Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Gen V.
The Big Picture
- Gen V introduces Emma as a complex character with insecurities and a unique power, making her relatable and likable to the audience.
- The show consistently ill-treats Emma, punishing her for her positive traits and offering temporary respite before taking it away or making it worse.
- Despite being part of the group, Emma is always on the fringe and rarely acknowledged, and her power implies that she will always have to be in distress to use it.
The violent opening scene of Gen V made it clear that it was determined to follow the twisted path of its predecessor, The Boys. But along the way, it also left behind its own unique footprint, especially through its easily distinguishable set of characters, all of whom bring their unique quirks and warts to the table. Long-time fans of the franchise know it’s never a good idea to get too attached to a particular character since this is a universe that’s indiscriminately hostile and unkind to all who reside within it. But with its season finale, Gen V has really outdone its cruelty, and that of its predecessor, with its unwarranted treatment of Emma (Lizze Broadway).
Gen V
From the world of “The Boys” comes “Gen V,” which explores the first generation of superheroes to know that their super powers are from Compound V. These heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test competing for the school’s top ranking.
- Release Date
- September 29, 2023
- Cast
- Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Maddie Phillips, Lizzie Broadway
- Main Genre
- Action
Emma Is ‘Gen V’s Most Complex and Interesting Character
The first time we meet Emma, she’s shrunk down to the size of a toilet paper roll, inside the tiniest boxing ring, and about to engage in a boxing match with her pet gerbil. It’s Emma’s first day at Godolkin University, and as a small-time influencer, she’s putting on a show for her internet fans. Clearly, Emma is obsessed with internet fame, so much so that the very first shot of her is framed within a mobile camera. It’s easy to dismiss Emma as a shallow teenager tediously chasing social media clout. But the scenes that follow underline the insecurities of an individual who is painfully aware of rigid assumptions and hierarchies within her world of superheroes, and her inability to bring about any positive change within it.
Unlike most of the supes we encounter, Emma doesn’t want to become a crime-fighting superhero and get enlisted into The Seven. She understands that, in her world, being a superhero is more about keeping appearances and selling merchandise. She harbors no delusion about attaining the top spot given the nature of her power — and though she carries this self-awareness with a cool breeze, there are times when we see her self-esteem crumbling underneath its weight.
As we spend more time with Emma, we get to see the reasons behind this tragedy. Emma can’t will herself to become small or big with the flick of her fingers; she has to purge herself to shrink and eat to grow. It’s a strange, laborious process, and one that’s poisonous to her self-esteem because of how demeaning the ritual feels. But when the world learns about her process, she becomes an unwilling subject of pity all around. Puking and eating is how Emma accesses her powers, but everyone around her is so fixated on the narrow, reductive narrative of a very specific socio-psychological issue that they immediately pin Emma as the victim of body image issues and an eating disorder, even though she consistently insists she doesn’t have any eating disorders.
Instead, Emma’s real issue lies in the method of accessing her power, and the way the entire world views it with utter disgust. Even her roommate and the show’s main protagonist, Marie (Jaz Sinclair), does the same. There’s a very interesting moment in Episode 3 where Marie, after learning about Emma’s process of shrinking, suggests that she should seek help and take a break, but Marie’s method of accessing her power by cutting herself could just as easily be categorized as a form of self-harm. The sight of a knife and blood carries an edgy, self-destructive air of coolness. It’s a spectacle. It’s marketable. Emma’s vomit, on the other hand, is just indigestible.
Emma Is Treated Horribly in ‘Gen V’ Season 1
It’s to Gen V’s credit that they’ve created such a complex and interesting cast, but what they do with Emma’s character is an entirely different matter. Emma has a friendly nature, quirky humor, and unwavering determination to remain kind even in the face of cruelty, all of which combined make her someone that’s impossible to dislike. At some level, Gen V is aware that Emma is exceptionally likable and relatable to the audience — and the surest, and possibly laziest, method of inciting intense rage and sadness within viewers is to punish Emma for all the traits that make her wonderful in the first place. The show has been consistent in its ill-treatment of Emma, but it does so in the most sadistic way possible — by offering her something sweet as a respite from her pain and then almost instantly taking it away or making it worse.
In the very first episode of the show, we see her browsing through the negative, insolent comments on her YouTube video, reading instances of people calling her lame and ugly, but then, she gets a sweet text from a guy calling himself her biggest fan and asking to hang out. Soon, the two end up half-naked, making out with each other. But then the guy undercuts the moment, asking Emma to shrink down and hang off his private parts. Emma is reluctant, but the guy is insistent and she can’t say no. So, she goes through the painful process of shrinking down by forcing out vomit just to please a guy who ditches her in the end. Then, she gets approached by classmate and vlogger Justine (Maia Jae Bastidas), who tells the guy off and partners up with Emma on a project. In a moment of vulnerability, Emma shares her humiliating process of powering up, only for Justine to make a YouTube video about it for clout.
It finally feels like the show is being kind to Emma by introducing her to Sam (Asa Germann). Their chemistry feels very sweet, innocent, and pure, but at the end of Season 1, the show abruptly makes Sam flip out on Emma, throwing away everything they shared. What’s more, although Emma hangs out with the gang — Marie, Jordan (Derek Luh / London Thor), Andre (Chance Perdomo), and Cate (Maddie Phillips)— we rarely see her being acknowledged and interacted with. While she is around, it always feels like she’s on the fringe, not really a part of the group. The last time we see Emma in Season 1, except for the final scene in the hospital/prison, she gets her heart broken by Sam, shrinking down after she cries her heart out. It means that purging and binging isn’t the only way Emma can manipulate her size; it also implies that she will always have to be in some form of distress to use her powers.
With Gen V recently being confirmed for a Season 2, there’s every opportunity for the show to course correct when it comes to Emma’s character arc. Hopefully, future episodes will give her more of a chance to lean into her real potential as an aspiring supe — and become a bigger, more impactful part of the team.
All episodes of Gen V are available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
