Wisdom of the Ages

"Wisdom of the Ages" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of The Boys. It was released on June 20, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. It is the twenty-eighth episode overall.
==Summary==
Vought News Network is proud to announce its new series #Truthbomb! Join host Firecracker and her celebrity guests for the live 6-hour premiere as they expose Starlight’s Adrenochrome Parties!
==Plot==
The episode opens with a scene of the underground lab where Homelander, previously known as John, grew up. In the lab, scientists are going about their usual work when a security guard alerts the assistant director, Marty, that the security cameras upstairs had gone blank. When the security guard calls Vought to inform them that there has been a breach, he discovers that the line is dead. As they watch the elevator slowly come down to their level, they prepare themselves for the worst. When the door opens, Homelander is revealed to be standing there with a box with a chocolate ice cream cake inside.
Homelander appears to be in good spirits, although the lab staff are noticeably nervous because Homelander can be unpredictable. Homelander reminds one of the people on the staff, Frank, that he remembers as a child when Frank put him in the incinerator while playing a game outside. Homelander asks Frank to step into the incinerator while Homelander throws a paper ball into the trash. He burns and dies while Homelander laughs. Later, Homelander asks Marty to touch himself in front of his staff after recounting a memory of when Marty laughed at Homelander doing the same thing. He lasers and kills Marty. Finally, Barbara Findley (the boss) comes to the lab and tells Homelander that he always had the ability to escape the lab but never did because Vought brought in the best psychologists to ensure that he constantly sought their approval. Homelander recognizes the truth in this. He locks Barbara in what he called "the bad room" and killed the entire lab staff and left Barbara in the room with their bloody bodies.
Meanwhile, Hughie visited his father in the hospital where he was told that his feeding tubes were to be taken out and that he would die in a matter of days. Devastated, he and Kimiko go to meet A-Train. Hughie tells him they will finally be even if A-Train can steal him a vial of Compound V. Reluctantly, A-Train agrees and manages to secure it for him by stealing it from Homelander's apartment. After their meeting with A-Train, Kimiko and Hughie get shot at by some members of the Shining Light. They manage to fight their way out, but Hughie gets injured in the process.
Sister Sage continues her plan to take down Starlight by getting Firecracker a six-hour TV special where she reveals Starlight's secrets. Firecracker sets up her stage directly across from Starlight House, which enrages Annie who can't help but listen to some of the claims Firecracker makes. Annie gets so enraged when Firecracker reveals that Annie had an abortion, which was a very tough decision and time for Annie, so she loses it and attacks Firecracker nearly beating her to death. Sage watches the TV from afar, pleased at how rattled Starlight is. President Singer is forced to distance himself from Starlight, who offered her support, after the incident.
While Firecracker was on stage, Butcher and Frenchie break into Firecracker's trailer hoping to find some of her secrets. However, they get interrupted by Ezekiel, who attacks Frenchie and throws him through a window. He wraps his arms around Butcher nearly choking him to death, however Butcher somehow manages to cause Ezekiel to explode. Even he is surprised by these unknown powers.
Colin helps tend to Frenchie's wounds when Frenchie finally breaks down and confesses that he was the one that murdered Colin's family. Appauled, Colin tells Frenchie to stay away from him or he'll kill him.
Sister Sage asks The Deep to give her a frontal lobotomy, claiming that she finds pleasure in feeling less intelligent even if it's only briefly. He agrees after she offers to sleep with him.
At the end of the episode, Hughie brings the Compound V to his father's bedside but ultimately decides against giving it to him after some warning words from Butcher. However, his father suddenly comes back to life and breaths again. Compound V is seen entering his bloodstream but Hughie seems confused how it got there. His mother, however, looks on calmly and it is assumed that she took it from his jacket to give to him.
==Cast==
===Starring===
*Karl Urban as Billy Butcher
*Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell
*Antony Starr as Homelander
*Erin Moriarty as Starlight
*Jessie T. Usher as A-Train
*Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk
*Chace Crawford as The Deep
*Tomer Capone as Frenchie
*Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro
*Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir II
*Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett 
*Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman (newscast)
*Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher (credit only)
*Susan Heyward as Sister Sage
*Valorie Curry as Firecracker
*Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler (credit only)
===Special Guest Star===
*Will Ferrell as Himself as Coach Brink
*Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr.
*Rosemarie Dewitt as Daphne Campbell
*Shantel VanSanten as Becca Butcher
===Guest Starring===
*Nancy Lenehan as Barbara Findley
*Elliot Knight as Colin Hauser
*Derek Wilson as Tek Knight
*Kimberly Sue-Murray as Kiara
*Shaun Benson as Ezekiel
*Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
*Erika Prevost as Tala
*Murray Furrow as Martin
*Jim Beaver as Robert Singer
===Co-Starring===
*Stephanie Herrera as Doctor
*Evan Annisette as Security Guard
*Mark Cowling as Frank
*Isaac Weeks as Young Homelander
*Prosha Hussein as Scientist #1
*Breanna Dillon as Scientist #2
*Faisal Butt as Scientist #3
*Vivian Or as Scientist #4
*Paul Aihoshi as Scientist #5
*Chantelle Bishop as Scientist #6
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
*The episode is named after issue 5 of The Boys: Highland Laddie, a mini-series regarding Hughie Campbell.
*In this episode, it is revealed that Homelander's intense need for love and approval was in fact an intentional act by Vought, with Barbara explaining they hired the best psychologists to mentally condition him into seeking love from everyone, ultimately cursing him with a deeply human emotion
==Media==
===Photos===
File:TheBoys-Season4Episode4-6.jpeg
File:TheBoys-Season4Episode4-5.jpeg
File:TheBoys-Season4Episode4-3.jpeg
File:TheBoys-Season4Episode4-1.jpeg
File:TheBoys-Season4Episode4-2.jpeg
===Videos===
Homelander Finally Gets His Revenge - The Boys - Prime Video
Starlight Loses it on Firecracker - The Boys - Prime Video
==References==
Category:Episodes
Category:Season Four