Gen V is back, and the kids are not alright. Following the explosive, blood-soaked finale of its 2023 debut season, season 2 picks up amidst the fallout at Godolkin University (God U), with the main cast fractured and the world around them shifting fast. Power dynamics at the university are more fragile than ever, with the arrival of the new eerily calm head of God U, Cipher (Hamish Linklater), only adding to the unease. The students are forced to reckon with what it means to be a hero in a world built on corporate lies and PR spin as Vought's larger agenda begins to surface. As a result, this season is messier, more chaotic, and far more ambitious than before.

Once again, the series asks the question of what actually makes a superhero. Is it powers or is it identity? Is it performance? Is it optics? It is not a subtle question, but Gen V has never been that interested in subtlety. That is part of the fun. What you get instead is a wild, bloody, and often deeply stupid adventure through grief, rage, power, and absurdity, the latter of which Gen V leans into beautifully. 

It is just as grotesque and funny as season 1, possibly even more so. There is a running tally of how many times you will say, “That is not where you put a human being,” and Gen V keeps finding new ways to up the shock factor without losing the plot entirely. With powers as silly as they are dangerous, it is hard to pick standouts. However, episode 4 showcases one of the most wonderfully dumb things the show has ever done, and that is a compliment.

While all the elements that make this world what it is are on show and then some, the show also takes time to honour the late Chance Perdomo and his character Andre Anderson. His character's arc is given added emotional weight in season 2, with Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) stepping forward in several key scenes to carry that legacy.

Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) still holds the emotional core of Gen V, with Sinclair continuing to deliver a performance with far more emotional weight than this universe typically allows for. Her quieter moments ground the show even as the blood and chaos swirl around her. The returning ensemble bounces off each other with easy energy, and each of them is given at least one major scene each to explore the cost of survival in a world built on fear, media spin, and pharmaceutical control. Yet it's the new addition, Cipher, who is a standout. Linklater gives a performance that is both warm and unreadable, creating unease even when doing very little at all.

Some of Gen V‘s plotlines spin their wheels, but the writers land a proper hammer late in the season with a twist that clicks multiple threads together in satisfying fashion. By the time the finale arrives with a scene that plays like a twisted riff on Avengers Endgame's portals moment, the show feels like it has finally earned its place next to The Boys as a core part of the universe rather than a fun spinoff.

Gen V season 2 leans harder into the wider Vought lore, and while you can still follow it on its own, the experience is stronger if you are caught up on The Boys. The final few scenes tie directly into that show's upcoming final season, and Gen V now finds itself with a real purpose; it is no longer a companion, but a bridge.

The latest season of Gen V doesn't land every moment, and the tonal tightrope can wobble. But when it hits, and it often does, it reminds you just how weird and wonderful this world can be.

8 out of 8 episodes were available to view.

Gen V season 2 is available to stream on Prime Video from 17th September, with episodes airing weekly.

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