Gen V: Three Reasons Why To See The Spin-Off Of The Boys on Prime Video
A new generation of incorrect, violent, and perverse superheroes is about to make its entrance on Prime Video. Gen V is the spin-off TV series, set in the diabolical world of The Boys, which will debut with its first three episodes on the streaming platform of the large e-commerce from 29 September, followed by new episodes every week until the epic finale of the season on Friday 3 November. If you are in abstinence from the universe created by Garth Ennis, from the madness of Homelander, from the incorrectness of Billy Butcher, or the nefarious plans of the powerful multinational Vought American, you should prepare some popcorn and make yourself comfortable. We assure you that you will see some big ones!
We had the pleasure of having a small taste of this new original Prime Video product which, on the one hand, follows the guidelines of one of the most loved TV series in the platform’s catalog and, on the other takes its direction in complete autonomy, narrating events through the introduction of new characters, completely new, and then intertwining with some of the names already known or studied in depth in the main mother series. Gen V is set inside Godolkin University (you can also take a look at the university website), the premier institute for young superheroes where students train to forge a new cohort of heroes. Heroes, however, are easily bought by the highest bidder because they are more fascinated by fame, power, and a large bank account than by saving human lives. However, not everyone follows the path of corruption.
In addition to the classic academic turmoil, the search for themselves, and the wild parties, these young people will find themselves facing explosive situations, in the literal sense eh! As they strive for fame and top grades, it goes without saying that the stakes get higher and more interesting when superpowers come into play. And when the new and diverse group of young people gifted with supernatural powers discover that something darker and more impressive is happening inside the school, will they be asked to make a crucial choice: become the heroic protagonists or the villains in their own stories? And no, the answer is less obvious than you might imagine because if there is one certain aspect of this series it is that nothing, really nothing, is so predictable or… long-lasting. If the initial premises seem interesting to you, wait until you hear the rest! And we want to give you some hype, also because it’s worth it; so, here are three reasons to see Gen V from September 29th!
Gen V: An Already Known Universe
As we’ve already said, Gen V is set in The Boys universe, and this should already be enough and advance. If you loved and love the main series, as well as the comic, its atmospheres, the inherent rottenness of the characters, that very thin line between good and evil, correct and incorrect, the end that justifies the means, as well as the taste for gore and splatter, then this spin-off shouldn’t disappoint you at all. The atmospheres are the same and, if we want, made even more treacherous and malevolent by the environment and the young age of the protagonists.
A mix between “dark academia” and the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, but with a much higher level of perversion, resentment, and cruelty. The only interests that count in the universe of The Boys are those of Vought, and even in this series, it would seem that the multinational, through the school, has a lot to hide about the origin and “management” of superheroes and, certainly, it will not be his young age that prevents him from torturing, experimenting, killing, just to reach his goal.
Furthermore, it is good to know that although the series is not a direct sequel but, in fact, a spin-off with an independent narrative arc, it is set between the third and fourth (still unreleased) seasons of The Boys. Know, therefore, that right from the start you will have the opportunity to review not only already well-known faces, both directly and indirectly, but above all to find yourself faced with the insertion of some connections (unexpected and which could shuffle the cards on the table) with the mother series decidedly important.
A Series Without Half Measures
The secret of The Boys success is, without a shadow of a doubt, being a product without half-measures. In a historical period of extreme saturation of the cookie-cutter cinecomic genre where we found (and continue to find) only spotless heroes, pure souls, and cloying respectability to triumph, the debut of The Boys in 2019 brought a much-needed surprise breath of fresh air. The dividing line between right and wrong is so blurred in the series that all the protagonists, Sup and otherwise, move in a very gray area of the soul, reflecting the hypocrisy and corruption of our world better than anyone else. After all, when you have the Universe at your feet, being idolized as a God, why spare yourself? Therefore, makes way for physical, verbal, and psychological violence, dramatic bloodshed, balance between gore and splatter, cruelty, trauma, and, obviously, sex in the name of perversion and fetishism. Yes, but what does this have to do with Gen V? It has something to do with it, it has something to do with it because you will find all this again.
And, perhaps, even a little more! What we can tell you, for now, is that from the first to the last scene of the pilot, explosions of blood will be an essential ingredient, with a nice side dish of traumas that dig deep into the characters, fueling their instability and paranoia, accompanied by a sprinkling of grotesque and black humor. And to complete? A delicious dessert of twists and turns that will make your brain explode. Long story short: don’t expect a teen drama, but a crazy series! maybe even a little more! What we can tell you, for now, is that from the first to the last scene of the pilot, explosions of blood will be an essential ingredient, with a nice side dish of traumas that dig deep into the characters, fueling their instability and paranoia, accompanied by a sprinkling of grotesque and black humor.
New Even Crazier Characters!
If the SUPs of The Boys, large and vaccinated, were already shown to us as mentally out of control, in Gen V the element of madness in boys who were little more than teenagers, perpetually in the spotlight, slaves to social pressures and expectations as well as hormones, it can only be amplified. Let’s start with the assumption that we are faced with new characters very different from each other and interesting, starting with Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), whose particular ability is to control blood. Marie can transform streams of blood into blades or drops into bullets, but she also has her saving abilities. In her, however, there is a dark feeling linked to her power and her discovery. Something linked to her past that on the one hand makes her a slave to the senses of blows, but on the other determined to become one of the Seven. Indeed, she was the first black woman of the Seven.
In addition to Marie, however, we also find characters like the prestigious Golden Boy, the Godolkin star truly destined for the Seven, but who under the mask of a perfect and smiling boy seems to hide something much murkier; Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo), the friend everyone would like, ironic, brilliant, modeler of matter but messed up like few others; or the “tiny” Emma (Lizze Broadway), who would like to be something else than a person “with a stupid superpower”. And many, many others make their appearance, all united by a feeling of revenge and selfishness, willing to do anything to get to the top, but also profoundly devastated from within, frightened by something that seems to be decidedly bigger than them but not even too far from the college dorm room. And if this hasn’t convinced you yet, then you just have to wait for Friday 29 September, and watch the first three episodes with your own eyes because Gen V arrives on Prime Video.
