‘Gen V’ Review: ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Series Is a Serviceable Extension with Room To Grow
Blood and penises. Penises and blood. No, this isn’t a very bad advertisement for erectile dysfunction pills, or history’s tersest anatomy lesson; they’re two recurring elements from “The Boys,” Amazon Prime Video’s satiric superhero show that’s absolutely infatuated with red bodily fluid and unboxing a record number of dicks. (Some may even call them the series’ visual motifs.) Developed by Eric Kripke, the Emmy-nominated action-comedy — about a group of corporatized superheroes whose heroic public image hides dark secrets galore — makes its bloody mark in the first scene (when the super-fast A-Train runs through a human being, leaving nothing behind but a chunky red mist) and fills subsequent scenes, episodes, and seasons with a growing number of (growing) dongs.
Along the way, it also happens to go hard against capitalism, right-wing extremism, and toxic masculinity. “The Boys,” never a one-note joke, creates satire that can be mercilessly blunt and surprising in its resonance. All that blood helps audiences see superheroes in a new light — not just as benevolent gods but false, even dangerous, idols — and all those wangs can help subvert the machismo threatening to overpower the show’s commentary. (When your leads are Karl Urban and Evil Superman, your series will inevitably end up testosterone-heavy, but it’s also the somewhat inevitable consequence of making a really strong action show that’s also a parody of action shows.)
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Spinoffs are also ripe for ridicule in our modern franchise era, but like Stargirl and other well-meaning supes, “The Boys” still isn’t exempt from corporate demands. Enter “Gen V,” the first live-action extension of Amazon’s hit original series, following a group of super-powered college kids who — before they can worry about homework and hazing — uncover a dastardly plot right in the middle of campus. Featuring a fresh cast of characters (and a handful of cameos from “The Boys”), “Gen V” is lively and gruesome, cheeky and clever. It targets predatory practices in upper academia, be it unpaid student-athletes, racial discrimination, or abusive power dynamics. In the six episodes screened for critics (out of the first season’s eight total episodes), these kind of allegorical arcs are plentiful, though none are explored as thoroughly as one would hope. Like “The Boys,” “Gen V” remains an effective mix of fun and socially conscious storytelling, but what’s the point of all that blood (or flashing all that dick) if there’s no real skin in the game?
That question could be answered in the yet-to-be-screened finale, and at first, it seems like blood itself may be what “Gen V” uses to carve out its own space in “The Boys” budding universe. Our protagonist, Marie Moreau (played by Jaz Sinclair), is an 18-year-old freshman at Godolkin University, hoping to be put on the hero track so she can fulfill her dream of becoming the first Black woman to join The Seven. But the higher-ups don’t really see her as the hero type. They’d tell you it’s because her only power involves “controlling and weaponizing” her own blood. Fans (and advertisers) don’t really want to watch Marie cut open her palm to sling web-like bursts of her blood. It’s too gross to sell toys, too weird for mass appeal.
Again, that’s what they say — Marie’s professors, the dean, and more Vought decision-makers — but others might argue she’s being discriminated against because she’s Black and disadvantaged. Marie grew up in an orphanage after an accident in her youth. (Her powers suddenly materialized when she first got her period, and she didn’t know how to control them until it was too late.) She’s never had a smart phone, and she could only get online a few times a day when the shared computers weren’t being used by horny young boys. That means she doesn’t have a social media following, like seemingly every other student at “God U,” let alone the money to pay for prep courses in relevant fields like crime-fighting and branding.
As Marie continues to develop her abilities, a new avenue to hero status emerges — as does a chance for “Gen V” to comment on its own bloodlust. The series steers fully into the first lane, as Marie skyrockets in the class rankings and becomes a star in her own right, but it’s a bit slow to move toward the second. There’s still time in the final episodes, but Season 1 seems more concerned with establishing a solid foundation to build from than blowing up fans’ expectations of what a “Boys” spinoff could be. That’s fine — it’s certainly the safest trajectory — but one can’t help but hope for a twist ending that has little to do with the central mystery.
Speaking of, most of Marie’s initial journey centers around an underground bunker where some not-to-be-named folks may or may not be up to no good, as well as the requisite socializing inherent to college life. To say anything about the former would risk actual spoilers, but when it comes to the latter, Marie’s one big stroke of luck arrives in a very small package: Her roommate, Emma (Lizze Broadway), is better known by her hero name, Little Cricket. She can shrink to the size of a mouse (or smaller) and has been acquiring an internet fandom via silly YouTube videos for years. (When Marie first meets her, she’s fighting her pet gerbil in a miniature boxing ring.) Emma is on the Performing Arts track — where she’ll be trained to use her powers for entertainment — but her good nature soon lures her into helping Marie find out what’s really going on at God U.
Also involved: Patrick Schwarzenegger’s “Golden Boy,” aka Luke, the No. 1 ranked senior who can light himself on fire (burning off all his clothes in the process — “I’d burn my tongue on that,” Emma says, spotting his burning loins); his best friend Andre (Chance Perdomo), whose father (a famous hero called Polarity) sits on the God U board of directors; Cate (Maddie Phillips), who’s close with both boys and can “push” people to do anything she says via skin-to-skin contact; Jordan, whose ability to shapeshift also elicits different powers when they present as a man (unbreakable) or a woman (energy blasts); and the university elders, aka Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) and Professor Rich “Brink” Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown).
The cast lacks the gruff star wattage provided by Karl Urban and a breakout turn (a la Antony Starr), but Marie and Emma could become their own super-duo in time. Sinclair has good energy, Broadway more or less lives up to her theatrical surname, and the rest of the kids have an easier time carrying B- and C-plots than some other teen-supe shows (like “Runaways”). Their surrounding special effects, both CGI and practical, work well enough, as “Gen V” leans into the look and feel of its predecessor, peppering meta jokes and dark humor amid a steady output of uber-violent action scenes. (One wannabe movie star talks about a prospective role in a Vought+ original series that’s “an elevated superhero thing, really a meditation on grief told through 70 years of sitcoms — and Zach Braff is directing.” Soon after, a man’s arms are ripped off during a public “practice” session.)
With Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters as showrunners (plus Kripke producing the series and co-writing the pilot), it all works well enough to satisfy franchise fans, though one has to wonder if that’s enough. “The Boys” clicked (in part) because it felt like an antidote to superhero fatigue; an outlet for everyone who’s grown frustrated with the same ol’ bloodless stories of angelic men in spandex crashing through buildings with zero consequences. “Gen V” may scratch the same irritated itch, but with “The Boys” Season 4 right around the corner, all that scratching will eventually draw blood. And then who feels like a dick?
Grade: B-
“Gen V” premieres Friday, September 29 on Prime Video with three episodes. New episodes will be released weekly.
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