This review will contain spoilers. Trigger warning for discussion of self harm, suicide, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, violence, schizophrenia, racism, homophobia, and sexual assault.
Last year, I went out of my comfort zone and started watching an Amazon Prime show called The Boys. It takes place in a world where superheroes have the status of celebrities and politicians, with an elite Avengers-esque group called “The Seven” leading the world. It takes a different approach than the average superhero show and truly delves into the ethics of this world— the moral and immoral actions of the characters, the divide between humans and Supes—the good, the bad, the gritty, the gorey, the absolutely traumatizing— to create a unique commentary on the modern world.
This show is definitely not for the faint of heart. Blood is abundant in every episode. Issues such as sexual assault, racism, homophobia, self harm, suicide, and many other topics are integrated into the storyline. There are things that happen in this show that I cannot discuss on this platform because they are THAT. MESSED. UP.
The realistic perspective of The Boys and drastically different nature than that of most superhero shows is what drew me in and kept me invested. So, when the spinoff Gen V was announced, I was seated. The first season has officially come to a close, so I will be writing a review on the aspects of the show I can talk about on The Voyager. With that, on with the show!
Gen V takes place at Godolkin University—the college where all aspiring heroes—and actors for promotional company Vought—learn the skills they need to succeed. Marie Moreau(Jaz Sinclair) is an orphaned first-year student with a traumatic past. Her acceptance into Godolkin is her only way out of foster care and ending up in The Woods, a shady psychiatric facility where those with her background are taken. But when she is taken to a party by Luke(Patrick Schwartzenegger), Andre(Chance Perdomo), Cate(Maddie Phillips), and Jordan(Derek Luh and London Thor), she becomes entwined in the mystery of The Woods and the dark secrets of the campus.
The characters of Gen V are the most interesting aspect of the show, and depict the variety of experiences of college students. Marie is a bloodbender coping with loss. She is burdened with the guilt of accidentally murdering her parents, and tries to be the best person she can be and prove that her powers are not a curse. She self harms in order to use her powers, thinking there are no other ways to use them and she deserves the self-inflicted pain.
Her roommate Emma(Lizze Broadway) has the power to shrink and grow in size, but developed an eating disorder due to her mother’s constant calorie tracking and micro management. She forces herself to vomit in order to shrink, figuratively and literally making herself small in order to feel in control. Marie and Emma bond over their experiences and heal through finding alternate ways to use their powers that do not damage themselves.
Jordan’s arc is also very interesting. They are gender-fluid, with different powers and skill sets for each “version” of themself. Jordan has to deal with the lack of acceptance from their parents, preferring their male form instead of acknowledging that, despite their gender, Jordan has always been Jordan. This causes Jordan to struggle in their relationship with Marie later in the season, changing their form to be the type of person they feel Marie would want. They also deal with racism, with executives not promoting them because of the fear of upsetting certain markets.
Sam(Asa Germann) is Luke’s brother, and a patient of The Woods. He is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and struggles with hallucinations after Emma helps him escape. He sees visions of his childhood Sesame Street-esque programming, and has trouble differentiating between what happens in his mind and reality. He is drawn to the wrong side due to his naivety, his trauma and grief of his brother’s death convincing him that he needs to destroy those that have attempted to control him.
These characters are superheroes, but are also college students trying to get through their troubling lives. Between all the gore, violence, and obscenity, there is a group of young adults bonding over shared traumatic experiences and growing as people. The series ends on a cliffhanger, with Cate and Sam portrayed as the new “Guardians of Godolkin” by the media despite slaughtering countless innocents on campus. Marie, Jordan, Emma, and Andre are locked in a room with no doors, as the media casts them as the monsters who caused the destruction.
Gen V is just as violent, absurd, and brilliant as its predecessor. It kept me on the edge of my seat through all eight episodes, and has a brilliantly interwoven plot with The Boys. It was a great watch, and I cannot wait to see what happens in season four of The Boys and season two of Gen V.
