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The Boys
S4.E1
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IMDbPro

Department of Dirty Tricks

  • Episode aired Jun 13, 2024
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
23K
YOUR RATING
Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Boys (2019)
The Boys: Butcher Makes A Desperate Plea To Ryan
Play trailer1:34
3 Videos
51 Photos
ActionComedyCrimeDramaSci-Fi

After Butcher misses his opportunity to kill Homelander by Soldier Boy, he attempts to get Ryan back on his side and correct his mistakes. Meanwhile, Homelander seeks out a new ally as he st... Read allAfter Butcher misses his opportunity to kill Homelander by Soldier Boy, he attempts to get Ryan back on his side and correct his mistakes. Meanwhile, Homelander seeks out a new ally as he struggles to come to terms with his mortality.After Butcher misses his opportunity to kill Homelander by Soldier Boy, he attempts to get Ryan back on his side and correct his mistakes. Meanwhile, Homelander seeks out a new ally as he struggles to come to terms with his mortality.

  • Director
    • Philip Sgriccia
  • Writers
    • David Reed
    • Eric Kripke
    • Garth Ennis
  • Stars
    • Karl Urban
    • Jack Quaid
    • Antony Starr
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Philip Sgriccia
    • Writers
      • David Reed
      • Eric Kripke
      • Garth Ennis
    • Stars
      • Karl Urban
      • Jack Quaid
      • Antony Starr
    • 25User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos3

    The Boys: Butcher Meets Up With An Old Friend
    Clip 3:55
    The Boys: Butcher Meets Up With An Old Friend
    The Boys: Butcher Makes A Desperate Plea To Ryan
    Trailer 1:34
    The Boys: Butcher Makes A Desperate Plea To Ryan
    The Boys: Butcher Makes A Desperate Plea To Ryan
    Trailer 1:34
    The Boys: Butcher Makes A Desperate Plea To Ryan
    The Boys: Department Of Dirty Tricks
    Trailer 4:46
    The Boys: Department Of Dirty Tricks

    Photos51

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    Top cast41

    Edit
    Karl Urban
    Karl Urban
    • Billy Butcher
    Jack Quaid
    Jack Quaid
    • Hughie Campbell
    Antony Starr
    Antony Starr
    • Homelander
    Erin Moriarty
    Erin Moriarty
    • Starlight…
    Jessie T. Usher
    Jessie T. Usher
    • A-Train…
    Laz Alonso
    Laz Alonso
    • Mother's Milk
    Chace Crawford
    Chace Crawford
    • The Deep…
    Tomer Capone
    Tomer Capone
    • Frenchie
    Karen Fukuhara
    Karen Fukuhara
    • Kimiko Miyashiro
    Nathan Mitchell
    Nathan Mitchell
    • Black Noir II
    Colby Minifie
    Colby Minifie
    • Ashley Barrett
    Claudia Doumit
    Claudia Doumit
    • Victoria Neuman
    Cameron Crovetti
    Cameron Crovetti
    • Ryan
    Susan Heyward
    Susan Heyward
    • Sister Sage
    Valorie Curry
    Valorie Curry
    • Firecracker
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    • Joe Kessler
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Ambrosius
    • (voice)
    Simon Pegg
    Simon Pegg
    • Hugh Campbell, Sr.
    • Director
      • Philip Sgriccia
    • Writers
      • David Reed
      • Eric Kripke
      • Garth Ennis
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews25

    7.422.7K
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    Featured reviews

    6dasuke-23952

    Not the best pilot

    The start was disappointingly slow and monotonous. It dragged on with repetitive scenes, lacking any real excitement or engagement. The same dull scenarios kept unfolding, making it a chore to watch. The pacing felt lethargic, with little variation or development to keep things interesting. Overall, it was a tedious beginning that failed to capture my attention or provide any substantial reason to keep watching. A faster pace and more dynamic elements could have improved the experience significantly. Surely not the real TheBoys episode we all know, CGI of the Gore looks a bit meh, like it's all gelly.
    8lassegalsgaard

    Department of Dirty Tricks

    A lot of things were getting me prepared for quite the divisive season with this outing of "The Boys." Not only were they building up for this to be a very political season of the beloved superhero-satire, but it generally feels like the viewers have started to catch onto what the show is trying to do as the world has descended into its more and more obscure qualities. However, with this first episode now in the bag, it feels like this is still the sharp and biting show that originally captivated audiences, just with a few more literal real-world points that challenges the satirical aspects.

    For the people who are loyal supporters of populist and fascist leaders around the world, there is a chance that this episode may hit a little too close to home. However, "The Boys" has always been clear in what audience it's aiming at, and if people are not coming out and saying that the show has gone too liberal, then they've never fully understood the show. This opener may be a bit more on-the-nose than the others, but that's only because of the current political climate, which is way more unbelievable than anything you could ever watch on television, which is why this feels way more geared towards real-life issues and not the heightened versions that they've gone with before. However, even with that, this episode does work perfectly in setting up the real-world tension and face the fact that this is not a world that is fully in attack mode. Homelander is continuing to go down a dark path, and he is opening his closet to everyone, growing even darker and more toxic as his mind descends further and further. He is very familiar to the toxic celebrities that we know, and it adds to the show's overarching theme of how the entertainment industry changes people and turns them into these larger-than-life, horrible personalities. With all of that, though, the episode does have a pacing issue, often taking a little too long with some of its storylines, especially with Butcher who has little-to-nothing to actually do in this episode, except the odd comedic/emotionally-impactful moment.

    "Department of Dirty Tricks" pushes the envelope far, but not so far that it becomes a fundamentally different show; it's just more openly itself now. The characters continue to grow in interesting ways, especially Homelander's dark descent, but there are definitely certain pacing issues that should be taken care of as the show goes along.
    10Nathandima

    Wow..

    The new season has finally arrived, and let me tell you, it exceeded all my expectations. The first episode is absolutely riveting, setting a high bar right from the start. Homelander is especially chilling; his presence on screen is deeply unsettling, and he exudes a terrifyingly intense aura. The episode serves as an excellent introduction to the season, hooking viewers with its compelling narrative and strong character development. I am eagerly anticipating the rest of the season and have high hopes that the subsequent episodes will maintain, or even surpass, this remarkable level of quality.
    4Sarah423

    Save Yourself

    Season four of the Boys is boring, gross, and filled with politics without any substance or nuance. I was warned by friends to bypass it and am infinitely sorry I didn't.

    ---

    Looking back at the beginning, season one, the show was sometimes shocking but had a heart. Writers were world building and emphasized characters. The series had the ability to surprise viewers in a way that didn't feel "fixed."

    By season three, producers were basically using PR and hype just like the characters they set out to satirize. Spent months building up a guest actor, only to under-utilize him in the show itself. (Lots of gifs and special inserts though, with a sucker born every minute to sell.)

    This season is even more condescending to any viewer who expects to use more than half a brain cell.

    ---

    The supposedly surprising plot twist with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character? Telegraphed a mile off.

    The political satire? Ham handed and stale. (The internet can do direct political take offs better, being more timely. What movies and shows need to do is a step up and actually create scenarios that make viewers think)

    The shock has gone from fitting into the story (fine) to just being grossly inserted for squick alone (yawn and/or gag)

    No, I will probably not watch Rob Benedict's work in any project again.

    And I don't know if I'll watch Kripke's future shows, given his quote about a character's sexual assault being not only played for jokes but "hilarious" to them while writing.

    These are two creatives I've enjoyed in the past, so that gives an indication of the amount of scorched earth this show leaves behind.

    ---

    I do give some stars for A-Train's character development.

    I am interested in what happens to Noir.

    I'm actively rooting for Homelander's death and removal.

    The story, however, has become so predictable, I don't see how there are any fresh PLOT twists or resolutions left to surprise viewers. Which might be why they pull out the gross stunts just to get by.

    It does at least prove that shocking can be simultaneously boring, I guess.

    By all means, save yourself.
    8aalltefalrajhi

    Good

    It was pretty good, but Homelander totally carried the whole episode. His scenes were the highlight, and he's just so intense and magnetic. You'll see what I mean when you watch it.

    But honestly, there wasn't a whole lot of stuff happening in this episode, which was kind of a letdown. I had high hopes after the crazy ending of Gen V. That finale was explosive and set the bar really high for what's next. I was expecting The Boys to pick up right where Gen V left off, with lots of action and excitement. Instead, this episode felt more like a setup, laying the groundwork for what's to come. It was a bit slower than I wanted.

    Don't get me wrong, setting things up is important, but after Gen V's intense ending, I was hoping for more right out of the gate. It's like they're gearing up for something big, but the opener didn't really pack the punch I was hoping for. I wanted more action and craziness that The Boys usually brings.

    If you're into Homelander, you'll love his scenes because he's as terrifying and compelling as ever. But overall, I was expecting a stronger start to the season. Maybe it's just building up to something huge, and the next episodes will be wild. Let's see where it goes! Watch the episode and see if you feel the same way.

    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Hughie goes to see his father in the hospital the PA in the background is paging Dr. Voight-Kampf to call the pharmacy. Voight-Kampf was the name of the test used to differentiate Replicants from Humans in Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
    • Goofs
      Frenchie says "Ça va? "Non ça va?" to mean "All good? Not all good?" But "Non ça va" is not grammatically correct French, the proper way to say it would be "Ça va pas?"
    • Quotes

      Black Noir II: Yo, what the fuck? That was so fucked up, you guys.

    • Soundtracks
      God Save the Queen
      Written by Glen Matlock, John Lydon, Paul Cook and Steve Jones

      Performed by Sex Pistols

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 13, 2024 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Sign Languages
      • French
    • Production companies
      • Sony Pictures Television
      • Amazon MGM Studios
      • Kripke Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 2m(62 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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