In an increasingly divided world where few people can agree on anything and tensions seem ready to boil over with each new act of destruction all across the globe, it’s important to remember one thing: we’re all human. But in the world of The Boys, that’s not the case, and even though most of the characters in its spinoff Gen V did nothing of their own choosing to gain powers, that doesn’t stop them from feeling superior to, and advocating for enforcing a hierarchy over, those who don’t have any special abilities. After an intense and unforgettable first season, Gen V returns for an equally compelling second season that feels simultaneously like a perfect fit for its overarching universe and a unique show that works just as well on its own.
There have been some changes at Godolkin University, starting with the appointment of a new dean named Cipher (Hamish Linklater) who seeks to rally the students and push them to their full potential as soldiers for the supe cause. Emma (Lizze Broadway), Jordan (London Thor & Derek Luh), and Marie (Jaz Sinclair) are no longer imprisoned but are well aware that there’s a target on their backs if they don’t stay in line, while Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) are much more comfortable being poster children for the school and choosing to believe what they’re told without questioning and fighting back against it.
After the opening to season one, it’s difficult for this show to match that, but it manages to deliver something that feels like a logical continuation of what came before with new, enticing questions and plenty of blood, carnage, and mistakes along the way to getting the answers. It remains tethered to the original series with a handful of cameos and references, but they’re not distracting or substantial enough that any more context is needed. This show only exists because of that world and should therefore tie into it, but it will be able to function very well on its own if a third season is deservedly ordered, which would air after The Boys has wrapped its five-season run.
The casting of Linklater is a particular boon for this show. While his first major TV role was wisecracking opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus in The New Adventures of Old Christine, he’s since transitioned to darker roles like as an interrogator on Legion. He brings a marvelous mix of extremely dry humor and quiet intensity to this character, who, unlike his predecessor Shetty, is unconcerned with public perception. He makes a strong impression early in the season when he pushes the students about whether they actually know how their powers work and to unlock the many abilities they may not even be aware of yet. As a driving adult influence for these teenagers with seemingly unlimited powers, he’s an important shaper of this season’s tone and its shift to something even more disturbing than what’s previously been seen.
Season two also incorporates the tragic untimely death of actor Chance Perdomo in a motorcycle accident, making Andre’s death on the show a catalyst for many of its events and turning Andre’s father Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) into a man on a mission set on taking down Godolkin and Vought. It was surely a difficult decision to figure out an appropriate way to pay tribute to this actor and the character he created, and this feels as fitting as possible, ensuring that his legacy remains part of the fabric of the show without handing it to another actor to keep up the mantle. For a show quite used to killing off characters and moving on to the next fight, this move feels especially sensitive.
Gen V continues to incorporate a great deal of violence, but it’s in service of showing how destructive these students can really be if they don’t know how to use their powers or, worse yet, don’t care because they believe they’ve been endowed with abilities to mete out as they see fit without moral contemplation. The writing is astonishingly clever, finding new ways to introduce mind-boggling powers and stunning visual representations of how they play out both in everyday life and in the heat of battle. This show feels like it’s just getting started, continuing to evolve its premise and find new ways to one-up the craziness it’s already shown. For fans of The Boys, this is a reliable companion piece that will do much more than help fill the time until season five premieres, and for everyone else, it’s an extraordinary, wildly inventive look at the real world on a particularly volatile and destructive form of steroids.
Season Rating: 9/10
[…] Gen V returns for an equally compelling second season that feels simultaneously like a perfect fit for its overarching universe and a unique show that works just as well on its own.— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz […]