Warning! MAJOR spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 8.
Summary
The Boysstar Karen Fukuhara explains Kimiko’s climactic moment in the season 4 finale. After joining the show in season 1, the voluntarily-mute Kimiko has become a major figure as part of Butcher’s (Karl Urban) team attempting to take down Homelander and Vought. Kimiko’s dynamic with Frenchie (Tomer Capone) played an especially important role in season 4, but the pair’s story took a tragic turn inThe Boys' season 4 finalewhen Frenchie was brainwashed and hauled away, with Kimiko uttering her first words in the form of a scream of anguish.
In a recent interview withVariety, Fukuhara explains Kimoko speaking for the first timeThe Boys' season 4 finale and the journey to get to that moment. The actor also touches on how thrilling it was when she first saw that Kimoko speaks in the finale script. Check out Fukuhara’s comment below:
It was really exciting, reading that in the script. Almost as exciting as when I read that I could heal in Season 1. I think it’s earned, as well. I think it has been building up to this moment. We see Kimiko at the top of Season 4 trying to tackle her speech therapy — and really, it’s not the physical speech therapy that she needs, it’s the emotional therapy that she needs in order to get there.
And it’s such a visceral moment at the end of the season, when we see Frenchie getting taken away and there’s nothing else she can do but to scream out his name. And it’s gutteral. I loved where we took it this season, it was a really great surprise. And I feel like I always get that question from fans: When is she gonna speak? And just you wait!
Will Kimiko & Frenchie Get A Happy Ending In The Boys Season 5?
While earlier episodes ofThe Boysseason 4seemingly reinforced that the dynamic between Frenchie and Kimiko is purely platonic, the finale sees the two characters share a passionate kiss. This major development in their relationship only makes Frenchie’s brainwashing hit that much harder. The last audiences see of the pair inThe Boys' season 4 finale is of Frenchie getting into a van while Kimiko struggles to go after him.
The Real Reason The Boys' Kimiko Doesn’t Talk Fully Explained
The Boys has already provided one explanation for why Kimiko can’t talk, but season 4 finally gives the true reason for the character’s silence.
Since Frenchie is now seemingly under Cate’s (Maddie Phillips) control, he could potentially become an antagonist inThe Boysseason 5, which will serve as the show’s last. It would certainly be tragic, after all, if Kimiko is forced to fight against the person she cares about most in the world. It’s entirely possible, however, that Cate will also use her powers to brainwash Kimiko, since it doesn’t look like Fukuhara’s character is able to escape from Sam (Asa Germann).
Earlier in season 4, Homelander essentially tasked Cate and Sam with building him an army of Supes.
Without delving into spoilers fromThe Boyscomic series, the Prime Video show doesn’t seem like one that will give all of its characters happy endings. Frenchie and Kimiko, however, have certainly proven themselves deserving of one given both of their dark, tragic pasts. It’s unclear how Kimiko and Frenchie’s story will play out inThe Boysseason 5, but both characters will evidently be crucial in whatever is to come.
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
