Warning: Spoilers for episode 4 of Gen V to follow.
We’re halfway through Gen V‘s first season and it’s more than a bit safe to say “so far, so great” at this point. The thought of series co-creator Eric Kripke and company sinking their evocative, astute creative chops into a setting as rich as a university campus—complete with all the bloody bells and whistles that make The Boys‘ tick—was nothing short of tantalizing, and the mad sons of guns are pulling it off excellently.
But seriously, what was the deal with episode four’s closing moments?
How did episode four of Gen V end?
For those of you who didn’t watch the episode, I’m not entirely sure why you’re reading this but welcome aboard nonetheless.
Anyway, our heroes-in-training banded together to prevent Sam (Asa Germann) from hunting down and killing a psychologist who worked at The Woods, a.k.a. the secret underground compound where dangerous supes are imprisoned. As Emma (Lizze Broadway) restrained Sam in her giant form, Marie (Jaz Sinclair) tried to talk Sam down from his violent episode. As she spoke, the screen suddenly cut to black mid-sentence without resolving the conflict in any conceivable way, shape, form, or fashion.
When we cut to the next scene, which is also the final scene of the episode, Marie wakes up in a bed, empty aluminum cans on the bedside stand, looking a touch confused as Jordan (London Thor) snuggles her under some blankets.
Now, if this were the final episode, everyone would be understandably furious. But whatever happened between the gang’s confrontation with Sam and Marie waking up next to Jordan will be presumably explored in episode 5. Nevertheless, the two events couldn’t be more disconnected, and the mere act of speculation has proven to be a herculean task.
Honestly? The absolute best guess I have at the moment is that the night ended in a dubiously prompted, perhaps substance-fueled orgy of sorts. That would at least partly explain the intimacy at play and Marie’s implied memory gaps, but it would still do little to explain why the cutaway occurred in the middle of Marie’s sentence. If Gen V did want us to pull at the orgy thread, we probably would have gotten clearer indications of the presence of the other four Supes.
But, even if that is the case, it doesn’t paint the whole picture. Judging by the promo for episode five, everyone is experiencing the same memory gaps that look to be plaguing Marie. While a link could easily be drawn to the involvement of Rufus—the thoroughly deplorable psychic student who all but roofied Marie with his powers earlier that episode (Marie blacked out and woke up similarly in the closing scenes)—it would be far too easy for the buck to stop at him, especially with the surplus of shady characters still running around at every level of Godolkin University.
At this point, we’re best off just waiting for next Thursday’s episode; I’ve personally lost too many neurons trying to make sense of episode four’s ending. So I implore you to invest that mental energy into something more fruitful, such as memorizing a new recipe or trying to wipe your mind off that image of Rufus’ bloated penis. Good luck, friends.
(featured image: Prime Video)
