Gen V episode 1 recap – Welcome to Godolkin University

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

‘Gen V’ is a show set in the universe of ‘The Boys’, and there’s no better way to show this than with a news broadcast featuring A-Train. Set eight years in the past, audiences relive the moment he graduated from Godolkin University and joined The Seven. Marie Moreau’s family praises the progressive nature of this, with Marie and her sister playing in the background.

Marie dashes off to the bathroom to have a period, where her superpower manifests painfully. She can manipulate blood. Her mum and dad try to help her through it, but out of fear Marie kills them and drives her sister away.  

In the present day, there is an awesome display of a young adult Marie wielding her powers against dummies in a juvenile facility. She logs onto the only computer and is elated to find that Godolkin University has accepted her application. She receives words of encouragement from the facility officer but sternly warns Marie if she messes up, prison awaits. 

A promotional video introduces audiences to Dean Indira Shetty, explaining the university’s history, graduates, and the two schools, the Lamplighter School of Crimefighting and the Crimson Countess School for the Performing Arts. Marie walks across campus to her room, witnesses many different powers, and meets Emma, who can shrink. 

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The pair head to watch Luke, aka Golden Boy, who can light himself on fire, the current top-ranked student, display his ability to beat a competitor. The timetables are released, and Marie borrows Emma’s phone to view hers. She is devastated she’s been assigned to Performing Arts and not the Crimefighting School. 

She confronts Jordan, a seemingly female student administrator about this. Jordan explains she was personally rejected, saying Marie was outcompeted. Professor Brinkenhoff, known as Brink, shoots Jordan, where they demonstrate their gender-swapping abilities. Marie passionately appeals to Brink to let her onto his course, but she’s rejected again. 

Marie later encounters a running student being chased by security. Luke’s friend Andre takes an interest, and both try to stop the mysterious student. He screams he won’t go back to The Woods, but is captured a few moments later. Audiences watch as he’s put in an underground facility.

Marie and Emma meet with other students on the Performing Arts course like Justine, the typical popular girl with typical popular girl hateability. Marie quickly leaves as she’s uncomfortable. Brink and Luke talk, and Brink reveals that he has made it into The Seven. He even gets to choose whether to have Maeve’s or Starlight’s old room. Something is bothering Luke, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. 

Marie catches up with Andre, the metal telekinetic wonder. Apart from coming up with terrible nicknames for her, asks her to come off-campus for a party. Marie declines, citing that she has to keep her nose clean. Emma changes her mind, saying that it’s Marie’s chance to be popular, and Marie can even borrow her clothes. 

Once she’s dressed up, she meets Andre, Luke, his persuasive girlfriend Cate, and, Jordan, who’s not happy to see Marie. They go off-campus to do drugs. Luke and Marie talk about how they got their powers. Maire opens up about the truth and finds out that Luke’s brother Sam is dead. 

Instead of pleasuring herself like she told Marie she was going to do, Emma is scrolling through abusive comments on her YouTube channel. At that moment, she gets a text from a boy called Liam, who wants to sleep with her. The pair get started when Liam asks to get small for him. Emma begrudgingly agrees. She heads to the bathroom to start puking, with each vomit making her smaller.

The five rebels attend a fancy nightclub after Cate mind-controls the bouncer. They drink, do drugs, and dance. Andre, Luke, and Jordan talk about who will take Luke’s place at number one when Luke leaves, with Jordan sadly saying it won’t be them because they’re too confusing. 

Andre tries to impress a girl with his metal manipulation. He tries to fly a metal bird into someone’s drink but is hit during his demonstration. He loses concentration, and the bird slits a girl’s throat. Blood everywhere, Marie can stop the blood and coax it back into her veins, saving her.  

This goes viral, getting the five noticed by Brink. Marie is called to his office, where he praises her actions. But it’s immediately followed by his condemnation. The throat had to be slit first. And someone needs to take the fall to protect Brink’s top students. Driving the knife home, Brink says that Marie’s powers aren’t marketable. He expels her.

Later, Marie storms Brink’s office. Luke is already there, and he kills Brink in a fiery embrace. Marie attempts to convince Luke it will be their secret, but Luke attacks her. Marie runs away. Jordan steps to fight Luke across campus. They end up at the entrance hall then outside, where Luke sees Andre. Andre calms him down, and the two hug. Luke says he’s sorry, flies up high, and kills himself, where the episode ends.