Commentary: ‘Gen V’ Put Its Cameos To Work
by Frank Martin
Cameos are largely fan service. They serve to tie together a universe and make the fans feel as if they are part of something larger. A lot of times, they are gratuitous and have no real purpose other than giving fans a treat. But cameos don’t have to be cheap tricks to garner fan excitement. They can be used to flesh out a universe, expand characterization, and also move the plot along in a meaningful way. With as many cameos as there were in Season 2 of Gen V, it’s surprising they were all made to work within the larger narrative.
The second year picks up roughly where season one left off — with Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan Li (London Thor/Derek Luh), and Emma Meyer (Lizzie Broadway) imprisoned after the fights at Godolkin University. They are allowed to re-enter school by a new dean known as Cipher (Hamish Linklater), a mysterious man who wants to unlock Marie’s true potential. Along the way, Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) shows up to help with Cipher’s plan, The Deep (Chase Crawford) makes an appearance at his old fraternity, and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) enlists Marie to help with the resistance.
There were other cameos made by A-Train (Jesse T Usher), Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell), Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), and, of course, Firecracker (Valorie Curry) via her TV show. So there was no shortage of characters from The Boys dropping in for an appearance. While some of them could have been cut without any major changes to the plot, a lot of these characters were integral in moving Gen V‘s narrative forward. Having Starlight show up ties Marie to the resistance for an appearance in the final season The Boys, while Sister Sage’s partnership with Cipher tied them into the bigger picture with Homelander (Antony Starr), who also cameoed in the Season 1 finale. While cameos for the sake of cameos can be nice, it’s great to see them written into important positions.
Gen V is now streaming Prime Video.
