Tighter Plot, But Less Of The Raunch Fans Loved

Season 2 of “Gen V,” the spinoff of “The Boys,” is both more and less than the first season (here’s our Season 1 review). It’s more because it tells a more compelling tale. The first season had the mystery of “the Woods,” a place below campus where the dean of Godolkin University was experimenting on supes, particularly to make a virus that would only kill heroes who had all been dosed with Compound V. This season has the mystery of the new Dean, a supposedly superpowered individual named Cipher (Hamish Linklater). This plot is compelling, and because the characters are now established, there’s nothing distracting us from this storyline. It’s less because, for all the swearing, bad behavior, and irreverent humor that happens on this show, there’s a lot less of it in this season. That’s not to say there aren’t hilarious and inappropriate moments galore, but there are fewer than there were in the first season and, for a show like “Gen V,” that seems like a shame.

This season once again focuses on Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), the now-sophomore who can control blood and her friends. But one of them is missing. Chance Perdomo, who played Andre Anderson in Season 1, died in a tragic motorcycle accident in March 2024. His character wasn’t replaced in the show out of respect for Perdomo, and we find out what happened to Andre in the first 10 minutes of Season 2 Episode 1; Andre was killed trying to free his friends Emma (Lizze Broadway) and Jordan (London Thor/Derek Luh) from the prison they had been put in following Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam’s (Asa Germann) takeover of the school. The death has big repercussions both for his friends and his father, Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas), and gives new urgency to their struggles this season. 

Specifically, Marie, Emma, and Jordan are essentially puppets in the dean and his cronies’ plans to make Godolkin U seem like a safe space for up-and-coming supes. But their time in prison and the trauma of seeing their classmates destroy non-superpowered individuals at the end of last season have shown them that those at the University are not to be trusted. That’s especially true of Dean Cipher who wants to push Marie to the limits of her powers. There’s a lot going on this season, especially because of what’s happening on “The Boys,” where martial law has been declared and Homelander (Antony Starr) has taken over security. It has ramifications for Godolkin University as well, and classes and parties are about the furthest thing from anyone’s mind as a result.

“Gen V” has a tighter focus this season. Not only are questions about the Dean a major concern but so is a major experiment tied to him. As a result, other plotlines come up short. For example, Sam goes to visit his parents in Episode 5, “The Kids Are Not Alright,” for the first time in years and learns that his mental illness is not the result of him having superpowers but his mother’s genetics. But outside of that one episode, this fact is barely dealt with, which is a shame as it could have been an interesting side plot about the difference between superpowers and mental illness. There are other similar plotlines that burn bright for an episode or two and then don’t go much of anywhere.

Instead, the main characters all gather themselves around the mystery of the dean, and in general, the show as a whole is better for it. The storyline is engrossing and builds on itself over the eight episodes, not the least because Hamish Linklater is fantastic as Dean Cipher. Linklater has played a lot of sinister characters of one variety or another in his career, but he’s especially enthralling here. As is his take on another character who is nothing like the dean. In fact, both he and Ethan Slater, the two new actors who have major parts this season, are great in their roles, and they raise the whole of “Gen V.”

The biggest question I have at the end of this season, though, is where does the show go from here? There is so little of anything having to do with classes this season that I’m not sure there’s much more to be done on campus. In fact, Season 2 features cameos of actors from “The Boys” in the first and final episodes, with cameos from other “Boys” characters in the middle episodes. It’s not too much, mind you; these actors don’t have major arcs. They just appear to further the plot along, and it feels very organic, never taking us away from the story. However, the cameos seem to have a greater significance by the time the second season of “Gen V” wraps. So could these characters appear on “The Boys” while “Gen V” ends its run? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced the end of “Gen V” soon.

Until then, though, this season is a thoroughly enjoyable romp that manages to further the story of both “Gen V” and “The Boys.” The show isn’t nearly as graphic as last season, but it still has plenty of graphic and violent content to both gross you out and make you giggle. But most of all, it has a gripping story that will make you think while it entertains you. For the most part, it’s a fantastic second season, and if it’s the end of “Gen V,” it’s good to know it went out on a high note.

“Gen V” premieres on Prime Video with three episodes on September 17, with new episodes premiering on Wednesdays.