Gen V Season-Premiere Recap: Brave New World

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Welcome back to school! We hope you had a great summer. Things were a little more dramatic for the characters in *Gen V* though! Now’s the perfect time for a fresh start as the fall semester begins. As the show *The Boys* has always touched on political themes, recent seasons-and especially the finale of season four-have become increasingly relevant to current events, particularly with Homelander gaining power. Seeing his speech last year, where he promised revenge and instructed the new president to impose martial law, was pretty disturbing. However, *Gen V*, with its college setting, offers a unique perspective on similar issues, approaching them with its own brand of satire.

The beginning of the “New Year, New U” episode quickly reminds us of what happened at the end of the previous season of *The Boys*, focusing on how those larger events are playing out at Godolkin University. Many conservative students and those who believe supes are superior already think Robert Singer and Starlight worked together to kill Victoria Neuman, and this conspiracy is being used as justification for Homelander’s power grab. Now, Godolkin University is presented as being rid of progressive ideas and is run entirely by supes, including a new, unsettling dean named Cipher (played brilliantly by Hamish Linklater). These ideas clearly mirror current efforts by right-wing leaders to change American universities.

The first season largely centered on a virus created to kill super-powered individuals, developed by scientists at the Woods under Dean Shetty’s orders. While that storyline isn’t as important this season, it’s still connected to the larger story. This season, the focus shifts to Project Odessa, a new initiative led by Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater from *Wicked*). The season begins with a flashback to 1967, just two years after God U was established, hinting at the project’s origins.

The season premiere has a lot going on, setting up new dangers while dealing with the consequences of last season’s finale. We previously saw Cate and Sam take charge as the new leaders of Godolkin after freeing the superpowered test subjects and framing Marie, Jordan, Andre, and Emma for the deaths of twelve people. This season doesn’t keep things contained to a prison, however. We quickly find out that Cate has convinced the school to let Jordan and Emma return, though Marie is missing and Andre is deceased.

The show recently addressed the tragic loss of actor Chance Perdomo, who passed away last year at just 27 years old. It was important to respectfully conclude his character’s storyline, allowing for both closure and a moment to remember both the actor and the character he played. The premiere episode handled this difficult task well. Instead of showing Andre’s unsuccessful escape, the writers chose to have Jordan recount the events, which proved to be a very impactful way to tell the story. It’s easy to imagine Andre making a desperate, impulsive decision when a safer escape route wasn’t available.

The most powerful tribute to Andre in the episode is the scene with his father and Emma. When Emma finds Polarity at home, he’s deeply upset, drinking, and blaming himself. While it’s clear she’ll eventually inspire him to investigate Cipher – who was at Elmira when Andre died and offers a chance for revenge – his initial resistance feels realistic. Even if he hadn’t been involved in the events leading to Andre’s death, nothing can bring his son back. Sean Patrick Thomas delivers a particularly moving performance, especially when he expresses his disbelief that things can be made right (“He was all I had!”). Thomas has consistently been a standout actor on the show, and this scene showcases his talent like never before.

I was really impressed with Emma in this installment – she definitely steps up as the lead, and honestly, it works! She’s smart enough to play the game when she needs to – you see her and Jordan reading those prepared statements about being cleared – but she’s also got this courage that pushes her to keep digging into Cipher and find Marie, even when it’d be easier to just lay low. There’s this scene where she’s at a party, trying to cope, and sees a video of injured people – and she instantly recognizes Marie’s involvement. She convinces a hesitant Jordan to let her go after their friend, and it’s cool because she remembers Andre being the first person to make her believe she could be a hero.

Marie had a rough day, fending off a relentless bounty hunter named Dogknott (Zach McGowan) who has dog-like powers and tracked her down to a motel in Weehawken. She’s desperately trying to find her sister, Annabeth, but keeps hitting dead ends. Making things worse, she keeps getting into fights, drawing unwanted attention. Starlight even had to intervene during a particularly tough fight with Dogknott, and she urged Marie to consider a deal to return to God U. Starlight also suggested Marie investigate Project Odessa, which Vought seems to be starting up again.

The episode reaches a tense climax when Emma and Jordan locate Marie, triggering a confrontation about her leaving the group and her role in Andre’s questionable decision. Things get much worse when Cate arrives. Cate remains a complex and often confusing character – her true intentions are unclear, making her both intriguing and irritating. Here, she continues to act deceptively, pretending to mourn Andre while also trying to protect her friends, all while secretly informing on them because she lacks any real power over Cipher or Vought.

Cate’s attempts to control Marie are pathetic – she’s clearly not at her best, and no one trusts her anymore. For example, Jordan immediately pushed her into an electrical box when she tried to get to Marie. Adding to the problem, Marie can’t even touch Cate to heal her head injury, meaning they’re forced to leave her to face the consequences of her actions.

Is the show *Gen V* actually going to kill off Cate now? It seems unlikely, particularly since they’ve already lost one of the main actors. However, this is a franchise known for taking risks, so anything could happen. Luckily, we have a couple more episodes to find out.

Extra Credit

The shocking deaths shown in the earlier scenes really pull you back into the world of the show. One particularly striking image is a man with tentacles bursting out of him.

In a shocking display, Jordan unexpectedly punches someone while they’re attempting a beer chug, causing them to spray beer and its contents onto onlookers.

Sam doesn’t have a huge amount of screen time in this episode, but he’s now with Justine. Emma has a strong scene where she rejects his attempt at a truce and confronts him about his actions. Luckily, Cate is still present and using her powers to manipulate him into feeling remorseful!

Linklater truly stands out in this first look, and I’m excited to see what he does next. The character of Cipher is intriguing because we don’t yet know his full capabilities, which makes him even more threatening-especially considering that unsettling scene where he nearly put Cate’s hand in a blender.

• Zach McGowan will always be Jody from Shameless to me.

It seems Emma’s new friend has worked with Jacob Elordi and is already cast in the upcoming *Saltburn* sequel, currently called *Saltburnt*.

• RIP to Chance Perdomo, to whom this season is dedicated.

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2025-09-17 15:55