Gen V Season 2 Stays True To Itself While Successfully Honoring Chance Perdomo

In particular, Sean Patrick Thomas’ Polarity—Andre’s father—gets to step up in a big way in Season 2. With Andre begging his father to be the hero he thought he was being a key plot point in the first season, the narrative in Season 2 centers on Polarity in a big way. Joining him is Hamish Linklater’s Cipher, the nefarious new Dean of GodU. If you’ve seen Midnight Mass, I don’t need to explain to you how much of a heavy-hitter Linklater is when it comes to knockout performances. (If you haven’t, it’s spooky season, go do yourself a favor.) Cipher is the terrifying combination of a genius-level intellect wrapped up in a quietly wicked presence, and you can’t cast that better than Linklater. 

Season 2’s story is a strong one, which is no small feat when you unexpectedly lose a core (and beloved) member of your cast. There are some particular moments in Episode 4 that are not-so-subtly explaining to the viewer why and how to resist in the face of oppression. Both The Boys and Gen V have always seemed prescient in their own ways, not just because of how the series lambasts hero worship but also because, unfortunately, stories about encroaching fascism are relatively evergreen. Here, though, it gets the added benefit of speaking to a younger audience and, most importantly, trusting them with deeply heavy themes. 

The one exception here is, unfortunately, Sam Riordan’s arc. By no fault of Germann’s performance, Sam’s narrative is too rushed to feel impactful. He and Cate share a similar story, but hers is easier to reconcile and is given a bit more time since she was the primary instigator after manipulating Sam and trying to take down the rest of her friends in Season 1. For Sam, his story is one that is deeply rooted in his mental illness. Eight episodes are simply not enough time to explore that thoughtfully while also carrying the weight of deeply difficult forgiveness and crushing loss. They do what they can with the time that they have, but it’s a streaming show. It doesn’t have to stick to a short window, and if the story calls for more time, then give it just that. 

Still, that’s not enough to water down an otherwise strong sophomore season for the Gen V crew. Beyond the shortcomings with Sam’s character, the season is the well-structured mess that we’ve come to expect from this franchise. Linklater’s Cipher is, perhaps, the best villain yet out of either show, and, as mentioned, Polarity’s arc is worth the price of admission alone. 

What’s surprising here, though, is the thoughtfulness of Season 2. There are still plenty of hijinks—a lot of butt (void) stuff, plenty of full frontal nudity, and one dickless sexpest continuing to run wild—but Season 2, perhaps by nature of being a memorial for Chance Perdomo, is a more compassionate, hopeful entry than we’ve come to expect from The Boys franchise. Don’t expect it to continue, of course but for now, the second season of Gen V is a refreshing change of pace for this universe that stays relatively strong from start to finish.

Gen V Season 2 premieres on September 17th on Prime Video.