The long wait is finally over – the new book, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’ releases today, December 5! Happy Pub Day!!
We delayed the release in solidarity with the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but now the book is ready for reading just in time for us to all lose our collective you know what over the teaser trailer for The Boys Season 4, which was released last week. And tease us it did…
Showdown between Annie and Homelander?
Robert Singer and Victoria Neuman leading in the polls?
Rob Benedict joining the fun – and feeling really “torn” about it?
Karl Urban and Jeffrey Dean Morgan the duo we never knew we absolutely needed onscreen?
Also, I have missed you JDM!
Oh, and was that Black Noir???
Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!
If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, what are you waiting for?
And now there’s a book that delves deep into all the amazing characters and provocative story lines that make The Boys universe so incredible – just in time for more! (And for the holidays, if you or someone you love is a fan of The Boys)
Supes Ain’t Always Heroes is the perfect way to catch up on everything that’s happened so far and gain a deeper understanding of all the complicated characters. There are chapters that take deep dives into all your favorites, from Homelander to Soldier Boy, Butcher to Black Noir, Starlight to Stormfront, Hughie to A Train and many more. What makes your favorite character tick? Let psychologists and sociologists help you explore everything you love about them – or everything you love to hate. If you love the show’s biting social commentary, media experts and journalists take an insightful look at the issues the show tackles – from racism to sexism, toxic masculinity to social media, and how it all fits into Hollywood and corporate America.
The book doesn’t forget the brilliance of the show’s actors or the comics creators. Sometimes it’s the cast who bring these complex characters to life that have some of the most fascinating insights into who they are. There are exclusive in-depth interviews with Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy), Aya Cash (Stormfront), Nate Mitchell (Black Noir), Jim Beaver (Robert Singer) as well as co-creator Darick Robertson, and additional comments from many of the other cast on this show we’ve all come to love.
I love what Jensen Ackles has to say about Soldier Boy and the decisions he made in portraying him. That’s a Soldier Boy smirk if I ever saw one! And we’re all counting on him being back, right???
Eric Kripke has said that ultimately he sees ‘The Boys’ as hopeful – and we do too. We put this book together because the show sparked so much thought and discussion with the way it reflects things we might wish we didn’t see in the real world around us. We believe in changing the world just like ‘The Boys’ ultimately does, so every copy of Supes Ain’t Always Heroes purchased benefits the Venice Family Clinic and their life saving work in this real world.
We hope you love Supes as much as we all do – Here are some of our awesome contributors celebrating today’s release!
courtesy Tina Charlescourtesy Kaela Josephcourtesy Hansi Oppenheimercourtesy Tanya Cook
If you love ‘The Boys’, don’t be afraid to go deeper (Deeper?). Just be careful not to sneeze!
The long wait is finally over – the new book, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’, is about to be released on Tuesday December 5 – which means you have three more days to preorder it and get some gorgeous free Soldier Boy and Kimiko artwork for preordering! We delayed the release in solidarity with the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but now the book is ready for reading just in time for the teaser trailer for The Boys Season 4 to drop. Who’s excited?????? (That would be us, and we’re already anticipating all the awesomeness that is sure to come in Season 5 too).
Supes Ain’t Always Heroes is the perfect way to catch up on everything that’s happened so far in the provocative universe of The Boys – there are chapters that are deep dives into all the complicated characters, ones that examine the show’s biting social commentary and how it fits into real world corporate America and Hollywood, a look at the issues the show tackles from racism to sexism, toxic masculinity to social media. And there are exclusive interviews with the show’s cast (including Jensen Ackles, Aya Cash, Nate Mitchell and Jim Beaver, plus co-creator Darick Robertson) that shed light on their experience bringing these complex characters to life and their own love of the show. Psychologists, sociologists, media experts, actors and journalists all contribute their perspectives – and give you plenty to think about as we await Season 4!
If you pre-order before the release on December 5, you’ll get some beautiful artwork for free – of Soldier Boy and Kimiko. I’ve seen them and they’re gorgeous! So if you’re a fan of The Boys universe, preorder now and enjoy the artwork. (Make sure to enter your preorder proof on the preorder site at smartpopbooks.com/theboys/ for the freebies – the page will only be up until Monday Dec 4)
We believe in changing the world just like ‘The Boys’ ultimately does, so every copy purchased benefits the Venice Family Clinic and their life saving work.
If you love ‘The Boys’, don’t be afraid to go deeper (Deeper?). Just be careful not to sneeze!
‘The Guardians of Godolkin’ doesn’t refer to who you think it does. And that’s not the only twist and turn in the season finale of Gen V. Alliances break and are formed, the ever-present question of who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy and is there anything that is NOT a shade of gray at this point still not solved. Am I complaining? Hell no.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 1 OF GEN V!
The Question of Right and Wrong
We pick up where we left off. Everyone is shocked that Cate killed Shetty, but she insists she did it for all of them, that she’s being a hero. Surprisingly, Sam agrees, saying Shetty sucked, that he’s not an experiment – that he wants to be a hero too. He tells himself that he’s doing it for Emma, echoing Hughie in The Boys – after Emma saved him, he thinks maybe it’s time for him to save her. He tells himself it’s for the right reasons, partly to keep Emma and the others from being tortured the way he was if they’re found out.
It’s the question that the entire The Boys universe poses again and again. Is doing something terrible okay if you’re doing it for the “right” reasons? If that isn’t a relevant question right now in the real world, I don’t know what is!
I think Sam does want to do the right thing. But Sam is angry too – and free for the first time to make his own decisions. This show is all about the choices we make, especially when we’re young and able to direct our own lives for the first time. Most of us don’t get through all that without some regrets.
Jordan, on the other hand, isn’t so sure that freeing the kids trapped in the Woods is a good idea, wanting to call campus Security instead (which unfortunately is not a good idea either). There’s always that temptation, when everything is falling down around you, to fall back on what has always been the status quo, trust whoever you thought you were able to. Marie knows that’s a mistake, though.
The Price of Power
Meanwhile, Andre watches over his father, ignoring Marie’s phone calls. He gets the bad news from the doc that every time his dad uses his powers, a micro tear occurs in the neural pathways, damaging his brain. (Asking if Andre himself has had any symptoms lets us know it’s not only his dad who’s being destroyed by using his powers). What can they do? Unfortunately he just recommends physical therapy, which sounds like what everyone with a chronic condition hears over and over again. How does this show always get it so right?
Doc: And no more using powers.
They always come with a price on this show, in this universe.
We reached the penultimate episode of Gen V last week, and things are ramping up as of course we knew they would. And there are twists and turns, which of course we knew there would be. But everything in the universe of The Boys does those expected things in an unexpected way – this show is no exception.
So, as we get ready for the season finale to air tonight at midnight, let’s see where we are at the end of last week’s wild ride.
SPOILERS FOR GEN V EPISODES ONE THROUGH SEVEN AHEAD!
Into The Woods
In a scene that’s way too terrifying in a lingering pandemic, Episode 7 (aptly named “Sick”) begins as a guy gets thrown into a cell where one of the other students in there warns him not to breathe – because his friend Andy is being consumed by the horrible engineered virus and coughing up his lungs, threatening to infect the rest of them who are trapped in there.
Dr. Cardoza says it will take a while since it’s spread through contact, and of course the diabolical Dean Shetty asks the most chilling question possible right now.
Dean Shetty: Can’t we make it airborne, so it’s more contagious?
Seriously, this hits a little close to home, GenV!
Cardoza warns that if an airborne virus gets into the super-abled population, it could spread like wildfire. He wants out, but it’s his word against hers and she’s ready to tell Vought that he’s the one who invented a virus that can kill Supes if he doesn’t go along with her.
Cardoza: FUCK.
Everyone: Accurate.
Cate, however, has decided she’s had enough of being manipulated by Dean Shetty, who keeps reminding her to take her pills. Cate has had enough of that too, realizing they’ve been keeping a cap on her powers. She tells the others she’ll make the Dean admit to everything she’s done, hoping to make it up to them, but she can hear all their thoughts of how much they don’t trust her (which they do not appreciate at all, understandably).
Ships and More Ships
The Marie/Jordan shippers got a treat as the two share a tender kiss, though Marie does call them out about buying into gender stereotypes.
Marie: And you’ve gotta stop turning into a dude every time you wanna make a point to us!
Jordan wants to find proof of what’s happening in the woods but Marie is a realist.
Marie: You think they’re gonna believe a black girl and a bi-gender Asian supe over Vought? No, they’ll just twist it like they twist everything else. Unless we get it to someone they will listen to…
A Singer and Neuman poster, graffitied over, is on the wall right behind them.
Uh oh.
Things go better for the Marie/Jordan shippers than the Sam/Emma shippers in this episode, though we do get some nice moments. She helps clean up after Sam’s murderous rampage, Sam reminding her that he ripped an entire guy in half – though he was a puppet at the time.
I love Emma. She’s undeterred by Sam’s occasional murderous outbursts.
Emma: I’d be so messed up if I were you, but you’re so sweet. When you’re not slaughtering a bunch of dudes.
I mean, she’s right.
Sam explores her sex toy collection, impressed.
Emma: That is a normal amount of sex toys. I like options.
She goes to get rid of the evidence and get Sam a Vought A Burger, which he hasn’t had since he went with his brother Luke (ouch), which is clearly a big mistake. Sam hides in the closet, looking like a wide eyed scared kid, then acts out little plays with his fingers, one hand wearing Emma’s tiny panties. A noise in the hall makes him open the door, afraid Emma is in trouble, but it’s a bunch of Supe kids laughing as they make some snow in the hall and sled through it, saying ‘we’re supes, we can do whatever we want.’
Mini Homelanders in the making? Which may be one of the scariest things I’ve ever written…
With two more episodes to go in its first season, Episode 6 of Gen V is a standout for more reasons than one.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH SIX OF GEN V!
We pick up in the sixth episode (“Jumanji”) with a repentant Cate restoring all her friends’ memories. They’re shocked, pissed, betrayed, everything you’d expect. Emma immediately heads out to find Sam, but not without a parting shot.
Emma: Also? You’re a cunt.
Cate insists she thought she was doing the right thing. Andre is especially furious, wondering if Cate’s manipulations were what made Luke kill himself and afraid to even consider that what she did was okay because then he’d just forgive her. His feelings for her make her betrayal a personal one.
They all feel (understandably) mind raped. Marie is the voice of reason though, saying it’s God U who is fucking them over, not Cate – that Cate was fucked over just like the rest of them.
The strain on Cate from restoring their memories and the trauma of realizing how she’s betrayed them makes her collapse, her heart rate slowing dangerously. Marie manages to save her (since apparently none of the others learned CPR at superhero school). Marie slowly learning to use her formerly horrifically destructive powers for good is a nice little story arc running beneath the surface, though it will certainly not go smoothly. This is The Boys universe, after all.
At times this show reminds me of Buffy (which I loved) as it uses metaphor to tell stories about real life issues, in this case one of the challenges of growing up. We all have to learn how to harness our destructive impulses, how to recognize our own power but not mis-use it. We all have missteps we feel guilty about along the way, that can keep us afraid of speaking up or calling out injustice when we see it. That’s been part of Marie’s journey all along.
She does manage to save Cate, who wakes up and then abruptly bursts through the wall of the house they’re hiding at.
They follow, but when they all go through the break in the wall, what’s outside is…the woods. Well, not THE woods, but actual woods. Suddenly everything has gone surreal, and I love it, not knowing what’s actually happening and what isn’t.
They see a hysterical woman, sobbing and calling for Caleb and realize that’s Cate’s little brother who disappeared – we see young Cate distraught, telling her mother she didn’t mean it, not understanding what’s happening. Her mother looks at Cate not with love or concern but with terror, telling the cop she doesn’t feel safe with her daughter. Bits and pieces of the landscape start to come apart in some truly eerie special effects…
They’re in Cate’s head, they realize.
The Boys universe excels at finding ways to get into its characters’ heads (often literally) so we can truly understand their back stories in a way that makes them very real and very compelling. We often don’t just hear about it, we see it. It makes all the characters a lot more sympathetic, as the scenes of Cate’s past do in this episode.
* * *
And then I admit to gasping out loud, because even though I knew it was coming, seeing Soldier Boy striding out of the woods took my breath away.
I know it’s wrong, but I’ve missed him! Welcome back to my screen, Jensen Ackles!!
And then begins a scene that will go down in history for both The Boys and Gen V fans – and Jensen Ackles and Supernatural fans too. Holy shit, what a scene!
Soldier Boy: What are you greasy sack of fucknuts doing in here?
Yep, that’s our disgusting uncensored murder grampa kitten, being just as gross as ever. Ahhhhh, I’ve missed him!
A new episode of ‘The Boys’ spinoff ‘Gen V’ streams Friday – well, usually Thursday at midnight. If you’re like me, you can’t wait to find out what happens next!
Here’s our recap of last week’s Episode 5 to get everyone ready for this week’s Episode 6…
SPOILERS FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH FIVE OF ‘GEN V’ AHEAD!
Everyone ended the fourth episode of Gen V wondering if their streaming service had glitched, so it’s merciful that in Episode 5 the show doesn’t make us wait to find out that no, that’s not what happened. Instead it’s Andre, Cate, Emma, Jordan and Marie whose memories glitched, as in none of them can remember the past few days. They wake up at a Supe named Dusty’s house (clearly his house because his pet llama is wandering around the premises), Andre and Cate in bed and Jordan and Marie in bed – and Emma (still gigantic) naked and floating in the swimming pool. Luckily it had a tarp on it which is covering her.
As a result of her saving the day, Emma finally starts trending on social media, and realizes that her mother’s stern warning about not “getting big” was bullshit – more of her evolution into finding her voice and being willing to take up space. Lots of it.
Know who realizes that? Sam. He shows up concerned about Emma, who doesn’t remember him at all.
Sam promises he’ll fix it, make her remember.
Emma: Remember what?
Sam: That you’re a hero. A real one.
Me, a passionate Emma fan: Damn right!
Vought is still after Sam, sending a whole team of armed operatives to capture him. In a truly disturbing sequence, Sam’s psychosis manifests so that he sees them all as puppets – and proceeds to rip them apart, puppet entrails flying everywhere and heads rolling, rock music playing to make the whole scene surreal.
Sam comes back to reality standing in a sea of bloody body parts.
Dr. Cardoza is freaked out after Sam’s little visit, but the Dean reminds him he can’t really walk out as he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, putting it in her own special way.
Dean Shetty: Cutting up Supes and seeing how they tick is a skill that won’t quite shine on your LinkedIn profile…
Back to trying to perfect a virus to control the “psychopaths” then, Dr. Cardoza.
Marie finds a tracker implanted in her chest and realizes the Dean is probably part of that. She manages to pull it out of herself (ewww). This episode begins to paint a chilling portrait of just how sinister the people running God U actually are – and sets us up for some big reveals about who they’ve drawn into their web of manipulation.
Marie runs to Cate to tell her about the trackers and…that was a mistake. The episode veers back and forth with Marie and company discovering some of what’s going on and then being made to forget, which is depicted in a way that makes the viewer feel almost as unsettled and ‘off’ as Marie and friends.
For a while they’re sure it’s Rufus who’s messing with their heads, and poor Alexander Calvert almost gets taken out for good because of it, even as he protests his innocence.
But Sam knows the truth – and by the end of the episode, they all know who is really responsible for repeatedly wiping their memories. It’s Cate. Surprisingly empathic, relatable Cate. (Of course, that’s never the answer of who the real villain is in this universe…)
Cate says she’s sorry, that she only ever wanted to help and make things better. Do we believe her??
In other news, Jordan and Marie spend much of the episode dancing around each other and trying not to admit to the other that being together maybe wasn’t a mistake after all. Jordan’s invisible Supe friend reminds them that maybe Marie is “cool with hiding the sausage and bumping donuts” and so maybe they can be either in female or male form and still be with her. I’m rooting for them!
I’m rooting for Sam and Emma too. She doesn’t remember who he is, but she goes to him anyway.
But how long can he keep hiding from Vought??
A new episode streams this Friday (Thursday at midnight) on Prime Video and let’s just say the level of excitement around Soldier Boy perhaps making an appearance is off the charts. I won’t say for sure that it’s in this week’s episode, but let me tell you, when you do see him again, the entire scene is PRICELESS! The gifs that fandom will make alone…. OMG.
gif justjensenanddean
Catch up on Gen V now so you’re ready for all the chaos. And to catch up on the whole fascinating world of The Boys, you can preorder the new book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’ NOW at https://smartpopbooks.com/theboys/
There is, of course, a chapter all about Soldier Boy and what makes him tick, and an exclusive interview with Jensen Ackles too – plus a lot more about all your favorite characters.
Don’t miss this week’s episode of Gen V!!
And don’t miss the chance to preorder ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ – you get free original art of Soldier Boy and Kimiko with preorders!
Episode 5 of The Boys’ spinoff Gen V aired yesterday – if you haven’t caught up yet, here’s my recap of the fourth episode – which definitely lived up to its legacy of being part of ‘The Boys’ universe, in more ways than one.
The episode was written by Jessica Chou and directed by Supernatural directing alum Steve Boyum, so you’ve got the writer of The Boys Herogasm episode and the director of the one where Lucy the whale was killed in a way I haven’t gotten over yet. Clearly this was going to be an episode that leaves an impression – and it did!
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR GEN V THROUGH EPISODE 4
I’ve Got a Weak Spot for Brothers Named Sam
The saga of little brother Sammy… sorry, Sam….continues in this episode. I’m here for the bonding that goes on between Sam (Asa Germann) and Emma (Lizze Broadway), both of them feeling like outcasts and on their own, especially after she tells Sam the truth that his big brother Luke is dead by his own hand. You can’t really fault him for reacting emotionally to that news, and neither does Emma, who is remarkably calm in the face of Sam wrecking their hiding place and then confessing that he’s hearing voices. Emma seems able to do the “take me as I am” thing with Sam, and you get the feeling she may be the only one other than Luke who’s ever done that.
Sam’s terrified he’ll fuck it up though.
Sam: Everybody always leaves me.
Emma: I promise, I’m like you.
How terrifying and isolating must it be to have all this unwanted, sometimes uncontrollable power, and also know that your mind is constantly playing tricks on you? I empathize with Sam and I also find him scary as hell, and Asa Germann pulls off that combination flawlessly.
Amusingly, the voice he hears (and the hallucinations he sees) are of “Television’s Jason Ritter” and a The Deep puppet with talking gills on the “Avenue V” show, a Sesame Street/Mr. Rogers crossover that was so out of left field it made me laugh out loud.
Gen V has a lot of mental health parallels, which means my psychologist self is always fascinated, including Sam’s psychosis. He hears what are called command hallucinations as Jason Ritter calmly insists that Sam just kill Dr. Cardoza from the lab.
A new episode of Gen V drops this Friday (or, as Kripke admitted, let’s be real, probably late Thursday night) and I can’t wait! If you haven’t been able to watch the first three episodes which were released last week, here’s a little recap of what happened in those episodes – and why I’m so excited about the next ones! (My review of Episode 4 will be up later this week before Episode 5 drops on Friday)
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH THREE AHEAD
The show takes place at Godolkin University (God U, get it?), where the first generation of superheroes who actually know how they got that way (ie, their parents shot them up with Compound V) is arriving for the start of classes. We’re introduced to the main characters, including Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), whose perspective largely frames these episodes. There’s also Luke, aka Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), top ranked and stereotypically attractive, and his girlfriend Cate (Maddie Phillips), who has to wear gloves most of the time because if she touches you she can mind control you.
Andre (Chance Perdomo) is the son of a Supe and in line to be one of the Seven himself if his dad has anything to say about it, Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) is the bi-gender child of two highly driven parents, and Emma (Lizze Broadway) is Marie’s roommate, whose superpower is that she can make herself tiny.
Gen V takes the same cynical look at where we are as a society in terms of what we value and how we relate to each other. Social media, crafting an image, and cultivating followers and popularity is a legitimate major at God U, and the vast majority of students are all in. As soon as one of them gains some recognition, they can’t walk across campus without repeated requests for selfies, and most fellow students can’t be trusted with any personal information. Emma learns this the hard way when she’s manipulated by a classmate into talking candidly about herself, only to have that used as fodder for the girl’s viral TikTok.
The adults are corporate power-hungry manipulators too, as we’ve come to expect from Vought. The first episode introduces us to the aptly named Professor Brink Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), who’s about as much of a stereotype of a narcissistic full professor as you can get – I admit, as a professor myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the caricature. He’s got the power to decide who gets to be part of the Crimefighting School – similar to the coveted admission to the Business School in a few real life universities – and he’s got his favorites. He summarily rejects Marie before Golden Boy turns on his mentor and takes him out of the picture, opening up an opportunity for her to get in. Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) is an enigmatic woman who can seem incredibly warm and nurturing, and then you get a glimpse of her face when the target of her warmth can’t see it and realize she’s as cold as ice. Andre’s dad, who was the Supe Polaris, is just as icy in his determination to see his son become number one – and maybe one of the Seven.
One of the narratives that The Boys universe has explored in all its versions is parenting, for better or worse (usually for worse…). In the original show we eventually learned what Annie’s mother and other parents had done to their children with Compound V for mostly selfish reasons, and in the animated Diabolical, we saw the costs of that selfishness in brutal detail for the kids. Gen V continues that exploration, and not just with Andre’s father. Emma’s mom is similarly invested in her child’s “success”, essentially telling her to suck it up and do whatever it takes to find some popularity no matter what the personal cost. Jordan’s mom and dad are the “driven Asian parents” who refuse to see their child for who they are and instead want to have a successful son – whether or not they identify as a son or not.
True to every Eric Kripke show ever, that’s not all the show has to say about family though. Like Supernatural and The Boys and every other show he’s put his creative touch on, Gen V is also about the importance of family bonds – especially sibling bonds – and what that inspires. Of course, the sibling bonds on this show are fraught and sculpted by trauma, because this is the universe of The Boys after all. Marie is desperate to find her little sister, who was separated from her after she got her first period and her powers manifested as the ability to control blood – which she hadn’t harnessed at all and thus it became a weapon that accidentally killed both her parents and traumatized her younger sister. Luke is desperate to find his little brother (who’s named Sam and has floppy hair so that every Supernatural fan was instantly a million percent invested in that relationship).
I had high expectations for the new spinoff series from the universe of ‘The Boys’ simply because I love the original series so much that it’s a treat to be able to have some more of it. At the same time, I was hesitant. I’m not exactly college age – would I be able to relate to these characters who are in the throes of adolescence?
The official synopsis sets the new show at…
Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?
That’s a familiar question for this universe, but the fact that it focuses on these “kids” was a bigger question for me. Turns out, I didn’t have to worry. Within five minutes of watching Episode 1, I was already on the edge of my seat and forgetting to take notes. It’s the same feeling I had watching Season 1 of ‘The Boys’ – the sensation of being on a roller coaster that’s taking the turns a little too fast and nearly skidding off the track as I hold on for dear life. Sometimes I definitely gasped in surprise, sometimes I laughed out loud, and of course there were some “ewww” exclamations, because this wouldn’t be the same universe if there weren’t. But, surprisingly, there were also moments where I empathized with what the main characters were going through – especially Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau. The first episode is largely following her story, and by the time the episode was drawing to a close, I found myself caring about her already.
Prime Video
I should have expected it after being surprised to find myself caring about some characters on ‘The Boys’ that I probably shouldn’t have, but I thought it might be different with teenagers. I guess good writing is good writing and good acting is good acting! What ‘Gen V’ does that its parent show also does so well is give us just enough backstory to make the characters sympathetic, with tragedy depicted in a visceral (sometimes literal) way that lets you really feel just how tragic that moment is. The show doesn’t shy away from blood and guts, just like ‘The Boys’, but the violence is often used to underline the shock and horror that we all feel when faced with tragedy, even the sterile non-bloody kind.
The other characters who are introduced in the first episode are also memorable, especially the ambivalent-about-being-ambitious Andre, enigmatic Jordan who is sometimes female and sometimes male, the golden boy of the school who is actually called Golden Boy because that’s hilarious, and Marie’s roommate Emma. Emma is already a favorite of mine, with a superpower that isn’t taken seriously or valued highly and an arsenal of defenses covering up a world of hurt. I’ve got a soft spot for her for sure – don’t kill her, show!
‘Gen V’, like the other shows in this universe, manages to be unrealistic and over the top while at the same time making some pointed commentary on the real world. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s intentionally hit-you-over-the-head with the parallel, but it’s almost always biting – and I love it.
Prime Video
Special shout out to Episode One’s ability to parody every University’s overly sincere posturing, from motivational posters on the walls (“The Deep was once a kid just like you. He says: Honor is doing the right thing when no one is looking”) to the Dean of Students insisting that they’re a “family” and telling students they appreciate “the unique culturally rich change agent that you are.” I got stuck between eye rolling and laughing out loud recognizing the familiar rhetoric of every University I’ve taught at over the years.
‘Gen V’ retains the cheeky references that the original series included, with shoutouts to CW stalwarts like Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars and supe students claiming to be “super focused” or “super inclusive” or “super abled”. I might have squealed out loud to see Alex Calvert, Supernatural’s own Jack, as one of those students. The show can be a heady mix of serious social commentary one second and outrageous sex scenes the next, with some creative super powers constantly going on in the background. There’s also a mystery that’s introduced right from the start, something ominous and dark that is downright scary – like a little touch of Supernatural snuck in to spice things up even more. I like it!
One of the other things I relish about the universe of ‘The Boys’ is the masterful and thoroughly enjoyable social media presence the show has cultivated. It’s been so much fun to watch the Vought account interact with The Boys account, and now Gen V has been added to the mix. Fans have played along and responded to social media posts with in-universe commentary, making the whole experience extra meta (and extra amusing). Oh, and is there anything more appropriate than the official Astroglide account getting in on the fun??
The reality tie-in, it burns…
Today’s Twitter/X back and forth had Vought CEO Ashley and Kimiko disagreeing about whether you should trust Vought – or definitely not trust Vought.
I don’t trust Vought at all, but I do trust Eric Kripke, and once again he hasn’t let me down. I’m already looking forward to more of this wild ride – streaming tomorrow on Prime Video. Stream it yourself and ride along!
As A Train says, I hope you survive the experience…
The Gen V cast includes Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi. Gen V also features guest stars Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, as well as appearances from Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and P.J. Byrne, reprising their roles from The Boys.
Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters serve as showrunners and executive producers. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Nelson Cragg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers on the spinoff series. Serving as co-executive producers are Brant Englestein, Sarah Carbiener, Lisa Kussner, Gabriel Garcia, Aisha Porter-Christie, Judalina Neira, and Loreli Alanís. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.
Yesterday Sony Home Entertainment announced the release date for the Blu-Ray set of Season 3 of ‘The Boys’ as October 24, so if you’ve been waiting to own the adventures of Butcher, Hughie, Annie, Homelander, Soldier Boy and company, the wait is almost over. Here’s the official synopsis of Season 3 in case you forgot (how could you forget??)
It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into The Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first superhero: Soldier Boy.
And hoo boy, is that a powerful scene when they find him (in more ways than one!) Thanks, Jensen Ackles.
The Blu-Ray and DVD sets include special features – gag reels, deleted and extended scenes, and the “Making Of” featurette.
I don’t know about you, but gag reels are my favorite thing EVER! This cast clearly had alot of fun making last season…Catch up on Season 3 before Season 4 releases, tentatively set for some time this winter when the strike is resolved.
Every episode of that season was an insane rollercoaster that left me always wanting MORE!
You can also catch up on the story so far and be ready for Season 4 with the new book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’. We’re supporting the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike by pushing the release date back to December 5 but you can preorder the book now so you have a deep dive into the show and its characters to go along with your DVDs. What makes them tick and why did we all get sucked into this show so completely, even if it did sometimes make us want to cover our eyes? Exclusive interviews with the cast bring even more insight into the actors’ experience of what makes this show so special.
You can preorder at https://smartpopbooks.com/TheBoys/ and get free original artwork of Soldier Boy and Kimiko that’s just plain gorgeous.
And look for the spinoff show ‘Gen V’ releasing on September 29!
