Gen V Recap: Walking, Talking Blood Bags

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The death of Chance Perdomo was a huge loss for the show *Gen V*. Rather than replace his character or add a new main student, season two smartly focuses on deepening the stories of the characters we already care about – Marie, Emma, Jordan, Cate, and Sam. While this season isn’t quite as groundbreaking as the first, this approach is working well.

As a film and TV fan, I’m really feeling like things are hitting their stride with this season, especially in the latest episode, “Bags.” It finally feels like we’re getting a good look at the core of the story, diving deeper into Project Odessa and figuring out just how bad the new dean really is. And Cipher? Wow, he’s become such a looming presence, even when he’s *not* on screen – Hamish Linklater is absolutely nailing that unsettling vibe.

This episode deals with the consequences of Jordan telling the truth about how Andre died and what happened to Cate. Vought News continues to spread the false story that Cate was attacked by other supes and that Jordan is only lying to gain attention. However, this problem won’t disappear on its own, so Cipher comes up with a shocking plan: a televised fight between Marie and Jordan. It’s a battle of powers – Marie’s blood manipulation against Jordan’s ability to change gender – and Jordan is expected to lose, providing the public with a sense of satisfaction. Marie is reluctant to fight someone she cares about, but both she and Jordan are powerless to resist, as Cipher can send them to Elmira at any time.

A large part of the story revolves around the heroes searching for a weakness, any possible way to fight back. While no one wants to involve Cate because she’s still under Vought’s control, Marie believes she might be the key to uncovering information about Cipher. However, Cate’s powers are unreliable. Even before the recent attack, she couldn’t read Cipher’s mind – he has a strong mental defense, possibly due to his own abilities.

Despite this, someone could still find compromising information about him. While Marie has a private lesson with Cipher, Cate and Jordan break into the dean’s house and discover an elderly man in a hyperbaric chamber. They also manage to reconnect a bit during this mission. Jordan is hesitant to fully forgive Cate, but they make progress, particularly after an apology that leads to both of them briefly criticizing each other’s past relationships before ultimately sharing a laugh. This scene highlights their long-standing friendship, which adds depth to their current partnership, even considering Cate’s sometimes dubious choices.

That evening, Cate gets a second opportunity to prove herself when Cipher texts her, having discovered she searched his home. Their plan to stop the fight is simple: Cate will go to Cipher’s VIP box during the match and convince him to admit he doesn’t have superpowers – Marie hadn’t detected any Compound V in him during their training. At the same time, Emma will shrink down and crawl through the plumbing to install a small camera, recording the confession and giving them the evidence they need.

This season, Emma is showing a newfound confidence as she battles lingering self-doubt. Having friends like Harper and Ally, who admire her as she once looked up to Andre, is helping. Harper, who can also use Emma’s powers, doesn’t struggle with self-criticism to change size, and in a sweet moment, she encourages Emma to embrace her full potential. Ally has confided in Emma about her own unique ability – controlling pubic hair – a power that feels like it would fit right into the show *The Boys*.

Ally filmed as Emma navigated the pipes successfully, but her journey was cut short when the water unexpectedly turned back on, sweeping her away. She luckily ended up in Cipher’s toilet and barely escaped before he used it. I’m still haunted by the close-up shot of what appeared to be Linklater’s prosthetic testicles appearing above the toilet.

Emma happily reconnects with her friends after magically returning to her normal size simply by getting too tired. Meanwhile, things are falling apart for everyone else – which is exactly what Cipher intended. He reveals to Cate that the man she saw was his father, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all that she claims to be able to read his mind and knows he doesn’t have superpowers. Her attempt to negotiate with him is destined to fail, though she doesn’t realize it yet. We suspect things won’t go well for Cate, but the details remain unclear.

The crowd loudly boos Jordan as they enter, but Marie receives enthusiastic cheers. Notably, Marie doesn’t respond with violence, instead kissing Jordan, rejecting the expected fight. It becomes clear what’s happening when Cipher says “Watch this” and Jordan suddenly punches Marie – Cipher has a powerful form of mind control, even stronger than Cate’s. He’s orchestrating everything from the VIP section, using Jordan as a puppet and speaking through them.

Once Marie understands the situation, she has to use the blood-bending technique Cipher taught her – lifting living things with her power. She focuses on Jordan’s blood cells, raising them and lowering them right before they burst. This perfectly fits the story Cipher and Vought are trying to create: a relieved and happy public celebrating Marie while witnessing Jordan’s downfall.

Fans of *The Boys* understand how frustrating it can be when villains seem invincible. Homelander, for example, is so powerful that it feels like the heroes will always fail, and we know he won’t be defeated until the very end. The episode “Bags” faces a similar challenge, but at least the characters now understand their opponent. Unlike Homelander, this villain, Cipher, might be defeated within a single season, similar to previous antagonists. Thankfully, in this episode, Cipher successfully achieving his goals actually increases the tension. When watching a show, you want to be asking *how* the heroes will win, not simply assuming they *can’t*.

Extra Credit

In a typical moment of darkly comedic absurdity from *Gen V*, Cate tries to strong-arm a security guard for his keys, leading to the bizarre image of him… well, engaging with a garden gnome in a very unexpected way. Maddie Phillips’ frantic delivery of the line, “He’s rearranging a gnome’s guts right now,” perfectly captures the show’s wild and irreverent humor.

I’m a big fan of stories where the villain initially acts as a mentor, helping the hero discover their abilities – the first season of *The Flash* is a great example. The training scene with the blood bags is particularly impactful, and you can immediately tell something bad is going to happen as soon as that goat shows up.

Cipher reveals to Marie that the purpose of God U seems to be creating someone exactly like her – possibly the strongest superpowered individual ever. However, this isn’t entirely new information, and it suggests there’s a larger mystery still waiting to be discovered.

You know, it’s surprisingly charming to see Cipher actually *apologize*! There’s this quick exchange – someone playfully tells him to ‘ease up, Yoda,’ and he genuinely responds with ‘Fair enough. Sorry.’ It’s a small thing, but it’s a rare moment of him showing a little humility, and I really appreciated it.

I’m confused and a little disturbed that Cipher referred to the goats’ names as being based on “assholes,” and then specifically used Elon Musk and Julia Fox as examples.

Okay, so it turns out Ally’s brother, Greg – you know, the really cute guy Emma’s been chatting with in Modesty Monarch’s class? – is actually Starlighter! I have a feeling there’s a lot more to this story, and I’m definitely intrigued to see where it goes.

• Emma suggests Bush Master as Ally’s supe name. She loves it.

I especially loved the scene with Cipher complaining about the camera angle – it’s a perfect example of Linklater’s style in this episode.

It looks like Cipher briefly lost control of Jordan, letting them instruct Marie to halt. Can someone explain what caused that to happen?

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2025-09-24 13:55