In Review: Gen V (S2 – EP8) Trojan

Synopsis: Trojan: Hello {{FirstName}} {{LastName}}. You’ve been selected for the 10:30 AM session.** Please be on time. Once a session begins, students may not leave for any reason. Check in with Vance outside of the Advanced Seminar…

The Story

The season finale, “Trojan” sees the conflict between the students at Godolkin University reach its climax as Thomas Godolkin’s hidden control over the campus is exposed. What everyone believed to be Dean Cipher is revealed to be Doug Brightbill, a puppet of Godolkin who has been manipulating events behind the scenes. In his thirst for total control, Godolkin subjects the students to a twisted version of “survival of the supest,” forcing them to turn on each other. However, Marie, Jordan, Emma, and their friends unite to resist. As the violence intensifies, the team launches a bold counterattack using unexpected tactics: Quantum Rear End Guy helps disrupt Godolkin’s control, Emma grows to giant size to fight physically, Harper briefly mimics other powers, and Sage—no longer in lockstep with Godolkin’s plan—helps Polarity escape Vought custody. In the final confrontation, Marie breaks free from Godolkin’s mental control and sacrifices herself to deliver a lethal blow, using her blood manipulation to end him. In the aftermath, the group flees campus. Marie reconciles with Jordan but insists they remain friends. The episode closes with surprise cameos from Black Noir, Starlight, and A-Train, hinting at the group’s future resistance.

Acting

We get solid acting performances in this season finale, which could almost serve as a precursor to what might unfold in the next season of The Boys—but we’ll touch on that a little later. Ethan Slater is brilliantly evil and psychotic as the long-thought-dead Thomas Godolkin. The scenes where Godolkin gradually loses his grip are fantastic, working especially well thanks to his dynamic with Sage (Susan Heyward), who tries to advise him but has little success now that power has completely gone to his head. I also loved the moment where Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) drives Doug Brightbill to the doctor, and Doug tells him what a hero his son was. It provides a satisfying sense of closure for that emotional arc. Jaz Sinclair delivers a strong performance as Marie, who must convince Godolkin that she’s under his control long enough for her friends to act and turn the tables on him.

Overall

“Trojan” ends on a really cool note that could easily serve as a jumping-off point for the next season of The Boys. We see Starlight approach Marie and her gang, asking if they’d be interested in joining the resistance—and if Starlight’s invitation isn’t tempting enough, A-Train turns up to offer a little extra encouragement. The big question now is: will they or won’t they join up? If they do, it opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities, especially since Sage—who was hoping to use Godolkin to manipulate Homelander—still has Homelander’s ear. Whatever happens, I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. It’s just a shame that Quantum Rear End Guy wasn’t with the gang when Starlight made her offer, as he would have made for a perfect Trojan horse.