An unexpected figure that The Boys brought back calls attention to one of the main plot holes in the program. Despite being set in a superhero-filled world, The Boys is a brutally realistic television program that exposes the dark, violent, and bizarre reality of such a society. The complicated individuals at the center of The Boys’ distinctively dark takes on superhero clichés have helped it stay grounded.

However, as the show has gone on, it has also picked up a narrative problem that countless other stories with lethal consequences and brutal elements suffer from. It’s something that The Boys has actively been able to explain through character choices, but season 4 draws attention to just how pervasive this has become and how The Boys’ cast of characters are a major part of that problem. The Boys is still a strong series, but it can’t avoid a simple reality about how stakes have evolved in the show.