There’s a lot going on, on The Boys Season 4, and you’d be forgiven if you weren’t spending your viewing time scanning the screen for drug labels. But a quick one glimpsed in Season 4, Episode 4, “Wisdom of the Ages” might have raised some eyebrows. So what is Metoclopramide on The Boys? And why is Firecracker (Valorie Curry) taking the drug?
First and foremost, before we get into it… It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: Comic Book Club is not a legitimate source of medical info. We’re going to discuss a real drug here alongside a sci-fi/fantasy show (our area of expertise), but if you’re looking for actual info about Metoclopramide and/or are interested in taking the drug, please go somewhere else. In fact, talk to a medical professional. This is a discussion of the use of the drug on the TV show The Boys, and is not a guide to whether you should or should not be taking Metoclopramide. Cool? Cool. Okay, back to the fun stuff.
What Is Metoclopramide In The Boys? Here’s What We Know:
In the episode, The Boys are trying to find out more info about Firecracker, and what her beef is with Annie, aka Starlight (Erin Moriarty). We know it stems back to when they were both teens on the Superhero pageant circuit, and Starlight mean-girled Firecracker out of the gig entirely. But Annie isn’t admitting to that, so they decide to do a little digging.
Specifically, while Firecracker hosts a six-hour-long special about Starlight’s (imaginary) pedophile cult with the stretchy preacher Ezekiel (Shaun Benson), Frenchie (Tomer Capone) goes backstage to her trailer and pokes around. That’s where he discovers a bottle of pills among her things, and we discover two items of note: 1) it seems like Firecracker’s real name is Misty Tucker Gray, and 2) The drug she’s taking is Metoclopramide.
So… What is it? According to the National Institute of Health, “Metoclopramide is a dopamine receptor antagonist and has been approved by the FDA to treat nausea and vomiting in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease or diabetic gastroparesis by increasing gastric motility. It is also used to control nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients.”
Simply put, it’s a cancer drug. So given that, does Firecracker have cancer? With Homelander (Antony Starr) grappling with getting older, and Butcher (Karl Urban) on a ticking clock thanks to his Temp V-related tumors, Firecracker also going all out on Starlight because she has cancer could make a lot of sense, thematically.
However, there’s a side effect of the drug we should probably discuss.
Metoclopramide May Increase Production Of Breast Milk
Again, not a doctor here. However, having read a bit about this drug since spotting the label in the episode, an alternate use is that it may increase lactation in breastfeeding mothers. Notice the may, as there’s no real proof the drug works in this way, despite initial theories in that direction.
That said, while it seems safe for a baby if the mother uses Metoclopramide, per the NIH again, it’s not recommended for use because not only did it not reliably increase milk supply, side effects included heart palpitations, dizziness, depression, and more.
A little further digging shows that mothers still request Metoclopramide because rumors of its help with lactation persist, but pharmacists won’t offer it because of the above side effects. And because, you know, it doesn’t work.
That said, there is a character on The Boys — Homelander — who is obsessed with breast milk, so one wonders if there’s a connection to Firecracker taking the Metoclopramide? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, as the season continues.
The Boys Season 4 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The Boys season 4 will officially premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, June 13 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT. The season will be eight episodes long, with three dropping on premiere day.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Boys Season 4, with expected premiere dates:
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 1 – “Department of Dirty Tricks”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 2 – “Life Among the Septics”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 3 – “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”
- Thursday, June 20, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 4 – “Wisdom of the Ages”
- Thursday, June 27, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 5 – “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son”
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 6 – “Dirty Business”
- Thursday, July 11, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 7 – “The Insider”
- Thursday, July 18, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 8 – “Assassination Run” *Season Finale*