Gen V episodes 1-3 mild spoilers follow.
Gen V has taken the reins from The Boys between seasons and the show has, without a doubt, understood the assignment.
The diabolical tone of Gen V explodes, literally, within the first five minutes, via a violent period, no less. Yes, those are the words you are reading: a menstrual bleed turns deadly when lead character Marie (Jaz Sinclair) first discovers her powers as a supe kid – but if you want more details on that, you're just going to have to watch.
As the first three episodes unfold, the comedy and plots being woven behind the scenes are marinated in a thick coating of ripped limbs, exploding bodies and miniature-murders-type gore.
It's bold, it's shocking, it's graphic, it's The Boys. But also not.
Instead of man-baby, narcissistic supes with god complexes, it's about teenagers aspiring to be those man-baby, narcissistic supes with god complexes.
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In fairness to them, they don't truly know what they're getting into. They still have the luxury of looking at the world through Starlight-tinted glasses, though it's hard to imagine how given that the events of the season take place after the big Homelander reveal.
Surprise! He's a tyrannical lunatic who likes to murder whenever the tantrum dictates.
Still, largely through Marie, we see their dreams to climb the ranking system at Godolkin university and to one day be one of the 'heroes' the university is proud to say it churns out, at least until they discover the seedier, darker underbelly behind Godolkin's shiny exterior.
Uncovering the university's true nature seems to be the core story that allows other borrowed elements to filter through from The Boys' style that we love, friendships of convenience being one of them.
The Chilling Tales of Sabrina's Chance Perdomo stars as Andre, one of the four core members of the gang assembled for Gen V. It also includes Emma (Lizze Broadway), Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Marie (though we're sure gender-swapping supe Jordan will join them eventually).
Early on, their dynamic holds huge appeal. Though they are collectively more level-headed than Butcher's Boys, that doesn't mean we can't expect wild, unpredictable atrocities to unravel as a direct result of their impulsive actions.
Emma is the unintentional standout member of the group. Broadway's comic delivery has a reserved, effortless authenticity that makes Emma all the more loveable. There is also a sad undertone to her performance that intrigues.
However, it is the complexity of her character's backstory that is the sticking point.
Her narrative has the potential to either be a rich and progressive move for the franchise, or could just as easily spiral into crass and offensive territory that pushes the bounds much further than the universe has ever and should ever dare.
Emma's supe abilities are very much like Termite's from The Boys in that she can become incredibly small. However in order to achieve such a minute size, she has to purge. She then must consume food to return to her normal size.
Emma's journey feels like an attempt to explore the very intricate and emotionally complex realities of eating disorders, though doing it through the lens of a supernatural gift (something that is to be coveted) has the potential to devalue the gravity of the illness.
We won't go too far down spoiler territory except to preface this by acknowledging that Gen V does begin to address the problematic nature of Emma's power.
The show gives it more nuance by allowing the character to explore her relationship with purging.
It examines the exploitation of it by others (on many levels and on many occasions), the self-loathing of her 'necessary' lifestyle and, contrastingly, her justification of it.
When pressed by Marie over the matter, Emma challenges her by shedding light on the problematic nature of Marie's powers, which brings us to another 'interesting' choice on behalf of Gen V: Marie is able to weaponise blood by changing its state from liquid to solid. She can also manipulate its shape into slice-and-dice form. However, she often chooses to cut herself in order to use her own blood.
In an even more questionable creative choice, Marie also does so during moments of acute distress to relieve her emotions.
With Marie, Gen V does not simply pull on the threads of self-harming behaviour, it unravels the fabric of it.
Marie's actions are normalised, as though her abilities excuse their precarious implications. Especially given that she can use anyone's blood, it doesn't necessarily need to be her own, which makes her choice puzzling given that this is a show that is prone to bloody explosions. No need to go nicking yourself when the supe battlefield is like a haemoglobin slip 'n' slide.
Jordan (Derek Luh/London Thor) is another character whose ability provides room to explore complex issues at the forefront of our social conscience.
Their ability to switch genders at will taps into the discrimination that genderfluid and non-binary individuals face.
It's a bold move from a show to channel these very weighty issues through something as idealised as superhuman abilities, coupling something desirable with very serious, painful experiences that are anything but.
Exploring the duality with reverence and respect for the issues will take some finesse, skill and sensitivity, qualities The Boys didn't always seem to value.
Right now, it's too early to tell whether or not Gen V has succeeded.
For now, the show appears to be heading in the right direction by bringing these topics into sharp focus instead of tucking them behind the main mystery of the narrative.
The Boys has a hit-and-miss track record when it comes to delving into emotionally intelligent waters but if done right, Gen V viewers can look forward to a refreshing and organic way of bringing awareness to social issues.
Exploding supes and all.
New episodes of Gen V will be released on Fridays on Prime Video. The Boys seasons 1-3 are also streaming on Prime Video. Season 4 is in production.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
