Two years after its debut, Gen V is back for its sophomore year – and it’s even better than before. The Godolkin University-set show could have easily gone wrong for The Boys universe. After all, that’s a show that exists as a parody of superhero media, which includes how franchised and oversaturated it’s become. How could it do that while also becoming a franchise in its own right? As it turned out, pretty easily. Gen V had connections, but stood on its own two feet with unique characters, storylines, and powers, feeling like a natural extension while simultaneously offering something fresh and different.
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Gen V Season 2 is perhaps in an even more difficult position in that regard, because it builds on some events from The Boys Season 4 finale, and adds setup for Season 5, which can sometimes hamstring it. However, it’s also able to keep enough focus on its own characters, adding new twists to the world of Supes. The overarching narratives center on the return of Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan Li (London Thor and Derek Luh), and Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway) to God U after their imprisonment at the end of Season 1, while there’s also the mysterious presence of the new Dean, Cipher.
The spinoff will probably never be The Boys: that show quickly reached a level of cultural cache that’s hard to achieve, and it helps to have a character like Homelander (Antony Starr) to drive the conversation. But that’s not a problem. After watching all eight episodes of Gen V Season 2, I think it might just be even better, at least in some ways.
Rating: 4/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It poignantly honors Chance Perdomo’s legacy | Some of the pacing is off |
| The characters are entertaining, complex, and make you emotionally invested | A little too much setup for The Boys Season 5 |
| A varied, creative array of superpowers and some great fight scenes | |
| Strong performances from the cast, particularly Maddie Phillips and Sean Patrick Thomas |
Gen V Honors Chance Perdomo’s Legacy
It’s impossible to talk about Gen V without talking about Chance Perdomo. The late actor portrayed Andre Anderson in Season 1 and was one of the show’s shining lights. Andre’s powers were the ability to control magnetism, and Perdomo had an incredible magnetism of his own which was clear every time he was on the screen. The actor tragically died in a motorcycle accident before Season 2 started filming, and the decision was made not to recast the role.
Still, the presence of Andre – and Perdomo – looms over Season 2. The fate of his character, and the legacy he leaves behind, drive forward several storylines. More importantly, it’s also what brings the most emotional weight to the series. Grief can manifest in many forms, from sadness to confusion to rage, and Gen V portrays the full scope of it in ways that are genuinely moving. That’s particularly the case for Andre’s father, Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas), who steps into a bigger role and becomes the heart of the show. It must’ve been incredibly difficult for the cast and crew, but every step feels like it was made with the right level of care and dignity, designed to honor both the character and the actor.
Gen V’s Character Development (Mostly) Beats The Boys
The Boys‘ characters are one of the biggest reasons the show has been so popular: they’re hilarious, outrageous, and perfectly play on a myriad of superhero tropes. Gen V doesn’t tend to go quite as big, but that also allows them to feel more like people. And because the focus is on them navigating (super) school life, we get more opportunities to see them grow and change.
The central characters, particularly in Season 2, feel more layered, and for me personally, I’m more emotionally invested in them than I am in the majority of the characters from The Boys. Some of that naturally comes from the loss of Andre, which impacts the characters in different ways, but there are other avenues for development as well. Marie is multi-faceted as the lead, and the show does a great job of testing her key relationships and her heroism, with some great introspection of just how powerful she could be, the burden that comes with it, and just how far she’ll go to protect the people she loves.
Most of the other characters get moments to shine, too, though some are better than others. Emma (or Little Cricket) is still perhaps the most purely likable and funny character, and gets some poignant moments with Polarity, but otherwise (ironically) doesn’t quite get as much room to grow. Sam Riordan (Asa Germann) has an arc that also feels a little more repetitive, especially in contrast to how we see Jordan and Marie develop among the main heroes. Hamish Linklater is also unsurprisingly great as Dean Cipher who, as the name suggests, is a mystery to be figured out, but the Midnight Mass star ensures he’s always captivating, a little odd, and rather threatening.
Best of all, though, is Cate. She stands out as the most complex character in the show, and Maddie Phillips does a wonderful job of capturing the nuance of the character and adds some surprising new layers to her. Of all the arcs in Season 2, hers, alongside Polarity’s, was the most enjoyable and rewarding to witness.
Gen V Season 2 Further Pushes Its Superpowered Action (& Gross-Out Humor)
It’s difficult to outdo The Boys when it comes to blood splatters and puerile gags, but Gen V might just manage it. It absolutely does not shy away from the violence and graphic gore in Season 2, but rather luxuriates in it, in ways that can make you both wince and laugh.
Even better is the use of superpowers in Season 2. This was already something I loved about Season 1: the show’s setting allowed it to get even more creative than The Boys, with powers that are weirder and whackier, often because they don’t need to be as all-powerful, and that continues now that the show is back. A lot of these are used for comic effect – one had me wondering just how much could possibly fit in a certain part of the anatomy, another scene will mean you never look at a garden gnome quite the same way – but it also uses them to service its story and themes as well, including the value of those with “useless” powers and to not underestimate people who might appear “weak.”
Along with those, it also pushes some of the more incredible powers, too. A take on Thor with one hammer-wielding villain allows for a couple of great fight sequences, and there’s some mind control that feels among the most impressive feats we’ve seen. Marie’s powers also develop: the marketing for Season 2 has pushed the idea that she could be as powerful as Homelander, and, while that’s yet to be proved in a matchup between the two, it will make you believe it.
The Boys Season 5 Setup Occasionally Gets In The Way
The show is largely allowed to be its own thing, but it does, even more so than Season 1, feel like it’s tasked with setting up the next installment for The Boys as well. Several characters from that show turn up, and while some, such as The Deep, are more there for comedy, others, like Starlight, are much more important for continuing the bigger storyline. They’re not necessarily bad, but I’d rather there was a greater degree of separation, as I’m not here to watch those characters (it’s what The Boys is for, after all).
Because of how some of those storylines play out, it makes Gen V Season 2 feel essential for Season 5, rather than a more fun optional extra. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but it occasionally gets in the way of Gen V‘s own storylines. Not all of these are given enough time to land, as it sometimes speeds too quickly through events to get from one major beat to the next. Things like the growing anti-human sentiment and the Starlighters’ resistance are carried over from The Boys, but don’t get enough room to feel like an important part of the series, while also taking up some time from the more directly impactful narratives. That’s also because I love some of the smaller, quieter moments here, where the characters are allowed to be teenagers rather than superheroes, which the bigger, fate-of-the-world stuff gets in the way of.
Still, it’s a minor quibble. It remains to be seen just how much The Boys Season 5 will draw on these events, and with that being the final season, it’ll also be interesting to see where Gen V Season 3 (if it’s renewed) goes from there. But what’s clear is that Gen V does not need The Boys to work, and if it can continue being this good, it should have a very bright future.
Gen V Season 2, Episodes 1-3 will be released on Prime Video on Wednesday, September 17th. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly.
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