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” Homelander is unreceptive to Sister Sage’s advice, consumed by his experience in “Wisdom of the Ages.” Hughie and his mom deal with the fallout of his dad waking up. The Boys bust out Stan Edgar, teaming up with him to take Victoria down. However, at her base of operations, she intercepts them… and they all end up working together. Hughie’s dad loses control of his new powers, killing a couple of people and confronting his wife for abandoning the family. Cannibalistic, Compound V-riddled farm animals set upon the Boys. They make it out, and Marvin rescinds Stan’s pardon because they didn’t find the virus. However, Victoria intercepts Stan before he can be remanded to custody. Ashley frames newscaster Cameron Coleman, now her ex, for leaking the Hometeamer video to protect A-Train. Hughie puts his dad to sleep. 

This episode’s title is another literary allusion, this time to the poem Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. It’s a direct line from the poem. This poem initially appeared in his 1871 novel Through the Looking Glass, and it inspired a deleted scene and song in Disney’s 1951 Alice in Wonderland. The Jabberwock also appears in the live-action 2010 version, voiced by Christopher Lee. However, the circumstances are very different; in the original text, it’s a male hero who slays the beast, not Alice herself. The poem is actually self-contained. The poem has inspired film, music, and even a stage play in its 150-odd year existence. With regards to The Boys, I imagine they went with this title because of the V-infused critters on Stan’s old farm. They do look like creatures out of Wonderland, if, perhaps, this is a darker, more disturbing iteration. I feel so bad for these animals, particularly the bunny Butcher frees. This feels thematically relevant, too; Billy takes pity on the creature, releasing it from Samir and Victoria’s torture chamber. But this mercy hardly helps the little guy, who is soon overtaken and killed by the Compound V within his body. This is perhaps a reflection of Butcher’s near future and shows him the futility of trying to help those in need. After all, he has said time and again that he would risk anything and anyone to get Ryan away from Homelander. 

Marvin’s daughter Janine is in trouble for beating up a kid who said Homelander is a hero. This scene furthers the story of Marvin’s superhero issues conflicting with his family life. His daughter is turning into him, which naturally worries his ex-wife. MM’s parental struggles parallel those of Butcher and even Homelander. Showrunner Erik Kripke has made it clear that The Boys is a political show, something that was always pretty obvious. But I think it’s also a show about parents and parenthood, something more universal and interesting. Homelander’s relative self-awareness, admitting that he’s been controlling his son like he was controlled, surprised me. I’m continually impressed with how they keep this character fresh, but this season shows his first positive character growth. Accepting Sage’s help was a big step, and now this. I’m not saying he’s a good guy or redeemed; I don’t want that. But this is very interesting.

Even Hughie’s parents tie into this theme of parenthood, despite his already being grown. His father is his hero, and he tells him as much in this episode. At the same time, his mother ran away from her responsibilities. Victoria Neuman and her relationships both with Stan and her daughter could even be part of it. She says in this episode that Stan is “ashamed” of her, of her powers.  At the end of “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” Hughie has to sort of parent his own parents, deciding what is actually best for his dad. I found the story of Jar-Jar, the Campbell family’s cat, both endearing and tragic. 

This episode is packed with stuff, to the extent that the cannibal critters seem almost like an afterthought in retrospect. They have plenty of screen time, but I find myself thinking more about Giancarlo Esposito’s return as Stan Edgar, the Gen V tie-ins, and Hughie’s dad. I need to make an amendment: I believe I called the Vought expo convention V54 in last week’s review, but it’s V52. I found the introduction of Vought: Faith featuring Firecracker very funny. This episode is hysterical in general, in addition to being full of bombshells. The “Black at It” reveal and the way they call the black heroes “articulate” is a perfect skewering of the race-baiting and virtue signaling the entertainment world thrives on these days. They claim to hold up diversity but condescend to the black heroes, implying it’s notable for them to be articulate. Typical. It’s also ironic how Vought groups them together on the basis of color when Sage spends the whole episode trying to nail A-Train for the leak or get him to slip up and confess. 

This episode also revolves around the virus introduced in Gen V that kills supes by targeting the Compound V in their blood. The Boys and their uneasy allies find all doses gone except for one, and that one is lost when they inject a dead body with it to kill the crazed farm animals. But in the end, Billy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character with a dubious past steal Victoria Neuman’s baby daddy to force him to make more. Gen V also comes back in the form of Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann). These crossovers (if you can call it that when it’s a spinoff) were heavily teased before the season aired, and I look forward to seeing more. Will Marie appear in The Boys?

I enjoyed “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son” the most out of season 4’s episodes so far. It’s hilarious and irreverent, but more importantly, touching and intelligent. I’m really looking forward to the rest of season 4 and the fifth and final season.