Gen V Season 2, Episode 4: "Bags" Review

Warning: This reappraisal contains full spoilers for Gen V Season 2, Episode 4! You tin besides cheque retired IGN’s afloat reappraisal of Gen V Season 2.

The latest occurrence of Gen V gives maine a invaluable accidental to bash that Dr. Doofenshmirtz meme everyone loves truthful much. Here goes - if I had a nickel for each clip a quirky, satirical drama bid delivered an occurrence revolving astir a high-stakes wrestling lucifer wherever 1 of the characters is reluctantly nicknamed “The Gender Bender,” I’d person 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Yes, it’s hard to disregard the oddly circumstantial similarities betwixt Gen V’s “Bags” and Futurama’s “Raging Bender.” But that aside, this is simply a amusive yet tense occurrence that begins ramping up the gait of Season 2 and erstwhile again makes large usage of Hamish Linklater’s Dean Cipher. What’s not to like?

Episode 4 focuses connected the buildup to the large combat betwixt London Thor and Derek Luh’s Jordan “The Gender Bender” Li and Jaz Sinclair’s Marie “The Blood Bender” Moreau earlier arriving astatine the main lawsuit itself. “Bags” opens with different cardinal The Boys cameo, arsenic we again spot Valorie Curry reprise her relation arsenic muckraking VNN big (and #1 Homelander fangirl) Firecracker. Firecracker is 1 of those villains you conscionable emotion to hate, and her beingness present truly highlights the absurdity and information of the full situation. I mentioned successful a erstwhile reappraisal that Gen V’s societal satire is amazingly up of the curve for a bid that was filmed galore months ago. Seeing Firecracker belittle Jordan and their dual sex dredges up each sorts of uncomfortable but indispensable parallels to the existent trans panic sweeping respective countries.

As always, the bid truly banks connected the spot of its main formed successful Episode 4. Thor and Luh are peculiarly beardown successful this installment, arsenic they represent Jordan’s softly mounting vexation astatine the concern connected field and their deepening romance with Marie. Lizze Broadway’s Emma, meanwhile, erstwhile again serves arsenic a much-needed root of levity. This occurrence works to interruption Emma distant from the main radical a spot and let her to signifier a secondary person radical and perchance adjacent a caller romance, each of which is charming. Somewhat little charming is the changeable of her being confronted by “an asshole the size of the sun” portion trapped successful Cipher’s toilet, but we request our play dose of gross-out wit from somewhere.

Even much invited is the information that Episode 4 seeks to marque up for mislaid clip wherever Maddie Phillips’ Cate is concerned. The archetypal 3 episodes didn’t absorption capable connected Cate (to beryllium fair, successful portion due to the fact that the quality was hospitalized for portion of that stretch), but we get a overmuch greater absorption connected her this clip around. Phillips is large astatine exploring Cate’s fearfulness and frustration. Despite emerging arsenic 1 of the ostensible victors of the God U field massacre, she’s trapped successful a precise unsafe and delicate situation. It would beryllium casual for the amusement to overgarment Cate successful an unlikable light, but instead, we can’t assistance but sympathize with her and fearfulness for her whenever she shares a country with Cipher.

Speaking of Cipher, Episode 4 is different terrific showcase for what is easy 1 of the champion The Boys beingness villains to date. Linklater is lone becoming much and much magnetic arsenic the maniacal dean who seems perpetually 3 steps up of his students. Linklater gets the accidental to chew into immoderate meaty scenes with some Sinclair and Phillips this week, resulting successful a batch of tense, enjoyable one-on-one conflicts. And each clip it seems similar our heroes whitethorn person yet gotten the amended of him, Cipher throws them different curve ball. He’s conscionable specified a amusive character, despicable arsenic helium is.

Episode 4 gives america plentifulness of clues arsenic to the existent quality of this villain, archetypal with the uncover that he’s hiding a severely burnt assemblage successful his location and past the twist that he’s supposedly a quality with mean reddish humor flowing done his veins. Yet that 2nd uncover is rapidly subverted erstwhile we spot that, yes, Cipher so has powers, and they’re atrocious quality for Marie and the gang. Cipher taking power of Jordan helps springiness the last conflict country an extreme, needed consciousness of urgency. Suddenly, Marie isn’t allowed to propulsion her punches. I astir expected Jordan to detonate supra her successful the arena similar that mediocre goat. I really wonderment if, for melodramatic effect, this occurrence wouldn’t person been amended served ending connected a cliffhanger astatine that point. Regardless, the uncover that Cipher is so a superhuman unit to beryllium reckoned with is simply a large mode to headdress disconnected the archetypal fractional of Season 2.