‘Gen V’ – ‘Jumanji’ – Review
Episode Five of Gen V, ‘Welcome to the Monster Club’ landed with one hell of a shock that none of us saw coming, and it’s clear that the idea of trust has absolutely no place within the confines of Godolkin University. And it’s only about to get worse for our ‘supes’ in Episode Six, ‘Jumanji’, and boy, are they in for a hell of a headache this time around.
In the wake of Cate’s betrayal, Emma goes to find Sam. Marie, Jordon and Andre are forced to see things from Cate’s perspective. Dr. Cardosa makes a breakthrough with a mysterious virus, and Shetty makes a terrifying request with dire consequences.
Week by week, the tension and drama of Gen V continue to build, and this series has rapidly become a must-watch weekly event. Just when you figured out what’s going on, showrunners Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg and Eric Kripke pull a fast one on audiences and throw our perspective ‘supes’ into an even deeper abyss of trouble. And they’re really in the shit with ‘Jumanji’. After Cate’s very traumatic revelation at the end of Episode Five, ‘Welcome to the Monster Club’, that she has been working with Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) from the beginning and has been doing everything in her power to manipulate her so-called ‘friends’ right from the start, she falls victim to a seizure and traps all of her friends in her very fragile conscience. And damn, is this girl messed up, and it leads to one of the most interesting and eye-opening episodes of Gen V yet.
For Rosenberg, Goldberg and Kripke, ‘Jumanji’ is an exercise in pure creative storytelling, and its unique framing, perspective, and sense of narrative allows them to burrow deeper into the damaged psyche and personality of our characters and reveal them to us in an entirely new light. Put it this way: Cate’s not the only one who’s been holding onto secrets, and things get fast and loose in ‘Jumanji’, and it ain’t pretty. The construct of Cate’s messed up conscience and her complex personality lead to some visually stunning set pieces, and our showrunners and their creative team get to show their stuff in what is Gen V’s most visually striking episode yet. But the revelations hit the hardest, and none of our ‘supes’ are spared as Cate’s mind rips them apart and showcases them at their absolute worst.
But along with the deeply haunting and traumatic revelations at the base of its narrative, ‘Jumanji’ also has a fun side, and it shows up in a special cameo appearance by the one and only Soldier Boy, and it’s a thrill to see the return of the great Jensen Ackles. Ackles completely won over audiences with his absolutely maddening portrayal of Soldier Boy, the world’s first ‘supe’ and ultra-violent, sexist, misogynistic boomer asshole who stole every scene he was in. Ackles Soldier Boy has a very special part to play in Gen V, and he’s even more unhinged and off the chain this time, and all filters have been stripped away. Once again, Ackles has an absolute blast, and he injects an outlandish dose of fucked up humour into the episode that audiences will greatly appreciate.
But the episode’s crux hinges on the dangerous revelations of Dean Indira Shetty, whose pursuit of a virus to control the ‘supe’ population takes a deadly turn. Throughout the season, actress Shelley Conn has brought an omniscient presence to the series as the master manipulator, and her Machiavellian reach knows no bounds. In ‘Jumanji’, we see just how devious she is, and while the ‘supes’ might be dangerous, it’s clear who the true villain is. And she’s no less. It’s clear that no ‘supe’ poses any threat to her, and her control of her student’s minds makes her utterly deadly, and she’s ready for the next step in her devious plan.
The atmosphere is building in Gen V, and I feel things are about to get gnarly as we move into the final chapters of its first season. It’s clear that anything can happen now, and there will be a lot more carnage.
Gen V streams on Prime Video.
Image: Prime Video
