The Boys season 4 episode 8 recap and review: “Assassination Run”

The Boys season 4 ends here! The full season has been building to this moment, and it’s not great for all of the Boys. 

The Boys season 4 finale, “Assassination Run,” begins with the news that Training A-Train is off the table as a tax write-off with A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) officially on the run. The public doesn’t know that, but that’s what’s going on. 

Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4 finale!

Homelander reveals that Victoria Neuman is a Supe

Homelander (Antony Starr) finds a picture of Butcher (Karl Urban), Becca (Shantel VanSanten), and their dog, Terror, in Ryan’s backpack, which sets him on a rampage. Homelander tries to boss Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) around, but Ryan flees and goes to visit Butcher. 

As the election results are getting certified on Jan. 6, Homelander and Firecracker (Valorie) set a trap on Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). Homelander and Victoria are doing an interview live on Firecracker’s show. Homelander takes the opportunity to pressure Victoria into admitting that she’s a Supe, but she doesn’t bite. Homelander tries to laser her head off, but it doesn’t work, which reveals that she is a Supe. 

Homelander threatens Victoria. She tells him that he’ll have to arrest half the company and country, which is a surprise to Homelander, but he goes along with it. In the aftermath, Homelander has Ashely (Colby Minifie) and her assistant, Ashley, make a list of anyone at Vought who has any leverage over him. They’re going to kill everyone at Vought, and they do! 

Speaker of the House Calhoun (David Andrews) certifies the election results. Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) is now on the way to becoming the President of the United States with Victoria Neuman as the Vice President. 

Homelander’s cronies, led by Deep (Chace Crawford), Black Noir (Nate Mitchell), and Firecracker, kill everyone at Vought who isn’t completely loyal to Homelander and the Seven. Ashley flees, but she only makes it to Homelander’s apartment where she shoots up compound V and becomes a Super. We don’t get a look at what Ashley’s transformation looks like, but it seems painful! That’ll be something to watch in the fifth season. 

Annie saves Robert Singer’s life 

Early in the episode, Annie (Erin Moriarty) and Hughie (Jack Quaid) get engaged, but it’s all a sham. It’s Shifter Annie who proposes to Hughie, who then proposes to Shifter Annie, but immediately after, Hughie starts to get suspicious about Shifter Annie’s behavior. 

Shifter Annie visits Annie and recharges. It also has access to Annie’s memories, which is making things easier in fooling Hughie long enough to kill President Singer. Annie’s powers aren’t working because she’s really struggling with who she is, which has been a big theme throughout the season.

After the election results are certified and the virus isn’t ready, Hughie gets the laptop to share all the dirt on Victoria with the public with the hope that the outcry will cause her to resign, but Shifter Annie has deleted all of the files. It’s officially bad news for the Boys! 

Singer asks the public for a free and fair election. He tells the public that Victoria will have him assassinated. It's not necessarily Victoria pulling the strings, but it's true. That's the plan.

It all comes together in the bunker where they’re protecting Robert Singer after Victoria is outed as a Supe. 

MM (Laz Alonso), Hughie, Shifter Annie, and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) are called to the bunker to try to protect Robert Singer. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) stays behind to make the virus viable to take out Victoria.

In the bunker, Hughie realizes that Shifter Annie is the assassin after it slips up, but it’s nearly too late. The funniest part of the episode, clearly, is Hughie and MM trying to keep a straight face when they know Annie is not Annie. It’s not long, but it’s wonderful before all hell breaks loose, which keeps happening in this show. 

Shifter Annie makes quick work of the secret service agents and military personnel. The only one who slows it down is Kimiko, who is “killed” when Shifter Annie snaps her neck. She’s not actually dead, but she’s incapacitated for the moment. 

It gives real Annie enough time to break free of the cuffs holding her in the abandoned house. She shows up just in time to kill Shifter Annie and save Robert Singer’s life. 

She’s not totally cool with what Hughie did with her impersonator, but she warms up to him later after Hughie confesses his love for her, the real, messy Annie.

Butcher kills Victoria Neuman 

Butcher is dying. His heart is failing him. He calls Hughie to apologize to him and the rest of the Boys, but Butcher has a clear change of heart after Ryan kills Grace Mallory (Laila Robbins). 

Grace tells Ryan everything and tries to convince him to stick around and learn how to fight against Homelander. Ryan panics. He doesn’t want to try to kill his dad, even though his dad is a bad guy. Grace reveals that she’s going to basically kidnap Ryan if he doesn’t agree. Ryan throws her against the wall, killing her. Ryan flees. Kessler returns to Butcher, and he knows what he has to do now. 

Victoria reaches out to Hughie after the attempt to kill Singer. On a phone call, Homelander threatens her life and Zoe’s (Olivia Morandin) life, as well. She wants out, and she’s willing to make a deal. In exchange for Zoe’s safety, Victoria will become a member of the Boys for a time to help stop Vought and Homelander. It seems like a good deal, but after everything that’s happened, Butcher isn’t messing around. 

He crashes the meet-up, looking as fresh and healthy as ever. Hughie tries to talk him into the deal with Victoria, but Butcher isn’t having any of that. He shoots tentacles right out of his chest, picks up Victora, and he rips her in half. Hughie ends up covered in blood because of course he does. 

Kimiko starts toward Butcher, but Hughie makes them stand down. Butcher also steals the virus from Frenchie. He knows who he is going to use it on. 

President Calhoun declares martial law and turns power over to Homelander 

At the end of the episode, it looks like Homelander is going to lose, but Sage (Susan Heyward) returns. Her plan, although it didn’t go perfectly, worked. Robert Singer is arrested for the murder of Victoria Neuman. Sage has Calhoun on the phone ready to serve Homelander, and she reveals that she’s planning “Phase Two.” 

Speaker of the House Calhoun later becomes the President of the United Supes of America and declares martial law. The coup worked. 

Then, Homelander takes over an army of Supes brought in to round up the Starlighters, as Homelander calls them. They’re coming for the Boys and the rest of Homelander’s enemies. 

As MM, Kimiko, Frenchie, Hughie, and Annie try to flee the country, they’re stopped by Homelander’s Supes. Love Sausage (Derek Johns) knocks out MM in an airport bathroom. Cindy (Ess Hödlmoser) and other authorities arrest Hughie while Annie uses her powers to fly away. It’s so Captain Marvel! 

Lastly, we see Sam (Asa Germann) and Cate (Maddie Phillips), the Guardians of Godolkin from Gen V, stop Kimiko and Frenchie. Cate uses her abilities to make Frenchie do whatever she wants while Sam overpowers Kimiko, who regains her ability to speak as she cries out to Frenchie. The pair rekindled and confessed their love for each other right before Butcher killed Victoria. 

Soldier Boy lives 

The final scene of the season reveals Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Homelander’s father, is alive. Homelander and President Calhoun visit Soldier Boy, who is being kept in a chamber of sorts keeping him alive. 

What an ending for The Boys season 4!

What does it mean for The Boys season 5? In terms of story, It’s clear where we’re headed in The Boys season 5. There’s nowhere else to turn, and nowhere else to go. As Homelander says, the train has left the station and the Boys are on it.

I do have one question. Has the Supe virus already been unleashed? Firecracker was showing some pretty clear symptoms. I’m curious if the writers are already setting up the ending of the series with the virus that wipes out all of Supe-kind. We’ll just have to wait and see!