Spoiler warning: This article contains minor spoilers for the season four finale of The Boys
You can’t please everyone is an adage old as time, because you really can’t.
This is true of TV, where even the greatest shows can be hit with criticisms left, right, and centre.
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Hell, there are even people who have complaints with the ending to Succession and Breaking Bad. These people should be ignored, FYI.
Whilst there are a bunch of complaints about The Boys - I’d place in a similar category predominantly those by right-wing nutjobs who’ve only just realised they’re what the show is making fun of - not all fall into this category.
One common complaint throughout the latest season four has been the treatment of Hughie by the writers, something that has been hit home even further by the season finale.
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Whilst giving characters trauma before building them back up is a common writers trope in TV, many feel they have taken it too far in the case of poor Hughie.
One fan posted on X to say: “So this season of The Boys is just like ‘If Hughie Campbell’s your favorite character, f*ck you’ I guess”
Another said: “Jack Quaid has been phenomenal as Hughie in this season of The Boys but the show really needs to evaluate how they treat his character.
“He's assaulted several times this season and it's played for laughs or like it's his fault; not like how other characters' trauma is handled.”
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In a previous episode, Hughie is sexually assaulted by his childhood hero Tek Knight and Vought big wig Ashley.
Whilst infiltrating a supe party undercover as the Spider-Man parody character Web-Weaver, he is taken to a BDSM sex dungeon by Tek Knight, who proceeds to tie him up, tickle his feet and have Ashley rub her ‘juices’ on his face.
When Hughie is discovered, Tek Knight proceeds to prepare to cut a hole in Hughie to f*ck before he is saved.
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When asked whether this was dark to have Hughie sexually assaulted by his childhood hero just after his father died, The Boys creator Eric Kripke said: “Well, that’s a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious.
“Obviously, Tek Knight is our version of Batman, and we wanted to really play around with that trope: Batman’s fascist underpinnings as a really wealthy dude who hunts poor people, and then profits off the incarceration.”
In the penultimate episode of the season, Hughie is then again sexually assaulted. This time it happens through a shapeshifter pretending to be his girlfriend, Starlight.
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When this is discovered in the finale episode, Hughie is chastised by Starlight for sleeping with her.
One fan tweeted: “So hughie just got raped about 20 times and it’s his fault?? F*ck whoever writes this show dawg.”
Another Hughie fan replied saying: “Imagine how tired we are”.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: The Boys, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin