Gen V's Greatest Strength Is Also Its Biggest Difference From The Boys
This article contains spoilers for the first 5 episodes of "Gen V."
We're over halfway through the first season of "Gen V," and it's clear that the college-set spin-off of "The Boys" is effortlessly holding its own. The show is just as violent, raunchy, and inappropriate as its predecessor, but its unapologetic young adult drama has only been to the show's benefit. In fact, embracing those teen themes completely changed the series' approach to conflict compared to "The Boys" — both internal and external — and grounds the show in a wash of relatability the flagship series never tried to capture. The stakes are unequivocally high in both titles, but "The Boys" is a show where the audience can sympathize, while "Gen V" is a show where we can empathize.
What the characters in "Gen V" going through on this show — with or without superpowers — more closely resembles what humans go through in real life. This is why fans are currently losing their minds on social media over #MarieJordan fan-shipping, relating to the struggles of Emma and Sam, and uncomfortably unpacking their own less-than-great outcomes of college partying.
"The Boys" is a biting satire of American capitalism and superhero worship. "Gen V" is an exploration of how life chews up those without social power and influence and spits us out ... and even actual superpowers can't save us. The relatability of "Gen V" is its biggest difference from its forerunner, and its greatest strength to keep it from ever feeling too similar.
The ol' college try
Godolkin University is presented as an Ivy League academy, but its students behave with the same reckless abandon as a state school. The RA is boinking someone who lives on the dorm floor, no one seems to be doing any school work, and episode 4 ended on a cliffhanger of Marie and Jordan waking up (at least semi-nude) cuddled up in bed without any memory of how they got there. Episode 5 reveals that the truth is far more complicated than a typical night out drinking, but the positioning of the characters at Dusty's house evokes an immediate feeling of recognition for anyone who has done the same. I've never had someone erase my memories, but mixing Everclear with energy drinks and living off instant ramen sure has, and waking up after a blackout is never fun.
Rufus, the well-deserved recipient of the "Cocksplosion" in episode 4 is still creeping around, a reminder of how many sex pests are freely roaming. Marie took care of his most violent appendage, but for a character literally named after Rohypnol (aka the "date rape drug"), this is only the start of his justice. Not counting unreported cases, it's estimated that less than six percent of rapists will ever spend a day in jail, meaning there's a hell of a lot of people who have to see their abusers on a frequent basis.
We never stop coming of age, because we're constantly entering new eras of existence. With that comes new feelings, and few times in our lives are filled with more feelings than when entering adulthood. Marie and Jordan are playing the "will they/won't they," Andre and Cate are hooking up even though their best friend/ex-boyfriend just died, Emma is starting to allow herself to be seen for who she really is for the very first time, and Sam is learning how to let people in.
Parents just don't understand
"The Boys" frequently explored the relationships between adults already on their own and their parents, as well as parents trying to raise their own children, but "Gen V" showcases a whole different dynamic — adults still deeply connected to their parents. Given the current state of the American economy, adults are living with their parents again in increasing numbers. And if they're not straight up living with their parents, they're sharing family phone plans or living in close proximity for additional support. As such, it's left a lot of us (myself included) feeling like we're living in a perpetual collegiate state.
Watching the way Emma navigates her relationship with her powers' roots in disordered eating practices and the way her mother has dictated her powers' presentation for years echoes the feeling anyone who grew up with an "almond mom" has whenever sharing a meal. As Jordan becomes more comfortable with their gender presentation, their father is ready to express his disgust at their quest for fluidity. And then there's Andre, struggling to endure the pressure of his Supe father, a B-tier superhero trying to live vicariously through his son. These relationships are commonplace in teen/high-school fare, but the dynamic changes completely once leaving the nest, and resembles something a lot more familiar to adults even a decade or two older.
There's been a recent trend of film and TV shows exploring themes of generational trauma, and "Gen V" is no different. This isn't to say that "The Boys" didn't do a great job of touching on similar themes, it's just a bit easier to empathize this time around, as it's doubtful many of us will wake up one day to find out that our thought-to-be-dead wife is not only alive but raising a child fathered by the most powerful Super in the world.
Life is a head trip
Something that "The Boys" and "Gen V" have in common (other than the superhero stuff) is that a good chunk of the characters are in desperate need of a therapist. Supes, political figures, average Joe humans, and everyone in between could seriously benefit from some psychological assistance and possibly some prescription medication. Life is a head trip, and steering through it ain't easy. There's certainly a lot of wiggle room for creative liberties, but "The Boys" is working off of existing source material and characters. "Gen V" is, for the most part, a free-for-all.
The series digs a bit deeper with the range of exploration of mental anguish, from minor insecurities to unexplainable mental illness. We learn that beneath Godolkin University is a place known as The Woods, where volatile, abandoned Supes become the subject of barbaric experiments. However, it's not made clear if these Supes were mentally unwell before entering The Woods, or as a result of their experimentation.
After Luke "Golden Boy" Riordan's death, Andre and Cate find his phone where he's left a confession about the experiments conducted on him and his brother Sam. Luke may be gone, but Sam is still here, and he's going through it. There are characters in "The Boys" with superpowers and mental illnesses, but we've never seen a character quite like Sam. All too often, portrayals of mental illness in entertainment are either on the socially acceptable side of the spectrum or dangerous exaggerations that equate instability with danger. "Gen V" does neither. Sam is presented with a level of empathy and understanding that's becoming commonplace with younger generations — which makes his treatment feel all the more authentic with this young adult main cast.
As the kids say, it just hits different.