Scores on US review sites plummet ─ Possible damage from vandals
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| Image Credit: Prime Video |
Season 4 of Amazon's popular drama "The Boys" has begun streaming. In Season 4, changes have been seen within both the vigilante group "The Boys" and the hero team "Seven," but that's not the only strange thing happening. The ratings for the show have also undergone a major change like never before. Looking at the major American review site Rotten Tomatoes, Season 4's critic score is 95%, which is a great result. Season 1 was 85%, Season 2 was 97%, and Season 3 was 98%, so it can be said that the ratings are still high. What is noteworthy is the viewer score. The score was on a downward trend, with 90% for Season 1, 83% for Season 2, and 75% for Season 3, but in Season 4 it was a whopping 49%. It shows an abnormally steep drop.
In response to this movement, CBR in the United States has reported the possibility of reviewing vandalism by anti-fans. The site points out that the reasons for the vandalism are that the story is too walkable (※) and too focused on political elements. In fact, some users who gave low ratings said, "The main story has become unclear, and the priority has been given to conveying a left-wing message over entertainment," but there are also simple opinions such as "It has become boring" and "It has deviated too much from the original."
On the other hand, many users have given it a perfect score, so it may be that the ratings are polarized in season 4. Also, at this point, the reviews are up to episode 3, so there is a possibility that it will recover depending on future developments. By the way, showrunner Eric Kripke said that the increase in political elements in season 4 was decided "even before Trump was elected (as US president) in 2016." "At the time, it was a bit of a crazy idea for a celebrity to actively want to be a fascist dictator. It still is. But it's become a reality," he said, explaining that it is intended to satirize American society.
"The Boys" season 4 episodes 1-3 are now available on Amazon Prime Video.