Gen V (The Boys)

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Final trailer for The Boys' college-era spinoff is out, and while there are a few plot similarities - like a competition to wind up as the top-ranked hero and all the glory that brings - Sky High it ain't...

 

 

So, two obviously hypercompetitive superjocks with their own issues and agendas, some second tiers who are probably the heroes/leads/Final Girls, something called The Woods that shall not be discussed, a whole new range of fun powers (shrinking, blood magick, and... puppetry...?), and a bloody disgusting murder mystery. 

 

Cast: Golden Boy is Terminal List's Patrick Schwarzenegger (yes, one of Ahnold's kids), CAOSabrina's Roz (Jaz Sinclair) and Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) reuniting as very different students, guest shots from A-Train and other Boys regulars, and the ever-wonderful Clancy Brown as a suitably avuncular and probably mildly evil chancellor. Jensen Ackles is also rumoured to show up, though listed only as "Ben", not Soldier Boy, and that ref is not on IMDB. 

 

Drops on Prime September 29. Do we think it's gonna make the grade?

[TheOtherTed]

...so, basically "Lower Decks" for "The Boys" universe?

 

As much as I liked the first two seasons of TB, I'd pass on this even if I still had Prime.  Young adult superhero angst just isn't my bag - though, perhaps ironically, the puppets were the only thing that caught my interest.  It also seems a bit early to do spinoffs but, to be fair, 1) I became used to waiting years, even decades, for a spinoff long before this new-ish mode of television-making, and 2) not having Season 3 of TB, I have no idea if it would permit a 4th.  Maybe the OG show has already tapped all its potential.

 

That said, I'm sure it will do well, ratings-wise.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

I don't think The Boys has run out of steam just yet, though after S3...

Spoiler

...which was left with Homelander being obviously guilty of murder, but untouchable in the public eye, Butcher in terminal decline from abusing Superadine - sorry, V24, Starlight vilified and exiled from the Seven, and Maeve left for dead but depowered...

...S4 might be a good place to put draw a veil over things, tie up loose ends and 'ave a well-earned brew.

And to be honest, I'm not sure anything they could do is going to top the "Herogasm" episode.

 

As for GV,  it looks more 20% teen angst, 80% teen survival horror.

Or as some of us called it, "high school". 😛

[N7COMMANDER]

Honestly I don't see The Boys going past Season 5... or at least, I don't think it should go past Season 5

[Without_Pause]

On 9/9/2023 at 7:51 PM, N7COMMANDER said:

Honestly I don't see The Boys going past Season 5... or at least, I don't think it should go past Season 5

I never read the graphic novel, but based on Charlie from Emergency Awesome he even said a 5th season would be the max. Despite the popularity of the show, at some point you have to stay within range of the source material or risk the quality tanking. I think that's why they are doing a spin-off.

[Lusiphur Malache]

On 9/12/2023 at 11:53 PM, Without_Pause said:

never read the graphic novel, but based on Charlie from Emergency Awesome he even said a 5th season would be the max. Despite the popularity of the show, at some point you have to stay within range of the source material or risk the quality tanking. I think that's why they are doing a spin-off.

The Boys is so far from the comic book, I wouldn't recognize it except that most of the characters have the same names.  I do agree that 5 seasons might be the most we get, I'll be happy with that.

[InvaderStych]

Ok.

 

Preface:

 

I really, really wanted/tried to like The Boys. In spite of its enjoyable moments and the imitable Karl Urban I just, mostly, couldn't. I did watch through all 3 seasons and was left wondering why I did. I suppose my problem was that it left like one of those frustrating narratives that just seemed to find ways to perpetuate itself for the sake of continuing to exist. Once they got to Herogasm, I was hoping for an ending that I knew wasn't coming. Shame too, as they had all the pieces in place to bring the story to a close.

 

That said ...

 

On 9/8/2023 at 3:23 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Drops on Prime September 29. Do we think it's gonna make the grade?

 

Yes. After the first three episodes, I'm in.

 

I don't think it will be as popular as the "original" and I do expect the Internet NeckBeard Society to find reasons to Nerd Rage about it, but as a narrative work it is just ... better ... by a considerable margin.

 

For starters I don't aggressively hate every single character as I did with TB. I know I was supposed to hate most of them, but ffs that was just exhausting. And even the characters I was supposed to not hate I still mostly did.

 

On 9/8/2023 at 4:13 AM, TheOtherTed said:

...so, basically "Lower Decks" for "The Boys" universe?

 

Uh, yeah ... No. Definitely not.

 

Closer to say it is what The New Mutants (movie) should have been, but wasn't. Or maybe what Runaways could have been had it not been hamstrung by being a Freeform production.

 

Definitely delving deeper into the darker side of Vaught, which considering the places that TB went is saying something. I have high expectations for the remainder of the season; hopefully they are not misplaced.

 

On 9/8/2023 at 3:23 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Cast: Golden Boy is Terminal List's Patrick Schwarzenegger (yes, one of Ahnold's kids), CAOSabrina's Roz (Jaz Sinclair) and Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) reuniting as very different students, guest shots from A-Train and other Boys regulars, and the ever-wonderful Clancy Brown as a suitably avuncular and probably mildly evil chancellor. Jensen Ackles is also rumoured to show up, though listed only as "Ben", not Soldier Boy, and that ref is not on IMDB. 

 

Seeing the Kurgan was fun, and PS does have a great screen presence, but if you're going into the series for them you're going to be disappointed. Swiftly, I might add.

 

On 9/8/2023 at 5:43 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

As for GV,  it looks more 20% teen angst, 80% teen survival horror.

 

Ratios are right, but they're doing a good job of keeping it firmly College-Age and not what I'd consider "Teen" drama. This ain't your little sister's favorite CW show, that's for sure. 🤣

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, InvaderStych said:

 The New Mutants (movie)

Slight tangent: Am I the only person on the internet who actually liked The New Mutants movie?

 

And yeah, Gen V doesn't look interesting to me. I'm really not interested in yet another high school teen angst show. I'm almost 40 years past that demographic.

[biostem]

14 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Am I the only person on the internet who actually liked The New Mutants movie?

TBH, I liked all the secondary characters more than the main one.  Were there extensive reshoots with that one, because I feel like they could have played up the horror elements a bit more, especially involving Magik's backstory...

[InvaderStych]

43 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Slight tangent: Am I the only person on the internet who actually liked The New Mutants movie?

 

I ended up rather neutral, fwiw. Didn't hate it, but was left wondering what it could have been had they not leaned so hard on the whole "one you feed" thing.

 

27 minutes ago, biostem said:

Were there extensive reshoots with that one, because I feel like they could have played up the horror elements a bit more, especially involving Magik's backstory...

 

Yes. I want to say they dialed way back on the horror elements, but I am probably incorrect.

 

43 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I'm really not interested in yet another high school teen angst show.

 

fwiw - I'd call it more body-horror than teen angst. (which is sort of a sub-genre of teen angst sometimes I suppose) There are some angsty elements, but they don't dominate the narrative ...

 

... at least so far.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by InvaderStych
had other thoughts

[PeregrineFalcon]

Yeah, I would have liked it more had it been more of an actual horror movie. With the New Mutants actually working to overcome their fears and coming together as a super team, and then hunting the monster down and ripping it apart.

 

The after credits scene should have been them being welcomed into the X-Mansion.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

On 9/30/2023 at 1:54 AM, InvaderStych said:

Ratios are right, but they're doing a good job of keeping it firmly College-Age and not what I'd consider "Teen" drama.

Look, they're under 40, I consider them basically teens and immature. Grrr. Youths! 

*shakes walking stick and accidentally fries passing cyclist with a lightning bolt*

...oops. Sorry. My bad. 

 

On 9/30/2023 at 3:59 AM, InvaderStych said:

Am I the only person on the internet who actually liked The New Mutants movie?

I tried watching it, but - despite Maisie being cool as usual - didn't grab me either by the feels for the characters, or by the throat with fear, and gave up after about half an hour. Felt like it wasn't quite sure either in plot or direction what it wanted to be.

 

If it feels like a bit of a mess, the production history is making me cringe in pain and want to send chocolates to the cast and crew in solidarity. Because sweet Freya in Asgard, this doesn't sound like a fun gig. And given Fox had started to lose interest in the franchise after Apocalypse, it had no serious budget, promo or management backing to play with. 

 

Per Wikipedia: Fox wanted the book made into a YA Stranger Things-y flick, but then flipped it into a horror movie when IT (2017) came out. Executives wanting to redo movies based on the zeitgeist is a Bad Thing, BTW, and is why management need to give them shock collars if they send more than five notes a day.

 

There then followed two years in Post-Prod hell - a much rarer and more terrifying punishment than Development Hell, with reshoots, plot changes and even whole new characters being mooted and then dropped.

 

After the acquisition, Disney put back some of the horror and stripped out some of the X-references, and it tested... okay, but no reshoots or additional scenes were filmed, even the usual fix-up pickups. Partly for budget, but mainly because the cast had aged three years since the main shoot. Also, a lot of the final cut had to be done by a lone editor as the director (Josh Boone) was already off making The Stand. 

 

As if that wasn't enough, the release date was March 2020, right at the start of COVID, so it went DTV, with a contractually-required cinematic limited release in October. And then the critics got at it - eventually, as Disney refused to provide screeners. And then came the neckbeards...

 

Let's hope - given Amazon were prepared to give The Boys the fairly terrifying level of creative freedom they were allowed - Gen V fares better. From your enthused noises, it certainly seems to be - will be tuning in later this weekend...

Edited October 3, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[PeregrineFalcon]

13 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

And then came the neckbeards...

Wait.

 

So if a guy skips shaving one day, and has same hair on his neck, then somehow his opinion is invalid and it's ok to make fun of him?

[InvaderStych]

1 hour ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

So if a guy skips shaving one day, and has same hair on his neck, then somehow his opinion is invalid and it's ok to make fun of him?

 

I certainly hope it's not meant to be taken literally! I skip shaving all the time! Even though my beard won't go past about 3/8" before curling in upon itself and assaulting the face from which it grows, some of it does grow on my neck! 🤣

[Mr. Vee]

22 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Wait.

 

So if a guy skips shaving one day, and has same hair on his neck, then somehow his opinion is invalid and it's ok to make fun of him?

Yes, absolutely. And I don't shave every day either

[Mr. Vee]

Ok I've seen all three eps now and liked them. 

Spoiler

Wish Clancy Brown were around a bit longer, but he seems to like showing up briefly to class up joints lately.

Not sure I'd have wanted either Runaways or New Mutants to be like this. But then I liked Runaways better than any MCU tv show so far, and was pleasantly surprised by New Mutants, which I was expecting to be more along the lines of what Morbius and the Venoms were.

 

Also how great is the name London Thor

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

So, finally got round to this tonight. I'm two episodes in, and thoughts so far...

Spoiler

• ...dayum, this is good, solid, tight, emotionally led writing by the standards of any show, let alone a teen angst show, and way out of the league of the average cape show. Streets ahead of The Boys, IMHO, even with plenty of the characteristic humour. And it's been given to a superb cast.
• Marie's origin story... is a nightmare made flesh and blood. It's a visceral representation of what many feel emotionally about that change in life, and it's shocking to the core to see it played out visually. Almost needed a break after that. But goddess do you feel for her afterwards.
• I too am sorry to see Clancy Brown bite it this early, but Shelly Conn (Bridgerton) is putting her best double-dealing face on. Even I'm having trouble figuring out how much is career and how much is caring. Maybe she does too.
• What exactly they're up to in The Woods is still unclear: as is if Golden Boy was actually ever there, or just receiving transmissions from his brother.
• And while I'm not sure about Vought's methods, letting out a super-powerful tank supe who also has sufficient psychic power to break through a lead-lined concrete vault, and incidentally happens to be insane and/or vengeful... may not be anyone's best option.
• Vought seem quite keen on protecting their assets/concealing their errors. And their caretakers need to unionise.
• What exactly is wrong in the relationship between Andre and his dad - aka Polarity - is going to be key. Polarity has been billed in PR as this world's Magneto, and may be just as villainous. But on top of that, he's an ambitious dad who wants his kid to have the opportunities he feels he may have been denied. (Oh, and if the statue is anything to go by: unless his junk is source of his magnetism - which, in this universe, is wholly possible - he had almost as bad a time with Vought's costume designers as Starlight.)
• Props also to Lizze Broadway (there's a name with some destiny attached if I've ever heard one) for building up her comic sidekick role with pathos and intensity, and London Thor / Derek Luh's combined talents as Jordan.
• I also like the entertaining range of background characters. It's nice to know catgirls are a thing in that universe too.

 

All told: while I enjoyed delving into the world of the Boys now and then, they got me good with this one. Solid mystery plot hook, appealing characters drawn with depth and skill, no real absolute heroes or villains (even Brink, while clearly a git, practically adopted Jordan and was wholly supportive).

 

And yet you've still got all the blood, guts and knob gags you could swing a Louisville Slugger at. Plus, apparently, puppet murders still to come. 

Jumanji!

 

 

Now updating for Parts 3 & 4:

Spoiler

• Never, ever start a TF when you're high.
• I've had worse work parties. They definitely have better booze. 
• That's a hell of a way to deal with a molester. BANG...
• The shrinking power is also a growing power - and requires one very precise diet both ways...
• He's a very affable psychotic, really. 
• TV's Jason Ritter and friends are absolutely terrifying little puppets.
• I thought the TV had failed right at the end there, until the picture came back, and a hell of a picture.
• Flipping forward to the next episode, someone's been erasing memories - and there is something very unpleasant uner their skin.

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Bumping for part 5:

Spoiler

An oddly short and disjointed linking episode, but given the memory madness that's been going on, that may be fully intentional. High points:

• That puppet-massacre scene. Good grief.
• Jordan and Marie trying to work out what they are(n't) to each other - and romance is hard enough without someone wiping your mind every five minutes.
• Cate pulls a big face-heel turn... but I'm surprised that someone whose powers are manipulation gets twisted so easily by Shetty (and presumably by Brink before her).
• Marie has a "benefactor". Is Shetty lying to protect her from Doc Ed's tests? Or more reveals coming?
• Up Next Week: that promised guest shot from Soldier Boy. Wonder who he's coming after?

 

[InvaderStych]

Some responses for @ThaOGDreamWeaver now that we're all together at the end of ep 5. 😉

 

Re: Marie's backstory:

 

So glad they did what they did there and you are totally on point with the interpretation. Body horror at its brutal finest, and - while I've never had the experience - I'm totally there for it. The sort of storytelling that I am beyond pleased to see getting done. Also loved the subtle use of moments where male faculty are squeamish about her power set. Maybe it's my being the only son of a single mother, but I've never quite understood why some dudes get so remarkably uncomfortable with a natural process. They handled it perfectly imo: brief moments and not too many. Deftly handling something that could easily be overdone by a less skilled writing team. Basically "throw-away" lines and nothing more. This is one of the things I think Gen V is doing much more skillfully than The Boys ever did. Lots of hammer-fisted-clumsy-as-hell moments in TB drawing parallels between Homelander and ... "current events."

 

Re: Polarity and Son:

 

Does this count as a retcon? My understanding from TB was that supes being the offspring of supes was extremely rare: I seem to recall the big commotion over Homelander's kid being born super. Homelander was given the Blue Stuff (but then later they reveal he's Soldier Boy's kid?), so I guess maybe Polarity Jr. was as well and the big deal with Homelander Jr. was him not needing the Blue Stuff? Feels like some narrative inconsistency here, but maybe I am missing some pieces?

 

Re: Cut to Black:

 

Yeah, that edit threw me off too. Hard cut in mid-sentence. I scrolled back to see if there was some streaming glitch. 🤣

 

Re: Jordan and Marie:

 

The conversation Jordan has with the invisible character is utterly priceless. Brilliant insight wrapped in just enough humor. Another moment of solid work from the writing team. "That's your hang-up, not hers." Flawless.

 

Re: Benefactor:

 

Can't decide if Shetty was talking about herself, or if there is an as-of-yet un-introduced party who was responsible for Marie's acceptance to the school in the first place. Doc gives away the farm in that scene; the goal is a way to control supes. That said, there might be more that we've not seen behind Shetty's motives. Side note - am I the only one who is wondering what she is putting in that tea? Multiple shots of it being stirred menacingly a'la Get Out. 😨

 

Re: Soldier Boy:

 

Crap. Who let him out of his box? 🤣

 

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Spoiler

11 hours ago, InvaderStych said:

Feels like some narrative inconsistency here, but maybe I am missing some pieces?

I don't think you are: I agree it's either a plot hole, or we have a reveal still to come.

 

There's a scene in which they're talking to Sam about the Boys' reveal of how they all got powers and they all seem pretty distressed, Andre included. Regardless of how Polarity got his, I'm fairly confident that such a company man would have fed his kid V as well as having cape genetics. Taking after his father would then seem fairly logical, maybe with even stronger abilities.

 

Or if it was a natural birth, I'd bet he wouldn't have told a damn soul, because he knows exactly what Vought (and its highly inquisitive medical staff) would have thought and done about that. 

 

[InvaderStych]

 

1 hour ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Or if it was a natural birth, I'd bet he wouldn't have told a damn soul, because he knows exactly what Vought (and its highly inquisitive medical staff) would have thought and done about that. 

 

Ooooh. I like this read. Drop that bomb onto the "rebelling against the father" sub-plot they're already tracking and things get ... complicated.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

It'd certainly be fun if they went that way. Not least because Polarity (c'mon, guys, give him a first name - or do Vought take that too?) told his kid to drop it in no uncertain terms. And while we thought it's just because (a) dad's mixed up in it and (b) Vought has no problem offing anyone who breaks security, even future stars of the Seven... is there a (c)?

[honoroit]

the show is quite good, and noticed a few things:

- it uses brittish'isms, for terms such as 'snogging'. in this respect i think the dialogue writers enjoyed skins.

- they have lots of sex

- they talk about desires in a unabashed way, perhaps this is what the world is like now?

 

its decent - invinsible season 2 is more my thing tho.

 

Figs - who does not drink alcohol, avoids being 'mind wiped', keeps his lusts bound by temperance, and enjoys proper grape juice

[InvaderStych]

Ep. 6:

 

Daaaaaamn Shetty, who hurt you?

 

Perfect closer, love the drop to silence right before she asks the question. Could her plans for Marie be as a vector/patient zero?

 

Another solid offering all around making good use of what can sometimes be an over-worn trope at this point. Cate is most certainly much more powerful than previously revealed; on that Jean Grey level if she could find control while off her meds.

 

Suspect that Polarity Sr. isn't so much in on the game as he is justifiably terrified of our illustrious Dean.

 

Enjoyed the music queue over the end credits; always loved the Bangels' cover of that tune that appeared on the Less Than Zero soundtrack, and this version evokes it nicely. Can't help thinking that Sloppy Seconds by Watsky would have been more appropriate for the meat of the episode though if they happened to drop into it after the mid-way point and land on this line ...

 

"I'm fucked up just like you are, and you're fucked up just like me."

 

Different energy though, so, you know, I get it. The closing reveal was the jump-off for the music cue, not the character dev, even if that was the focus of most of the episode. 😉

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Spoiler

8 hours ago, InvaderStych said:

Daaaaaamn Shetty, who hurt you?

Honestly did not see her coming as The Big Bad. Not mad, I'm impressed.

 

Are we talking a Syndrome syndrome - someone who loathes capes so much they want to either exterminate them or cut them all down to size? Is Vought ordering a cull of Gen V, since after the drug reveal they're less impressionable and controllable? Or is there some other player entirely behind all this, possibly Marie's mysterious "benefactor"?

 

Nice way to do a  character dev/backstory reveal bottle episode - and a fun guest shot from Jensen Ackles that doesn't mess with the overall world canon. And the single most important thing I can tell you... is that did make me laugh my ass off.

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver