This was such a treat. Like, it would have been easy to make a simple and mediocre spin-off to The Boys since fans would definitely watch it and want to keep up with the universe, but this show absolutely stands out as its own thing with a compelling story and characters while still managing to remain connected to The Boys in meaningful ways. You can see where the events of this show will lead in the greater universe, but it still has its own great standalone story. Manages to comment on a lot of topics surrounding emerging adulthood and college life/relationships as well, but all still with that The Boys lens, which makes for some really interesting and entertaining moments. The twists and turns of the characters were executed well, and the story kept going in different directions from what I expected in really intriguing ways. Overall this was just really engaging, exciting, and interesting. Has the type of stuff you love from The Boys, but packaged a little differently and presented with its own unique themes and characters. Don't love it as much as The Boys at least for now, but all around this was good stuff.
8.2/10 -- Great
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Review by srahsBlockedParent2024-01-10T12:42:22Z
This "spinoff" really doesn't feel like one. When I hear people say the word spinoff, I expect some forgettable show barely anyone will watch or talk about that's highly unlikely to get a season two. So when I heard that a spinoff of one of my favorite superhero franchises was coming I shrugged and said "Cool". I had the same thoughts as I did when "The Boys Presents: Diabolical" was announced and released, I didn't even know, and when I found out I didn't bother watching it. So to my surprise when I gave this a shot, it genuinely impressed me with how good it is. Out of all the things I'm watching concurrently with this, including the shows that air on Thursday, I see this before anything.
It flows so simply from the end of season 3 of The Boys, that I'm surely going to be confusing GEN V as if it's season 3.5 of The Boys before the actual season 4 releases. These characters are excellent too, and I say this as a person who's not into characters as much as others. GEN V really does love its characters, and it's felt through almost every line of dialogue. I feel myself becoming so quickly invested in them, even the ones I expected not to care at all about.
On a side note, It's kind of weird how consistently The Boys' universe is up to date with current times and social trends. It gives me a very small amount of whiplash when I hear a conversation that clearly references Wanda vision or one of the side characters being a blatant but tasteful trans allegory, especially when that's the current "bad thing" as being gay was in whatever 2000's era of society.
While this didn't have the cleanest ending (kinda rushed and the writing wasn't as consistently strong in the final episodes) I'd still recommend it to people who like The Boys as something worth seeing while waiting for a new season or as a fun show for the whole family :)