Karen Fukuhara Discusses Kimiko’s First Words in ‘The Boys’: “I think it’s earned”
The Boys is one of the most popular superhero series in the world, and its fourth season ended recently, on July 18, 2024. The initial reactions to the season were lukewarm, but the series has been picking up the pace and ended up being Certified Fresh with high ratings as well.
There have been many fascinating and surprising during the fourth season, most of which we have already discussed in our weekly reviews of the show and its episodes. One of the characters we haven’t really talked about a lot was Kimiko, whose most shocking moment so far came in the season finale in which she – SPOILER ALERT – speaks for the first time!
In this spoiler-filled article, we are going to discuss Kimiko’s major moment, and also tell you what Karen Fukuhara, the actress who is playing Kimiko in the series, thought about this shocking moment and how it will impact the series going forward.
As we said above, this article is going to contain a lot of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the Season 4 finale or don’t want to know what happens, stop reading here, as we are going to reveal the story. Namely, in light of all the chaos that happened, Kimiko also managed to get her own moment in the crazy finale. Namely, we know that Cate managed to brainwash Frenchie and that he is now on the side of the villains, potentially making him an antagonist in the final season.
His brainwashing hit everyone hard, especially in light of the nature of the relationship between Kimiko and him. The series has reinforced the theory that their relationship is purely platonic, and with Frenchie’s sexuality being explored more deeply this season, fans were certain that they could never be a couple. Still, they share a passionate kiss in the finale, seemingly shaking this theory and making the brainwashing all that more heartbreaking.
In a desperate attempt to “bring back” Frenchie to his senses and to express her inner turmoil, Kimiko lets out a loud cry of anguish, which becomes her first speaking moment in the series. In a recent interview with Variety, actress Karen Fukuhara commented on that moment:
Kimiko speaks for the first time ever, if we’re not counting the musical dream sequence in Season 3 — and it’s to scream “No!” as she and Frenchie are separated by “Gen V” characters Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann). What was it like finally getting to talk? And finding out the trigger to get Kimiko to be able to speak was this tragic situation with Frenchie after they had finally entered a real romantic relationship?
KAREN FUKUHARA: 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!
Source: Variety
We are quite excited to see what Kripke and his team have in store for Kimiko and Frenchie in the final season, so we are definitely going to follow up on this story. This is why you should keep following us for all the news and updates related to the show!
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