“This is forced and stupid and totally irrelevant ...

The latest season of the Boys gets criticized and review-bombed by fans for its ‘forced’ queer storyline.

Since the first season of The Boys, the show has been unafraid to explore the ugly sides of its complex characters. Various characters have some uncomfortable and unusual traits that turn people off while also making them weirdly interesting and unique. Homelander’s perverse obsession with milk and Deep’s relationship with Timothy were some outrageous traits.

Kimiko and Frenchie in The Boys season 4 | Prime Video

From season 1, Tomer Capone’s Frenchie has been paired with Kimiko, and their romantic tension has always been a focal point in subsequent seasons. Frenchie’s bisexuality has always been hinted at through his storylines over the seasons. However, fans are not enjoying his current romance with Colin and are calling their relationship forced.

Fans Are Hating on The Boys’ Colin-Frenchie Storyline Leading to Review Bombing

Some fans are complaining that the Colin-Frenchie romance in The Boys came out of left field | Prime Video

Tomer Capone’s Frenchie has played a pivotal part in The Boys since the first season. The character has been paired up with Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko for most of the show. The pair clearly had a thing for each other, but they ultimately called off any kind of romance between them by the end of season 3.

Spoiler Alert!
Spoilers for Season 4 of The Boys

The new season introduced the character of Colin who started a romantic relationship with Frenchie. Kimiko even pushes him to pursue the romance if it makes him happy. While the two actors do a great job portraying the blossoming romance, some audiences are not happy with this development, with some calling out how it feels forced and the show allegedly ticking boxes to please certain sections of audiences.

In addition to the political commentary in the new season which has divided audiences, this narrative has also been a problem for some fans. They have been review-bombing the show on Rotten Tomatoes (currently having a 51% audience score) due to all these developments in the show.

On Threads, one fan no_way_jay_kay wrote, “I’m a gay man and I think this is forced and stupid and totally irrelevant to the show other than for meaningless box ticking”. Another fan fuzzygreenturtle wrote on Threads, “Cause he’s so supposed to be with Kimiko, dammit!”. In the case of the Frenchie criticism this season, the bisexuality of the character has always been hinted at in previous seasons.

Previous seasons of The Boys have hinted that Frenchie is bisexual | Prime Video

In season 2, it is heavily implied that Frenchie and his colleague Jay were romantically involved. Cherie was also involved with the duo (also suggesting a polyamorous relationship). Frenchie’s deep bond with Jay is shown when Cherie contacts him, informing him that Jay has died from an overdose. His death certainly hit Frenchie hard.

Thus, it might not come as a surprise to fans regarding the Colin-Frenchie storyline in season 4. Introducing Colin in the season also provides an interesting arc for Frenchie: to face his past and face justifiable consequences for it. With Frenchie now open about killing Colin’s family, it remains to be seen how audiences respond to their arc further down the season.

Tomer Capone Sees Frenchie As a Troubled Teenager in The Boys

Tomer Capone is grateful to be a part of the The Boys and playing Frenchie | Prime Video

Tomer Capone‘s Frenchie has a particularly interesting arc this season of The Boys where he is forced to face the consequences of the actions of his past. The character is shown to be very remorseful for this action in the new season.

In an interview with Deadline, the actor revealed that he sees Frenchie as a troubled teenager in the family of The Boys. Capone also pointed out that Kimiko and Frenchie are the heart of the show, with their scenes becoming some of the most endearing moments throughout the series. He said,

If The Boys is a family, then it’s obvious that Frenchie is the troubled teenager and I find this really endearing. Eric likes to say that Frenchie and Kimiko are the heart of the show and I agree with that. I always feel that when Kimiko and I have our scenes, something stops in the full gas of the show. Just for a second, there’s something about these two outsiders, these two animals, who found each other and are hanging on in this crazy, crazy world.

Kimiko and Frenchie’s connection is still going strong in season 4 and it will be interesting to see where they go after the revelation in episode 4. The first four episodes of The Boys season 4 are streaming on Prime Video with the remaining 4 episodes dropping weekly.