The Boys is one of the most popular superhero series in the world. The twisted take on the superhero genre, adapted from the comic book of the same name, became a major hit for Amazon Prime and a series that has pushed the boundaries of what can be shown on TV in more ways than one. After three successful seasons and a spin-off series, the fourth season of The Boys finally premiered on June 13, 2024, with the first three episodes. The initial reactions were lukewarm, but the series has been picking up the pace and is now Certified Fresh with high ratings as well. But, The Boys wouldn’t be The Boys were it not for some controversies.
Just like the orgy scene that marked the beginning of Season 3, Season 4 started with several important moments. And while Homelander’s Trump-esque parody was the focus in narrative terms, some characters went through some significant changes, and Frenchie is one of them, as he was revealed to be gay, although this shouldn’t really come off as a surprise to anyone who’s been following the show.
As you can imagine, anti-woke and homophobic fans of The Boys immediately rushed to the Internet to spit their hate with such a narrative turn, which led to a lot of backlash, as the people behind the series made a “too woke” turn, although – as it turns out – this is neither woke, nor new, as Frenchie’s homosexuality, or bisexuality, has been foreshadowed since the very beginning, which is something that Eric Kripke, the series’ showrunner, also confirmed:
Just putting this here. #TheBoys Season 3. @TheBoysTV pic.twitter.com/qe4aE3tNiH
— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) June 17, 2024
Kripke is known for reacting to certain accusations from time to time, and he seemingly deemed it relevant to react now, as the fans are obviously wrong about Frenchie and his story, which is true. The scene in question actually implies that the kiss between Kimiko and Frenchie was weird because Frenchie is actually gay, and there were some hints implying that he is gay or bisexual in season one as well.
And while the homophobic comments really don’t make any sense and are just stupid, there is still a relevant issue here and that is the development of Frenchie’s relationship with Kimiko. And while the scene above does imply that Kimiko’s and Frenchie’s relationship is more Platonic than anything else, there is an issue with its development.
As the series progressed, regardless of all the implications, Kimiko and Frenchie had been shipped together. There was chemistry between them and Frenchie seemed to care for her properly, suggesting that they loved each other. Also, the general impression really was that the two of them were a couple and no one really doubted that aspect.
Now, Frenchie is most likely bisexual, which means that his relationship with Kimiko shouldn’t be excluded completely, but if Kripke and the writers don’t do something, it will mean that either their relationship is meaningless, or that Frenchie is cheating on Kimiko. Either way, this was not done in the most practical way imaginable, so we’ll see how it all develops, but we can understand the fans who are angry over the character development issues that arose from this turn.
What is your opinion on the matter? Do you think that Frenchie’s “coming out” was executed well? How will this impact Kimiko as a character? Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
