Episode 495 – Gen V… Varsity Squad or Sophomore Slump?

The Infamous Podcast

Episode 495 - Gen V... Varsity Squad or Sophomore Slump?

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When Did Blood Powers Get So Cool? Trick question, they were always cool.

This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl review the 2025 Cincinnati Comic Expo, Netflix Hypocrisy, The Hunt for Ben Solo, and Gen V season 2.

Episode Index

Intro: 0:07
Stranger Things: 7:43
2025 Cincinnati Comic Expo: 12:09
The Hunt for Ben Solo: 20:31
Gen V: 30:00

Stranger Things in Theaters

Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale Officially Coming to Theaters, Despite Previous Statements https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-stranger-things-finale-theaters-tickets-1236408174/

2025 Cincinnati Comic Expo Review

The Superman Show at the Cincinnati Comic Expo https://cincinnaticomicexpo.com/

The Hunt for Ben Solo

Adam Driver Pitched Kylo Ren ‘Star Wars’ Standalone Movie With Steven Soderbergh, but Disney Rejected Script: ‘One of the Coolest’ Projects ‘I Had Ever Been a Part of’ https://variety.com/2025/film/news/adam-driver-kylo-ren-star-wars-steven-soderbergh-disney-1236557455/

Gen V (Amazon Prime)

Gen V Season 2
Rating:
Out 10 What’s With the Frat Guy and His Butt?
Darryl: 7/10
Brian: 7.91/10

This season picks up in the wake of The Boys Season 4, so the wider universe is in upheaval. The supes (superpowered individuals) are rising in influence, and societal tensions between “humans” and “supes” are mounting.

Meanwhile, at the campus of Godolkin University (the super-powered college) the tone has shifted. The new Dean, Hamish Linklater’s Cipher, has taken over and is steering the institution in a more militant, ideological direction.

Also important: the show addresses the real-life death of actor Chance Perdomo (who played Andre) by choosing not to recast his character and weaving that absence into the story’s grief and complexity.

Core Storylines
Marie Moreau (played by Jaz Sinclair) returns to Godolkin asking “what now?” after all they’ve been through — personal trauma, power shifts, ethical compromise.
Her friends (Emma, Jordan, others) are also re-entering campus life, but nothing is the same. Their old status, relationships, and sense of purpose are all shaken.
The University under Cipher is transforming from a somewhat dysfunctional but familiar institution into a training ground for supes as weapons (indoctrination, “fight clubs”, hierarchy).
There’s a growing war-like atmosphere: humans vs. supes, internal class conflict among supes, institutional corruption and hidden programs. One big plot strain revolves around a secret “Project Odessa”-type program from the 1960s that may tie into what supes are becoming and how they’re being used.

Themes & Character Arcs
Power and control: The season explores how supes react when they lose status or are asked to conform, and how institutions try to harness/weaponize their abilities.
Identity and trauma: The aftermath of loss (Andre’s death, past events) weighs heavy on Marie and the group — they’re not the naïve freshman brigade anymore.
Ethics of supers: What does it mean to be a hero when your school trains you for war? When you’re asked to fight humans or other supes?
Institutional critique: The campus becomes a micro-cosm of the supes-humans power system, and the show critiques both supes and the institutions behind them.
Build-up towards larger event: Season 2 is also positioning things for the larger universe (The Boys final season) — it doesn’t exist in isolation.

What Makes This Season Different / What to Watch For
The villainy is more structural than just “bad supes”: Cipher isn’t just brute force, he uses ideology and systems.
The moral lines blur: characters you thought you knew shift or harden. Emma’s shift from naive to hardened is called out in interviews.
More crossover and weight in the shared universe: Guest appearances, world-building that ties into The Boys.
A sense of “pre-apocalypse” for supes and humans – you feel like the semester at Godolkin is the calm before the larger storm.
The production’s real-life tragedy (Perdomo’s death) gives the season extra emotional stakes and an undercurrent of loss.

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Our theme music is ‘Skate Beat’ provided by Michael Henry, with additional music provided by Michael Henry. Find more at MeetMichaelHenry.com.

The Infamous Podcast is hosted by Brian Tudor and Darryl Jasper, is recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show is produced and edited by Brian Tudor.

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Episode 495 – Gen V… Varsity Squad or Sophomore Slump?