Gen V premieres on Prime Video with three episodes on Friday 29th September, followed by weekly episodes, leading up to the epic season finale on Friday 3rd November.
Synopsis
Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?
Review
One of the biggest small screen successes of the past decade has undoubtedly been Prime Video’s The Boys. The series, which adapts the Dynamite Entertainment comic book series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, has blazed a trail across popular culture. It’s boundary pushing representation of corrupt heroes have provided the perfect counterbalance to the cookie cutter Marvel formula and now the world is expanding with a brand new spin-off series, Gen V.
Featuring a younger cast of characters, Gen V takes the world of The Boys back to college. Our ensemble cast are students at the fictitious Godolkin University. A campus specifically for super-people, training the heroes of tomorrow and preparing them for a potential career in The Seven.
From the outset series showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters make it clear that Gen V isn’t going to temper the tone and attitude set by The Boys. Given that it features a cast of hormonal teenagers Gen V pushes some of those boundaries even harder. Anyone going in to the series thinking it will be a younger skewing, more family friendly representation of the world will be sorely mistaken.
I’ve had the chance to watch six episodes of the series so far. Leaving on the penultimate episode and the finale left to watch. I’m happy to report that not only is Gen V a worthy successor, it’s also a down right compelling watch all of its own.
We enter the world of Gen V through the eyes of Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), a young wannabe hero with a heartbreaking backstory. With her power to control blood, Moreau arrives at Godolkin in the series’ premiere episode with high hopes for a future career. Her upbringing as an orphan has left her with little experience in common with her peers. She doesn’t have social media, she’s an unknown in the world of supes. Whilst she might an outcast, her introduction to Godolkin and ts cast of characters is the perfect entry point for fans who are unfamiliar with the world of The Boys.
Sinclair is easily Gen V’s breakout star. She brings a depth to Moreau that is deeply engaging across all of the episodes I’ve seen. We experience her highs as she climbs the ranks of Godolkin’s most popular students. But we also experience shocking lows as she and her new found friends uncover more about the truth that exists behind the mask at the college.
The ensemble cast all bring something exciting to the table. Sinclair’s former Chilling Adventures of Sabrina cast mate Chance Perdomo takes on a huge chunk of the narrative as Andre. Andre is the number student at Godolkin, second only to his best friend Luke aka Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger). Luke is on the brink of joining The Seven until revelations about how Vought is running the facility and a mysterious location known as The Woods are revealed.
Bringing some fascinating perspectives to the cast are London Thor and Derek Luh who both play a character called Jordan Li. Jordan has the ability to fluidly change gender which opens up a swathe of potential storytelling. Beyond the trans allegory it presents Gen V with the chance to explore bisexuality, personal presentation and all of the psychological baggage with comes with questioning ones on authenticity. Both actors play the role with a respectable credibility, never making light of potentially serious issues.
The same can be said of Lizze Broadway as Emma, Marie’s dorm roommate. Emma has the ability to change size but her powers hinge on her food intake. Often on the sharp end of jokes from her peers, Emma presents the series with the chance to explore eating disorders and their impact on mental health.
As a whole Gen V uses its cast to dig deeper in to a swathe of real world issues. Beyond the character specific storylines the constant pressure for social media success as a super parallels the experience of young people in the real world. Whilst not all of these issues are explored in huge depth, their sheer presence makes the series feel somewhat more grounded than it’s sister series.
As is the case with The Boys there’s a larger story which comes in to play pretty quickly as the series gets going. I can’t say too much without getting in to spoiler territory but even without having seen the final two episodes it’s clear than Gen V’s debut season has crafted a satisfying and worthy story both for the wider universe and for its characters. The series also manages to achieve a seamless synergy with The Boys. This isn’t a case where the series is in that world in-name-only or very tangentially. It’s clear that events in The Boys are happening in parallel to Gen V. There are snippets in the background on screens and in news reels. Likewise there is the odd character flowing back and forth between series. If only every franchise could achieve this level of seamless expansion.
The production as a whole is impressive. Easily on the same level as The Boys. Set pieces are a mix of practical and visual effects, all of which are completed to cinematic levels. The series offers up a number of chances to churn your stomach either through graphic imagery or just an exploding penis. Not something you write everyday. Again, to discuss any moments in great detail would be to spoil some of the huge twists the series makes. But know this, Gen V will not disappoint visually in any way.
What is important to note is that Gen V really does stand entirely on its own. Whilst a knowledge of the Boys is useful it isn’t a necessity. Likewise Gen V doesn’t need A-list cameos in order to achieve validity. It does that all on its own and all that’s left now is to see where these characters can go next.
Verdict
Gen V is a worthy entry in to the universe of The Boys. With a tightly written story and incredibly compelling cast it’s able to hit the ground running almost immediately and presents a fascinating new take on super teens.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
