Gen V is a spin-off from The Boys. The first season is eight episodes long. It follows Marie, who can manipulate her own blood (obvious way is as a weapon). In typical The Boys fashion though; she kills her parents in an accident. After her life turns upside down, she was offered the opportunity to attend Godolkin University, an education facility for future superheroes, as that is what she aspires to be. Gen V starts off as this hybrid university life cross The Boys type of show, and shows off the other, lower key, aspects of superhero society.
Before too soon though, Marie finds herself in a situation. The show isn’t shy with the gore and violence, with plenty of bloody explosions, but slightly tamer compared to The Boys. However, the key part is that its plot has that hook that keeps you watching and wanting to learn more. Despite Marie’s social awkwardness, and the potential for people’s cruelty to come to the forefront in university life, Marie finds herself with a band of semi-decent people (granted, they’re kind of forced to be together).
Too bad anything good does not last long in The Boys universe, and it stands true here. The show tends to become too focused on the darker themes, and at times, it can be too much. From the gore and violence that doesn’t add much beyond trying the shock factor, or the fact that most people are terrible human beings, or even how things must be graphically sexual. It can become depressing, and it’s no wonder that the characters have mental issues.
While Marie may seem at first to be the main character, it’s more of an ensemble. There’s her roommate Emma, and then the other top-ranking students at the school, Andre, Cate and Jordan. Each have their own story threads but are all tightly intertwined, so the plot is a lot more focused that way. Despite that, there are still plenty of distractions where little progress is made on the main plot. It tends to deal more with the characters’ teen issues, such as popularity, their romantic interests, and being accepted by others.
So, what is the main plot? Well, as with all things in The Boys universe, nothing is as good as it seems, and you know for sure everything by Vought is probably a front for some more sinister. That holds true for the school, with Marie and the others accidentally being involved in the darker secrets that the Dean was doing. It doesn’t go all out, given that the characters slowly unwind the mystery.
The pacing can’t be described as slow or fast, but the plot plodders along and it creeps up on you. Suddenly, the characters do things where there’s no turning back and it has a high impact on what’s going to happen next. The true purpose of Godolkin University being revealed isn’t a shocking moment by any means, but more so pushes the characters to pick a side. Having now understood what makes the characters tick, it’s more impactful seeing the consequences of their choices.
The connection back to The Boys become stronger towards the season finale. There will be familiar characters that make appearances, and the good thing is that they don’t steal the focus of the show from the characters but rather adds and cement this show in The Boys’s universe. It’s hard to tell how the season is going to end, which makes the typical cliffhanger even more shocking and unexpected, and it really gears you up for the next season.
Overall, Gen V is a solid spin-off, and one that can stand on its own. It has enough of a hook on its premise to make it worth watching. While it’s more personal and smaller scale, it has its own charms, and it’s not as if it is inconsequential either, given that it does cross over with The Boys.
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