Gen V Episode 8 Review: The New Project Set in The Universe Of The Boys Succeeds Where Many Would Have Failed
Cast: Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Shelley Conn, Alexander Calvert, Sean Patrick Thomas, Marco Pigossi, Alexander Calvert, Andy Walken
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
We have reached the last chapter of Gen V Episode 8, a spin-off that has proven to be able to bear the weight of The Boys in many respects. The last episode respected the expectations that had been created following the events of the previous episode, which had seen the return to the screen of two fundamental characters from the main series: Victoria Neuman and Grace Mallory. General chaos broke out at Godolkin University and all alliances fell apart following the opening of the gates of the Bosco, the gloomy structure that housed the university’s supers used as guinea pigs for the experiments of Dean Indira Shetty and Doctor Cardosa. We expected a great ending, and so it was, with welcome returns and twists that do nothing but fuel the hype around The Boys universe, on which Prime Video has decided to focus very much. We said it in our first impressions of Gen V: this product has all it takes to do well. However, today’s serial world has accustomed us to dampening enthusiasm when it comes to side projects, especially if linked to great works – and The Boys, for the modern television context, is without a shadow of a doubt.
Between increasingly stale shared universes and commercial operations bordering on decency (marketers would say cash cow), the university spin-off of Eric Kripke’s series has managed to keep the bar high even in comparison with the parent series. It may be due to the strong energy of the showrunner and the collaborators chosen for his writing room, it may be due to the greater expressive freedom granted by Amazon, but the fact is that the experiment convinced practically everyone – also obtaining the renewal for a second season of Gen V. Gen V does not limit itself to reiterating concepts and themes expressed in The Boys: the show focuses on numerous elements full of interest and inevitably little explored in the main production. Fazekas and Butters, followed by Kripke himself, have found the right language to insert the youthful perspective into the world created by Garth Ennis, without however losing focus on the connecting elements between The Boys series and their creation.
Gen V Episode 8 Review: The Story Plot
Wanting to summarize the plot of the series to the bone, Gen V brings the chaos of The Boys to college, overwhelming the typical young adult context with all the rottenness of the superheroic world created for TV by Eric Kripke. In the initial stages where the main characters are introduced, we discover that Vought controls an entire university for the gifted and it shapes (physically and mentally) the heroes of tomorrow. In an environment that lives on appearances, a damned microcosm of American society, the lives of difficult kids, often helpless in the face of a society that would never fully accept them, and adults ready to do anything to get what they want are mixed. The multinational has inevitably influenced the country, as already known from the main series. Still, here the perceived impact seems much more direct: many of the kids enrolled at Godolkin University (or God U, not surprisingly) are victims of compound V.
They can do nothing but learn to accept your condition. In an attempt to give the viewer a more direct point of view on the horror of superpowers, almost overturning the heroic fantasy to tell a strictly human drama, Gen V is exalted as an original work and finds the perfect space to connect to the main series. There’s never any real co-dependency in The Boys, thankfully: the links are obvious but skipped and intriguing just enough to allow the show’s original elements to shine. Gen V does not present particularly charismatic characters, at least not at the level of the mother series, but it makes them so particular and characterized that they become more and more engaging as the episodes go by. Godolkin’s kids, starting from the most marginal ones, are madmen prey to hormonal disorders, perfect prototypes of a society humanly adrift in which the development of identity and the problems of the mind are too often underestimated.
There is certainly no shortage of chaotic, splatter, and completely unscrupulous sequences, but the show probably manages to shine precisely because it has found the right balance between the serious and the absurd to convey its messages – all without ever sparing itself, especially in production terms, with the clear intent to amaze. Gen V brings to the stage yet another subversive tale full of violence and plans to be foiled, that’s for sure, but it approaches the narrative from a much more empathetic (and perhaps more positive) point of view than the original series.
Andre finds himself in the hospital, at the bedside of his father, Polarity, who was hospitalized following an illness; the sentence does not leave much room for the imagination: man, no longer has enough energy to use his powers; So, is there an expiry date on Super? There is no time, however, to reflect on this question, because Andre is brought back to reality by Marie and Jordan, a reality in which chaos is about to hit the Godolkin campus. Cate and Sam, who since the last episode had seemed to agree very much on what to do, have very clear ideas after the murder of Principal Shetty: it’s time to do justice, it’s time to free the guinea pigs of the Woods. The two Supers, prey to a delirium of omnipotence, therefore, rush to the evil hidden structure, where all their perfidy and repressed aggression is unleashed: on the one hand, Sam, who finally has the chance to take revenge on the vigilantes who have been keeping him for so long they tortured and forced imprisonment.
On the other hand, Cate, whose intentions are decidedly more worrying, because unlike Sam she has not suffered any mistreatment and she has proclaimed herself as a champion of the weakest, demonstrating a devious and dark side of her character. The two set fire to the structure and free all the inmates, who after probably years can see the light of day again; the guinea pigs flock to the campus courtyard and begin to attack all those who have no powers, brutally killing teachers, employees, and university collaborators, all innocents. The big problem, however, is that Ashley Barrett and all the prominent members of the Council of Seven happen to be inside the campus, who had an appointment with Principal Shetty to decide which of the Godolkin students could take the vacated position. by Queen Maeve. Indira Shetty, of course, doesn’t show up, and soon after the council members, all civilians, realize what is happening outside.
Sam’s fury is uncontainable, the boy brutally confronts anyone who comes within range, and not even the two most important people in his life can calm him down: Emma, anger manages to stop him before he kills the acting teacher, is silenced from the boy he thought he loved, because Sam right now has no room for feelings, he feels alone amid the storm that he is causing, and only feels the need to vent all the repressed anger, accumulated during the period of isolation. Not even Luke, his brother, the protagonist of one of his hallucinations, manages to make him give up: Sam has no intention of stopping, and is ready to attack his friends, those who had given him the chance to start a new life. normal life. It’s a strange short circuit that is created between him and Cate, definitely the two most interesting characters of this season finale of Gen V: Sam is a human fury, and his powers are perhaps among the most harmful on the entire campus and not only, while Cate is the mastermind, a true manipulator who, thanks to her abilities and having freed herself from Principal Shetty’s control, has realized on her own that she has enormous potential.
Gen V Episode 8 Review and Analysis
One of the most interesting elements in this spin-off is linked precisely to the re(de)structuring of the heroic figure. What in The Boys was completely obscured by the shadow of Homelander finds breathing space here thanks to youthful “hope”: the boys may be victims and executioners in many social dynamics, but in Kripke’s world they are perhaps the only ones to maintain a deep aura of naive positivity. A recurring element throughout the season, brought to the screen several times by Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau, is the hope for tomorrow, the obstinacy in believing that there can still be a future in which “being a hero” has importance. The choice (or, better said, the conflict) of the hero on how to use his powers is a well-known theme in genre productions, but it allows these events to acquire a fresher and purer flavor even in their simplicity. The main plot, also thanks to some slight declines in the rhythm, certainly does not shine for its complexity, but it guarantees the right amount of entertainment and offers some twists with an important specific weight.
In Gen V it is the conflict that guides the events, first between order and chaos, then between revenge and redemption: opening an important discussion on identity, self-awareness, and accepting one’s responsibilities, the twisted machinations mix with the stupidest headers in a subtle but stable balance. Choosing whether to be demons on earth or gods among men is the ultimate concept of the universe created by Garth Ennis, here sublimated by the obsession with fame and the direct comparison with the trauma inflicted by parents on their children. Moving effortlessly between satire and drama, Godolkin’s characters manage to intrigue because they experience a double conflict: on the one hand against themselves and their own identity, on the other against Vought and the exploitation suffered by everyone in their life. In this sense, Gen V does exactly what it should, telling a story of cohesion without ever exaggerating the typical young adult dynamics and focusing heavily on the elements that marked the success of The Boys.
The revival of what made Kripke and co great may also satisfy the less passionate, but the real victory of Gen V lies elsewhere. What is most surprising, once the viewing is completed, is the brilliance of the series as a whole: whether it is great directorial ideas or biting dialogues, the entire technical sector of Gen V deserves praise for having managed to make it interesting and an engaging, apparently banal story. The authors approached the reference material with wit, expanding on the themes of the original series by adding shocking and mysterious elements. All this without ever losing sight of the exaggerated and over-the-top component, here exalted in style and aesthetics. Ultimately, it could easily be said that Gen V is exactly what a spin-off should be, never resting on the strength of The Boys but always determined to challenge the viewer with a different detail compared to the previous episode. It is difficult to hypothesize that this work could overtake the parent series, but its emancipation is certainly evident – and would be enough in itself to guarantee its widespread success between now and the next seasons. Maybe it’s better not to dare call it a spin-off, it might be an understatement.
The scene interrupts and suddenly we find ourselves catapulted into what, rather than the ending of Gen V, seems to be the incipit of the new season of The Boys: the news announces that the rebels have been captured, but those who commit the three champions of the God U are of this reputation, while Sam and Cate are portrayed as heroes and, presumably, as the next candidates for a place in the Seven. Marie, Andre, and Jordan, struck by Homelander’s heat vision, wake up inside a mysterious room with no way out, trapped by Vought who has already begun to prepare for their doom. But can the first season of Gen V, the spin-off of one of the craziest series of recent years, ever end like this? Not, because before saying goodbye there is time for another very welcome return, that of Billy Butcher, who enters what remains of the Woods, probably alarmed by Mallory, and looks at the remains of the disaster with the gaze of someone he has seen and fought many, but he is already ready for the next battle.
Gen V Episode 8 Review: The Last Words
Gen V is undoubtedly one of the best works released by Prime Video in recent years, as capable of exploiting the material available as it is skilled in bringing various original elements to the stage. Despite some pacing issues that could make certain segments frustrating, the involvement in the events and the brilliance of certain gimmicks manages to offer several hours of entertainment – even allowing for some flashes of pure genius. More than anything, the themes and the young adult perspective give the freshness that was needed to allow the show to stand on its own two feet, reaching a maturity that makes it much more satisfying than common spin-offs.
Gen V Episode 8 Review: The New Project Set in The Universe Of The Boys Succeeds Where Many Would Have Failed - Filmyhype
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Date Created: 2023-11-03 14:16
4.5
Pros
- The action sequences were incredibly well-choreographed and exciting to watch.
- The character development was excellent, especially for Sam and Cate.
- The episode was full of unexpected twists and turns.
- The social commentary was sharp and timely.
Cons
- Some of the violence was a bit gratuitous.
- The ending felt a bit rushed.
- Some of the subplots, such as Marie's relationship with her sister, could have been developed more fully.
