The Boys is one of the absolute best things on TV right now and its season 3 was arguably the best Superhero production of 2022. In an increasingly mediocre superhero projects dominated world, The Boys has managed to give birth to a whole new sub-genre of TV. Its tense, gory, kinky, and weird approach is something to behold and it somehow manages to cringe viewers while blow their minds at the same time. So, while we wait for The Boys Season 4, a spinoff called The Boys: Gen V has served as a perfect appetizer and filled the The Boys void this year. As it happens, the show has just debuted its finale today which basically set up The Boys Season 4. So, yeah, you’ll have to watch Gen V to not miss out on stuff, and this tendency of superhero universes is getting really annoying now. Anyways, tread carefully as major spoilers follow below!
The Boys: Gen V Finale Review – Homelander, Butcher, All Hands on Deck!
Episode Rating – ★★★★
While Gen V started off as a self-contained The Boys Spin-off with a few references here and there, in the final few episodes it turned into The Boys Season 3.5. As a result we saw cameos from A-Train, Deep, and Soldier Boy, while extended roles for Ashley Barrett, Adam Bourke, Grace Mallory, and Victoria Newman. Now adding to that list, is the short but world-altering cameo by Homelander and a split second cameo of Billy Butcher. And while Homelander cameo served a crucial purpose in Gen V, Butcher’s mid-credits cameo was nothing more than a tease for season 4. In fact, by including a mid-credits scene like that, The Boys became the very thing it tries to mock – a generic superhero story.
Anyways, the finale works pretty well, as setting up The Boys Season 4 is not all it does. In fact, 95% of the episode focuses on Gen V’s story itself. However, except from the final sequence involving Homelander, it wasn’t anything we didn’t see coming. As expected, Cate and Sam tapped into their Magneto mode and killed every human they could get their hands on in the campus. As for our protagonists, Jordan, Andre, and Emma didn’t get to shine during the battle but Marie got some significant power boost. She sure had a lot of moments to shine, from defeating Maverick and give supes heart attacks, to literally butchering them using her blood-blades and blowing Cate’s hand to bits using newly unlocked powers.
While Marie got battle moments, Emma and Andre got a few character moments. Emma learned that puking ain’t the only way to use her powers as she can do so by expelling emotions as well. Andre on the other hand learned that much like his father, his brain too gets affected everytime he uses his powers. Coming to the main event, just when everything was almost settled down, Homelander pops in and alters history once again. Now that he’s a full blown racist maniac with no oversight, he blamed everything on our diverse group of protagonists while glorifying Sam and Cate. He also laser blasts Marie but she somehow survives and ends up in a no-door prison (possibly in Vought tower) along with her friends.
Honestly, this twisted ending saved the otherwise predictable finale which tried to cover its mediocrity with Diabolical violence. Talking about the Butcher cameo, it serves no purpose in Gen V and basically sets up a plot line for Season 4. Apparently, Butcher might have been tracking Mallory or might have been directly sent by Mallory to learn more about the Supe Killing virus. So, in the cameo which lasts merely 5-6 seconds we see him looking at the facility, finding nothing, and then cursing out his iconic “c##t” line. So, it is evident that the supe-virus will play a major role in Season 4 and in case Butcher and The Boys manage to get their hands on it, Homelander might finally be screwed once and for all!
Final Verdict – The Boys: Gen V manages to be a satisfying spin-off with almost as good quality as the OG series. Aside from delivering a well written original narrative, it also does a great job in setting up Gen V Season 2 as well as The Boys Season 4. However, the series becomes a mandatory watch for everyone if they don’t wanna be lost while watching the The Boys Season 4, and that is something many fans do not appreciate.
Series Rating – ★★★1/2
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