The Boys season 5 is already confirmed by Amazon, but season 4’s opening episodes reveal the problem with the show’s future plans. The Boys season 4 debuted with three episodes on June 13, raising the stakes for the titular team as Homelander’s plans become more and more insidious. But while The Boys’ new episodes turn up the heat on the conflict between Supes and their adversaries, they have one weakness that’s exacerbated by Amazon’s publicized plans to continue the series.

That’s right, The Boys’ fifth season confirmation impacts the early episodes of season 4 — and it also makes it harder to enjoy certain elements of the latest outing. While it’s exciting that the series has a future on Prime Video — albeit a short one — it’s less satisfying to guess where things are going based on that reality. Viewers can surmise that there are certain places The Boys won’t go until season 5. Fortunately, this problem won’t repeat itself in the fifth outing, as Amazon confirmed that The Boys season 6 isn’t happening.

The Boys Season 4 Feels Like A Transitional Season Before Season 5

The New Episodes Focus On Several Peripheral Storylines

It’s exciting that Amazon greenlit The Boys season 5, but the show’s confirmed future has a noticeable impact on the fourth season. Rather than feeling like a high-stakes addition to the story, The Boys season 4 reads more like a transitional period intended to connect prior outings, Gen V, and season 5. Although the first three episodes of season 4 tease major developments later on, they place a heavy focus on side storylines that don’t have much relevance to the main plot. The subplots following Kimiko, Frenchie, and Hughie’s father are prime examples of this.

Although the first three episodes of season 4 tease major developments later on, they place a heavy focus on side storylines that don’t have much relevance to the main plot.

All of these storylines feel very peripheral to The Boys season 4’s overarching threat: the looming war between Supes who believe they’re superior to humans and everyone else. Of course, the first three episodes don’t totally ignore this. Homelander, The Seven, and Victoria Neuman have a few critical moments. However, even during these scenes, it feels like the show is gearing up for The Boys season 5. This build-up isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the fourth outing feel less focused. It also means The Boys isn’t as fast-paced as it normally is.

Slow Pacing Is A Problem In The Boys Season 4’s Opening Episodes

The Prime Video Series Spends More Time On Its Characters

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Although The Boys’ writing and acting maintains its usual high quality in season 4, slow pacing is a major issue during the opening episodes. The members of The Boys team are struggling individually this season, and the new installments spend a lot of time exploring that. This gives viewers significantly more insight into the characters, but it comes at a cost. While the Prime Video series typically packs a punch with each episode, its fourth season unravels more slowly. Even with the main storyline, there’s a lot of talking and maneuvering this time around.

This won’t be a problem for some fans, but it could turn away viewers more interested in the show’s action sequences and twists. It’s certainly a change of pace from previous seasons of The Boys, which move a lot faster. Season 5’s confirmation may not be fully responsible for this, but it does feel like the series is trying to drag out its main story. And Amazon confirming The Boys season 5 isn’t just slowing the pace; it’s also lowering the stakes, suggesting certain developments won’t happen during this outing.

Amazon Confirming The Boys Season 5 Has Lowered The Stakes For Season 4

Certain Deaths & Showdowns Seem Less Likely To Happen

The Boys season 4 could pick up the pace after episode 3, but season 5’s confirmation suggests that long-awaited developments won’t happen in this batch of episodes. For example, the major death teased in The Boys season 3 seems less likely to occur with another outing on the horizon. Butcher taking on Homelander needs to be the climax of the Prime Video series, and that can’t happen if Butcher is gone. While season 4 could surprise viewers, it seems more likely the show will find a way to keep Butcher around for the next chapter.

As The Boys season 4 isn’t the series’ last hurrah, it’s unlikely to take out any major players or resolve the show’s biggest storylines.

Likewise, The Boys is building to Homelander truly losing it and putting the entire world in danger. Season 4 is taking his character further in that direction, but the existence of season 5 means he won’t go completely over the edge until at least the end of this outing. The Prime Video show will probably save Homelander’s worst moments for its final episodes. As The Boys season 4 isn’t the series’ last hurrah, it’s unlikely to take out any major players or resolve the show’s biggest storylines.

The Boys Still Has Time To Escalate The Narrative In Season 4

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Even if The Boys can’t resolve the series’ biggest conflicts in season 4, it still has time to escalate the narrative in the coming episodes. The Boys season 4 consists of eight episodes in total, so it hasn’t even hit its halfway point. There’s plenty of time to turn things around, moving Homelander closer to his end goal — and making The Boys team increasingly desperate as a result. The series can still raise the tensions and deliver action and twists, even if it doesn’t feature the show’s biggest showdown in the next five episodes.

The most important thing is that The Boys season 4 starts to bring its peripheral storylines together, either resolving them relatively soon or tying them into the overarching plot. Viewers are eager to see the personal and political tensions between the major players unfold, and it’s hard to make that happen when the characters are focused on other things. There needs to be some movement approaching the end of season 4, with the titular team coming together rather than keeping secrets and withdrawing from each other.

Homelander, Neuman, and The Seven also need to move into the open rather than manipulate the political landscape from the shadows. That seems to be what Homelander and Sister Sage are working towards. The stakes will be elevated significantly if they succeed, marking a more fast-paced and exciting ending for The Boys season 4 — and a great segue into season 5. Season 5 should feel much more urgent, as it will mark the end of the superhero series. Unfortunately, there will still be a wait until things truly hit the fan. Hopefully, the fifth outing isn’t too far off.