‘Gen V’ Season 2 Review: An Excellent Sophomore Season

This review was made possible by Popped receiving advanced screeners for Gen V Season 2.

Following the explosive and shocking finale of The Boys Season 4 on Prime Video, Gen V makes it sophomore season return (literally.) The supes of Godolkin University, Guardians or not, have returned to campus after a summer they’ll never forget. Yes, it seems at every corner turned, their is a closet full of skeletons in just about every closet even slightly related to Vought that needs cleaning out, and with The Boys out of commission, its up to Marie Moreau and her fellow students to pull back the curtain and expose the ever-increasing corruption and horror festering within the halls of their beloved school, and the greater Supe world.

For Chance

Right of the bat, the biggest elephant in the room regarding this upcoming season is the handling of Chance Perdomo’s tragic death last year, with his character Andre playing significant role in the first season. Shortly after the actors death, the creators confirmed that the role would indeed not be recast and instead they would be altering the planned storylines for the season to address the unfortunate situation and pay tribute to their late castmate.

Of course Perdomo’s presence in the series is one that is sorely missed, with his character Andre playing such a vital and loveable role in the series but thankfully the way the situation is handled is quite well done. Yes, Andre does not return physically in the series but the way he is honored and remembered brings him back in spirit. Situations like this are incredibly hard, one wrong move and it just completely falls apart. You want to be able to honor and show your love for this person while also keeping your ship afloat and the writers do just that, and do it flawlessly.

At first, the decision made felt maybe a bit off, but the way the fate of the character is used and woven throughout the overall story of the season is quite exceptional. Andre’s fate is an incredibly influential and crucial part of this season, obviously it is unknown what the original plan for this season was but it does not feel as if someone has been removed from the story, and they use this moment to not only strengthen the bond between these characters but also to empower the storyline.

The Guardians of Godolkin

Where Gen V left off and The Boys picked up, Sam and Cate weren’t exactly in the good graces of any of our fellow leading cast members, siding with Homelander and Vought in the pursuit of supe supremacy. Nevertheless, everyone’s back in the same fishbowl and has to learn to coexist once again, ever if they’ve mind controlled and delimbed each other on certain occasions.

This is an instance where the loss of Andre comes into play, of course each of our main characters hold that loss close and let it fuel their motivations, but its something that is also used a natural mending of bridges, maybe not immediately but it does help push these characters to find ways to work together.

Jaz Sinclair once again delivers a great performance as Marie Moreau, continuing to harness her abilities and evolve even further than she ever thought she could. The season makes some very big jumps with her abilities and her overall potential in the future of this universe so fans of hers will likely be very happy with her direction this season.

Of course right alongside her is Derek Luh and London Thor as Jordan Li, two stellar performances for one character wrapped up in a neat bow. Luh and Thor do not get enough praise for their work, it’s not exactly easy to share a character and be able to match each other as well as these two do. If you need a gauge to really understand how well they’re doing, watch Shazam! and get back to me. The only nitpick would be that it feels like a lot of the more emotional moments go to Thor’s Jordan, rather than Luh’s interpretation of the character.

Of course this trio isn’t complete without Emma, played by Lizzie Broadway, a character who has made a lot of progress and development since we first met her and continues to do so this season. Honestly, it’s very easy to say that this season improves upon almost all of its characters quite well. That isn’t to say they were needing any improvement in the first place but they feel different here. Maybe it’s just because the series has landed and its writers feel much more comfortable writing them but everyone just feels so much stronger and so much on it, this really is quite a admirable cast that continues to get better.

Even Cate and Sam, played by Maddie Phillips and Asa Germann, really kill it and work their way back into your heart, its a bit of a brittle road but the natural progression for those two throughout the season is really well done.

Meet Cipher

Hamish Linklater? Give a bad performance? I don’t think so, In fact I think that may be the only time anyone has ever said that. Linklater joins the second season of the series in the role of Cipher, the newly appointed Dean of Godolkin University. Cipher makes quite the splash at Godolkin, setting his eye on Marie as so many have. Fascinated with her power, the new Dean see’s to it that he himself is the one training her, hoping to help her master her abilities even more than she thinks she’s able to.

A lot of Cipher is shrouded in mystery, he’s a complex character who constantly leaves you wondering what motivates him and what his true intentions are. Linklater brings a healthy dose of gravitas to the character, a trait in which he is all-too commonly harnessing. Be patient, as this show is keeping its secrets close.

In The Grand Scheme of Things

Eric Kripke runs a very tight ship when its comes to continuity and world building, as those things can often go hand in hand. At times, Gen V can feel a little overrun with these things, there’s times where it feels very natural and as it should, but others where its just so in your face that it is a bit distracting and just there for a quick gag which can get old.

At other times it can feel like this show is put into competition with the other, sometimes feeling like they’re trying to out-raunch each other like both shows have their own personal private think-tanks of perverts dreaming up their next hyper-fetish scenario, when in the end you’re just never going to be able to outmatch the flagship series.

At other points the show begins to fill a teeny tiny bit like homework. The best way to describe is like that one episode of The Book of Boba Fett that everyone laughs about because it is literally just an episode of The Mandalorian that does a bunch of plot support elsewhere to make the other, more popular show, move faster. It’s not an end-all be-all situation, nowhere near as egregious as the previously mentioned example but there are times when the show really feels like it needs to remind you what they’re building towards and it can get a bit annoying.

Super Focused

Chiming in on some previously mentioned criticisms and praises, this season manages to tell a much more focused narrative than previous. While the pacing and structure of the previous season isn’t exactly fresh on the mind, this new one really does feel much more focused and well put-together. This may be another perk of the writers just feeling much more comfortable in the world and with the series characters, or even the previously noted “plot support” having a much more clear idea of where to take the narrative to weave it into the upcoming final season of The Boys.

In a world that can sometimes feel so crowded, it really buckles down and sticks with its core cast, aside from a handful of newcomers who never really take over the narrative aside from Cipher, the show uses these new characters well in supporting roles while further uplifting its main characters which really helps the show in the long run. No one really feels left behind is the easiest way to put it, everyone has a role to play and is well-used throughout the season. I guess the biggest question now is if this is the last season of the series.

With this show leading into the next and final season of The Boys, will there still be a place to play for all of these characters when the house is inevitably brought down sometime in 2026, who knows really, just enjoy it while you can.

‘Gen V’ Season 2 – Final Thoughts

The sophomore season of Gen V is quite good, at times bogged down by the implications and unnatural inclusions of its wider universe, the series manages to elevate both its characters and the storytelling. The success of this season is amplified even further when you remember the tragic loss of Chance Perdomo, whom the show respects and honors throughout the entirety of the season. An invigorating conspiracy is unraveled successfully here and gets us even more ready for the upcoming fifth and final season of The Boys.

The first three episodes of Gen V Season 2 release on Prime Video on September 17, with weekly releases to follow. Check out the trailer below: