Through three episodes of Gen V, I thought I’d seen it all. Shrunken YouTube stars wrapped around gigantic dongs, Golden (Boy) showers that rain bloody chunks – all the freakiest sex and nastiest violence you’d expect from a collegiate spin-off of The Boys. In Episode 4, “The Whole Truth,” the show hits us with as many shock-and-gore standouts as the entire multi-episode premiere. Not only is there more penile mutilation and hilariously aggressive horniness, but “The Whole Truth” includes a cameo for the ages because Gen V never wants you to assume you know what’ll happen next.
The episode’s primary arc follows Godolkin’s staff and students as they become subjects for the popular Vought+ true-crime show “The Whole Truth.” Superhero host Tek Knight (Derek Wilson) uses his heightened interrogation skills to sniff around for clues that reveal how or why Golden Boy died via spontaneous combustion. Marie (Jaz Sinclair) can’t hide the slightest pupil dilation, nor can Andre (Chance Perdomo) cover a sensual stench on his breath because Tek Knight is the supe equivalent of being bitten by a radioactive detective. Wilson is doing great work as the alarmingly confident Tek Knight, who talks circles around people because he’ll always have the conversational upper hand. He’s the Homelander-type antagonist who speaks in finishing blows because there are no secrets in his presence, making his later follies laugh-out-loud spectacular when Tek’s finally challenged by Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn).
Outside of God U’s campus, Emma (Lizze Broadway) and Sam (Asa Germann) find themselves on the run after escaping The Woods (the experimental holding area run by Shetty and a shadow team). We learn more about Sam beyond being Golden Boy’s unstable brother, and Emma does her best to show the socially awkward teen rare glimpses of compassion (romance is brewing). Lizze Broadway continues to play one of the show’s most compelling characters as Emma fearlessly talks Sam out of his psychotic breaks, sharing in his outcast anxieties since her own superpower has been labeled an eating disorder. Asa Germann is equally as endearing as the twitchy Sam, who so desperately craves the normalcy of having a crush on a cute girl, but can’t silence the voices in his head.
Heads up: a spoiler is about to follow that I can’t avoid, so if you want to go into the next Gen V episode squeaky-friggin’-clean, hold the rest of this article until later. You’ve been warned – I can’t skip talking about my favorite part of Gen V so far.
Sam’s volatility is the catalyst for climatic highs in “The Whole Truth,” none better than the reveal of how his inner voices manifest themselves to be seen. Black Noir isn’t the only supe who sees adorable characters as his imaginary friends – Sam manifests “Television’s Jason Ritter” as a Mr. Rogers type who hosts Avenue V, a Sesame Street knockoff with puppet versions of The Seven. In an episode where sex pest psychics meet gruesome punishments and we’re reminded that supe egotism will always doom even the most bulletproof Vought figures, Jason Ritter’s first appearance still takes the cake as an episode highlight. It ties right back to the unpredictable mayhem that Gen V has established as its signature. Why? How? What? No bother. Ritter immediately becomes a series favorite, coaxing Sam into despicable deeds through "Letter of the Day" skits.
As for the main gang back at God U, “The Whole Truth” further develops relationships we knew would blossom into attraction. Marie and Jordan, Andre and Cate (Maddie Phillips), it’s all getting hormonally complicated as they find themselves atop the class ranking leaderboards. They jockey for position with every decision, with Marie and Andre neck and neck for first place. Last week I called out how the ranking system adds a unique wrinkle to overall stakes, since one slip-up on camera or failed quiz drops characters another spot away from being a worthy Seven replacement. “The Whole Truth” shows Marie’s gang growing closer and less cutthroat about where each sits, but the leaderboard hovers like a specter that could influence future power struggles.
However, Gen V saves its most ambitious swing until right before the episode closes. Sam listens to Jason Ritter and confronts the doctor behind whatever nefariousness is going down in The Woods, Edison Cardosa (Marco Pigossi). There’s an action-forward struggle; Marie’s crew intervenes when Emma cannot calm Sam’s rage, and then, with a snap, we’re in bed with Marie and Jordan. Don’t get me wrong, I love when a wrench is thrown into by-the-books storytelling, and I have theories about why time jumps either backward or forward, but it’s a gotcha trick that undermines the moment at hand – at least in this episode.
