In the highly anticipated fourth season of Amazon’s hit superhero satire The Boys, one character’s storyline feels ripped straight from previous seasons – Frenchie’s dark secret from his shady past. The eccentric crimefighter, played by Tomer Capon, has once again found himself entangled in a romantic relationship complicated by skeletons from his violent former life as an assassin.
This time around, Frenchie falls for Colin, an employee at the Starlight House, while grappling with his lingering feelings for teammate Kimiko. However, unbeknownst to Colin, Frenchie was the one responsible for murdering his family years ago – a brutal fact that haunts Frenchie as he grows closer to his new lover.
Unfortunately for fans hoping for fresh character arcs, this isn’t the first time The Boys has revisited Frenchie’s murky history. Season 1 saw him wracked with guilt over his role in the deadly Mallory house fire, while Season 2 dredged up his Russian mob ties and hitman past through the reappearance of Little Nina.
“These stories about Frenchie having a dark secret he must confront are nothing new,” says TV critic Grace Randolph. “At this point, it’s becoming a tired formula that undermines the character’s potential for real growth.”
The repetitive storyline also seems to contradict a powerful scene from Season 4, in which Kimiko declares to her therapist that people shouldn’t be defined by their pasts. Yet Frenchie has been shackled to his violent deeds since the very first season.
While some viewers remain invested in the will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Frenchie and Kimiko, many are growing impatient with the show’s inability to move Frenchie’s character in a new direction.
“This Colin arc needs to wrap up quickly,” advises Randolph. “The best path forward is for Frenchie to finally come clean to Colin, receive forgiveness, and leave this sordid history behind him. Otherwise, The Boys runs the risk of telling the same tired story ad nauseam.”
As The Boys barrels towards its climactic final seasons, the series would be wise to finally unshackle Frenchie from his past once and for all – allowing one of the show’s most colorful characters to embrace some long-overdue personal growth.
