Gen V Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Jumanji
Denis Kimathi
at
.
After the revelation made about Cate on Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, everything changed.
The story finally made sense and didn't feel as disjointed anymore.
On Gen V Season 1 Episode 6, the show took the main characters -- and Dustin -- on an emotional journey as they confronted some of the worst moments in their lives.
Somehow, Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Dustin found themselves inside Cate's mind, and a lot went down there.
First was the cameo by Soldier Boy that everyone had been waiting for, and I'm not everyone.
Soldier Boy was in like one season of The Boys, so I wasn't excited.
I could have also done without that scene based on how he was introduced.
Gen V and The Boys are known for pushing boundaries on what can be shown on TV, and we've always loved them for that, but is there a point where a line must be drawn?
Hearing Soldier Boy describe sexual acts when the subject was a young girl was not fun. In fact, it was disgusting.
Soldier Boy: I'm Kate's imaginary friend from when she was a kid. Boyfriend, really. I taught her how to jerk off. Diddle that skittle. Flick the bean. Gotta find that man in the canoe. Came like a faucet. She'd crank up the Jonas Brothers. She'd hump a soldier boy pillow. She'd raw dog that pillow till she saw God.
Marie: Gross.
Exploding dicks, while uncomfortable to watch, are fun, but a grown man talking about a child like that was too much.
Do you think I'm overreacting?
Inside Cate's mind, the trio -- and Dustin, who didn't even like Cate -- were forced to confront some of their most formative experiences.
All of the supes in this show have paid the price for having these powers. Whether it is the death of a loved one or emotional torture from their parents, they have to put up with more than they should have.
Cate lost her brother when she unknowingly used her powers on him, and nothing had been the same since. Her mother hated and was afraid of her. She spent much time scared of herself and what she could do.
It was hypocritical of Cate's mother to judge her daughter based on something Cate had no control over. Who shot up their kid full of an experimental drug?
Next, Andre Anderson was put on the spot when his memory had Luke in it, and Luke was looking for revenge.
That whole affair didn't make much sense.
I don't know if I'm the only one seeing it, but I refuse to believe that Luke and Andre were just "best friends." It felt like there were feelings between them, and Luke was mad that Andre and Cate hooked up behind his back. His back would have loved to be included in that situation, in my opinion.
A throuple was a great solution to this "conflict" because there was a lot of love between them, and it was enough to go around.
The next stop was Andre's memory, and that also didn't make much sense unless one was aware of the point these stops were meant to be making.
Why did they judge Jordan so easily for looking out for themself? Jordan had no idea what Brink and Shetty were doing in The Woods. They were simply trying to be helpful.
Another stop was inside Marie's bathroom memory as her younger sister confronted her in the aftermath of the blood accident.
The point behind all these scenes was that everyone had done something shameful, and they should not judge Cate harshly for being manipulated by Shetty and Brink to the point of breaking her boyfriend's brain.
The episode toyed with the idea of confirming why Luke killed himself, and the theory they presented was the exact one I thought of in my Gen V Season 1 Episode 5 review.
Luke's brain might have tired of all the conflicting emotions he was going through, and it couldn't handle it anymore.
Elsewhere, Sam and Emma had sex for the first time. It was hot, funny, awkward, sexy, and weird.
Being Sam's first sexual experience, the show handled it perfectly with careful attention to the important issue of consent.
Can I touch you?
Emma
Emma asked him before she did something because she didn't want to overwhelm him. That, or she was afraid of him because it takes a split second for anyone to turn into a puppet for him.
And when he's convinced someone is a puppet, well….
She did turn into a puppet for a minute there, but for the first time, the puppet became human without needing him to rip it apart.
This begs the question: was virginity his sickness? Was screwing puppet thoughts out of him the cure?
Dr. Cardosa gained significant ground in his search for a virus that could harm the supes, but the results turned catastrophic when a supe died.
That was huge, you guys.
A dead supe in The Boys universe was unheard of, which is bound to shake up the entire universe. Supes usually need a lot to incapacitate, let alone kill them.
Shetty insisted that Dr Cardosa make the virus more concentrated, and that's when it appeared like she was working on something more sinister than controlling the supes.
There was a secret hiding behind that pretty face, long hair, and proper accent.
I think Shetty wants to kill all supes.
Sam mentioned that Shetty hated the students, and then she asked if a lethal virus could be made contagious.
She (Shetty) hates us.
Sam
She wants all of them gone. Or she might be creating a disease to sell the cure. It will be interesting to see the endgame here.
Dr Cardosa: We killed a super.
Shetty: My God.
Dr Cardosa: I mean, I thought she'd get the flu, some vomiting, maybe diarrhea.
Shetty: So the virus worked?
Dr. Cardosa: Only five millimeters more.
Shetty: Alright. Now, can you make it contagious?
Gen V is noticeably lacking a good villain, but the show has been surprising so far, and it wouldn't be shocking if Indira turns out to be the season's big bad.
"Jumanji" was an attempt to redeem Cate and put her actions behind a reason wall, but whether that is successful remains to be seen.
Cate: I know you guys don't trust me.
Marie: Yeah, and you're going to have to work really hard to get it back. Let's start with the woods. What were you doing down there?
Cate: I don't know. They were using Sam to augment Luke's powers, but they were doing other stuff to him, too.
Intrusive Thoughts
- Chance Perdomo had one assignment in this episode, and he did it. He can uniquely communicate emotions.
- The hope of Luke and Andre becoming canon took a hit when Luke killed himself, and it keeps dimming with every passing episode. I'm not okay.
- What's with the short episodes? The runtime for this was also thirty minutes.
- I didn't get any dick references in the episode. Were there any?
- Sam is dangerous. He was juicing Luke up and was left with enough strength to wipe the floor with soldiers. If he goes rogue, no one can stop him -- not even the core group. See how he took them all?
What did you think?
What is Shetty up to?
Click the big blue "Show Comments" button below and chime in.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
