The Boys makes headlines every season for its most ridiculous stunts, whether it’s having a superhero run through an unsuspecting girlfriend in the pilot, crashing boats into whales, or graphic octopus murders. We’re not going to argue with it. The show is absolutely ridiculous. What The Boys doesn’t get enough credit for is the superior taste of its writing staff and how the show reminds us of things we should have never forgotten were awesome.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of The Boys Season 4. If you’re not caught up, go do that now.
The Boys reminded us all that Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a masterpiece (and that Billy Joel in general is an incredible musician and songwriter) and that L’oreal Kids Watermelon Smoothie 2-in-1 shampoo conditioner is not only efficient, but smells delicious. The Prime Video series does it again in Season 4 by giving the greatest restaurant appetizer of all time a featured role in the show: Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion.
In the second episode of the season, The Deep (Chace Crawford) goes to confront Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) about her belittling him in front of Homelander (Antony Starr), only to stop in his tracks when he sees she’s eating the infamous deep-fried onion. Deep immediately forgets what he came to complain about and grabs a bite for himself, proving that the Bloomin’ Onion’s mouth-watering reputation is well known, even under the sea. The snack is so divine that the work-rivals end up hooking up over hearty bites of the treat.
We’re not sure exactly why Sister Sage would be willing to hook up with The Deep, but that is besides the point. When was the last time you were at an Outback Steakhouse? When was the last time you even thought of a Bloomin’ Onion? It wouldn’t be surprising if it’s been years, but we also know you absolutely Googled how far the closest Outback is to you after you watched the episode or started reading this article. There’s no judgment here, but it just proves how smart The Boys writers are.
There are dozens of restaurant appetizers they could have used in the scene. If they had gone the obvious route, they could have chosen Olive Garden breadsticks or the Vought Burger take on the classic mozzarella stick. Both of those options are over-hyped though (sorry, OG stans but it’s true) and would not have triggered the immediate craving reaction of seeing a perfectly golden brown Bloomin’ Onion on your screen. More understated choices like a Chili’s Skillet Queso or Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits also wouldn’t trigger a near-universal heart-eyes reaction. Both the queso and the biscuits are top-tier, but they don’t have the same majestic quality about them as the Bloomin’ Onion. They are simply not as famous.
The Bloomin’ Onion strikes the perfect balance of not being in your face all the time, but also being instantly recognizable and nostalgic. It’s simultaneously crunchy and chewy, a delightful cacophony of textures that all melt in your mouth. It’s a genius creation. Sister Sage also had Outback’s signature Texas Petal sauce, which makes the entire dish. We’ve said it before that The Boys’ attention to detail is what makes it secretly the smartest show on TV. Choosing the Bloomin’ Onion for the god-tier sexy appetizer it is shows immaculate taste. We can’t wait to see what Sister Sage orders next. In the meantime, you should know that Outback delivers through Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Doordash. Chances are your best bet is going to pick one up yourself, though. They don’t necessarily deliver all that well in the real world.
The Boys continues with new episodes every Thursday on Prime Video. Season 4 episodes 1-3 are now available to stream.
