Name: Gen V

Cast: Jensen Ackles

Plot

The series follows a batch of new students at the prestigious Godolkin University, for the superpowered. The show, as it's called Gen V, is focused on the first group of the student body, that knows their superpowers come from V, rather than being natural. As Marie's story starts with the murder of her parents, we see the young student, enter the elite university with the aspiration of joining The 7 (The messed-up version of DC's Justice League in this universe). But unexpectedly the plot takes a Game of Thrones-level turn, as the Golden Boy, Luke, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, who we thought was one of the main leads, combusts in mid-air after killing one of his professors in the very first episode. The next two episodes follow as his peers, and friends try to solve the mystery of The Woods, and the horrors that lie within the mysterious underground facility of the university.

What Works

The series doesn't shy away from making it clear that it's very much part of The Boys universe, it proudly shows it off. When it comes to spin-offs, sometimes the shows try to distinguish themselves from the original, but here in the very first episode, it starts with a flashback of A-Train getting selected for The 7, and later on mentions of the elite group, as well as many cameos from the original cast of The Boys. One of the wins for the series so far is that even with the run time of around 40-50 minutes, it doesn't feel like a stretch. It is clear from the first three episodes, that even if it is just as gory and disturbing as its predecessor, Gen V wants to address the important discourse of mental health, as characters' powers almost seem like a manifestation of their issues. 

The production value of the show is up there with The Boys, as well as the costume design, and narrative. It is funny in the most unhinged way possible, as even when things go south, you can count on the comedic timing of the writers. Rachel Goldberg and Steve Boyum's directorial doesn't judge its characters on their actions, but rather their intentions. The chemistry between the cast, as they face a new world of horror, makes me believe that we might be getting a new super-team.

What Doesn't Work? 

Let's make this clear, Gen V, is not a stand-alone series, it is for The Boys' fans, people who are already familiar with the concept of supes and what they stand for. But other than that the show surprised and delighted me in more ways than one, and in what might be a first, we're yet to find any faults. We'll keep you updated. 

Star Performances 

The main leads of the show Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair, Maddie Phillips, Chance Perdomo, Derek Luh, London Thor, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, are absolute marvels to watch. As they bonded in the very first episode, things got--ts up pretty quickly after that. The cast clearly has a shared comradery, as every character gets to shine in their own time, but Derek Luh, and London Thor's Jordon Li deserve a special shoutout, as the two have mastered the body language and tid-bids of Li's character, gracefully changing from one avatar to another. Shelley Conn's performance as Indira Shetty, the dean of Godolkin University, impresses as she goes from sinister to empathically manipulative toward Marie.

Gen V Episode 1-3 Review: Final Verdict

One thing that is clear from the first three episodes is that the plot of this series has the potential to blend into The Boys season 4's storyline. The struggles, and motives of each character are with the aspiration that they'll one day end up a superhero, which will with 100 percent certainty lead to more chaos as the kids are bound to find out, why they say, you should never meet your ideals.