If you ask someone what they love about The Boys, other than its razor-sharp critique of the superhero genre/political stage/corporate mechanics or how far it’s willing to push the envelope, it’s the ensemble cast. The show is stacked with actors giving top-notch performances, but the standout character has to be Kimiko Miyashiro (Karen Fukuhara). It’s not just the fact that she possesses a healing factor and ferocity to rival Wolverine’s, but that she gets some of the most emotional scenes — made even more emotional by the fact that Kimiko is mute, leaving Fukuhara to convey emotion using nothing but facial expressions and body language. Unfortunately, Season 4 has fallen short by tying nearly all of Kimiko’s character development to Frenchie (Tomer Capone).
Most of these problems stem from Frenchie’s relationship with Colin (Elliott Knight), who works at the Starlight House with Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty). This feels rather strange given that Season 3 looked like it was pushing Kimiko and Frenchie’s relationship forward. It gets even worse when it is revealed that Frenchie murdered Colin’s family during his days as a mercenary. Kimiko, who isn’t aware of this, encourages Frenchie to be happy, even if it’s not with her. But it completely veers from their established relationship, while also burying another interesting storyline surrounding Kimiko.
‘The Boys’ Season 4 Forgets the Most Important Part of Kimiko and Frenchie’s Relationship
In Seasons 1-3 of The Boys, Kimiko and Frenchie were able to support each other, no matter what. When the rest of the Boys first encounter Kimiko in the Season 1 episode, “Female of the Species,” they see her slaughter a room full of gangsters and are visibly disturbed. Frenchie is the only one who treats her like a human being — he frees her from the cage she was in, cooks her breakfast, and even suggests that they reach out to Mesmer (Haley Joel Osment) to learn more about her past. In turn, Kimiko starts to open up to him, especially in Season 2 where he learns to communicate with her via sign language. Season 3 shows them at their strongest; Kimiko gets a glimpse of a normal life when Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) briefly strips her of her powers, while Frenchie’s past comes back to haunt him in the form of “Little Nina” (Katia Winter). Kimiko eventually decides to re-power herself via Compound V, with Frenchie supporting her through the process. And who could forget that amazing musical number?
In contrast, Season 4 strays away from this side of their relationship. Kimiko keeps pushing Frenchie toward Colin and even encourages him to get laid (to the season’s credit, this leads to some hilarious text messages.) But she also seems potentially jealous of them. Frenchie also seems too wrapped up in his guilt to confide in Kimiko, which is a shame as their bond is one of the best parts of The Boys. Even if they’re not romantically connected, he’s still one of the few people in the world who treats her as a person instead of a weapon, and it’s a shame that Season 4 seems to have forgotten about that.
Kimiko Has an Interesting Storyline in Season 4 That Needs To Be Explored
A recurring thread throughout The Boys Season 4 is that each character is forced to face their past. Starlight’s feud with Firecracker (Valorie Curry) stems from a cruel moment in her youth; Butcher (Karl Urban) is attempting to atone for his sins by saving Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) from Homelander (Antony Starr); Hughie (Jack Quaid) has to deal with the return of his mother (Rosemary DeWitt). For Kimiko, it’s the reemergence of the Shining Light Liberation Army. Shining Light not only killed Kimiko’s parents but also forcibly recruited her and her brother Kenji (Abraham Lim) to serve in their army, resulting in both siblings being transformed into Supes. Kenji’s death at the hands of Stormfront (Aya Cash) also led to Frenchie and Kimiko strengthening their connection in Season 2.
The Season 4 episode “Wisdom of the Ages” sees Kimiko and Hughie encountering a group of Shining Light soldiers, including one who implies that Kimiko is responsible for her scarred visage. The reappearance of Shining Light also causes Kimiko to shut down, even refusing to attend speech therapy. This sheds new light on Kimiko’s life before joining the Boys, and it feels far more interesting than her pining after Frenchie. With there being three episodes left in Season 5, however, there’s still hope to turn things around.
Previous Seasons Have Shown Kimiko’s Growth as a Character
The biggest flaw in Season 4 is that it flies in the face of Kimiko’s previous character arcs in The Boys. Season 1 was where she started to open up to others after being used as a weapon. Season 2 saw her dealing with grief after losing her brother. Season 3 had her most compelling arc yet, as she struggled with her powers and how others perceived her because of them. While she and Frenchie had a near-immediate connection, Kimiko was still allowed to stand on her own two feet and grow as a character.
In tying her character development to Frenchie’s, Season 4 robs Kimiko of potential character growth. She can only grow if Frenchie grows, and this season they’re both stuck at a crossroads. It also feels like the show is running into well-worn ground with Frenchie; previous seasons managed to explore his past life and how he was tormented by his actions in a way that made sense. The relationship with Colin comes out of nowhere and completely derails where their relationship was headed in Season 3. Kimiko was contemplating leaving the Boys and starting a new life with Frenchie, even kissing him in a moment that felt long overdue. It’s one thing to create drama when it comes to established relationships in a television series, but throwing Frenchie at another character doesn’t seem like the way to go.
The Latest Episode of ‘The Boys’ Could Turn Things Around for Kimiko
In this week’s episode of The Boys, “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” there was plenty to absorb, including the return of Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), a major plot point from Gen V kicking in, and flying murderous farm animals. But there was also a major shakeup: Frenchie turns himself in to the police for his past crimes, meaning the Boys are down one member. This could be the chance for Kimiko to learn who she is without Frenchie. It’s also the opening the show needs to explore her past with Shining Light. With the fifth and final season approaching, there’s still hope that The Boys can recapture what fans loved about Kimiko.
New episodes of Season 4 of The Boys are streaming every Thursday on Prime Video in the U.S.
