Gen V – #ThinkBrink review S1 E3
#ThinkBrink laid the groundwork for some significant developments for the rest of the season. I’m digging The Hunger Games meets The Boys vibes of Gen V and this was another enthralling episode with some strong character moments.
Cate has a flashback from three years ago when she and Luke went down to The Woods. Interesting development: she’d already been there prior to last episode. And Luke wasn’t shocked to see his brother, Sam, in a holding cell. Sam goes off and, in a rage, kills one of the security guard in the usual creative Boys manner. This time from punching his fist through the dude’s stomach up through his mouth. Yikes. Cate uses her powers to put Sam to sleep.
A distraught Luke asks Cate to stop him from hurting so much. While she refuses this might explain why Luke seemed shocked to learn Sam was still alive. At some point, Cate must have acquiesced to Luke’s pleas and made him forget Sam was still alive.
That was a while ago though and now Andre is trying to help her recover from pushing her suggestion powers too far. They’re both emotionally vulnerable and have a moment leading to a full on hook up session. And somehow that doesn’t seem that odd here.
Justine apologizes to Emma for revealing her need to purge in order to get small. But Emma questions the sincerity since Justine has a camerawoman filming the apology…
It’s nearly time for the big #ThinkBrink memorial gala. For Indira, it’s the perfect place to showcase Marie, God U’s new shining star. For most of the others from Andre and Jordan, it’s about locking down their rankings. Andre has to deal with his slightly overbearing father Polarity. Jordan also has parent issues as their father, Paul (Peter Kim), still can’t deal with their bi-gender nature.
Frustrating parents is the theme for the gala. Emma’s social media savvy mother, Tiffany (Rayisa Kondracki), has lined up a new gig for her — a reality show from Courtenay Fortney exploring the darker side of her powers. Courtenay’s workshopping a few titles from Eaten Alive or Feeling Small. Courtenay’s pitch is hilarious and feels like legitimate asinine ways that TV shows get produced these days. Tiffany comes off like a pageant mom filled with enthusiasm and vigor to make her daughter a star while picking apart at the slightest imperfection.
Emma and Marie get past their brewing tension and get on the same page in the bathroom stall of all places. Marie’s dress really did seem hard to maneuver in the bathroom.
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Marie shone in the spotlight at the #ThinkBrink gala, highlighted by a ridiculously melodramatic tribute video with an introspective message from The Deep. Not that Marie loved the attention. It was a lot of telling the same lie about her proud parents repeatedly. She breaks her composure in a nice moment with Cate and Jordan. While Jordan doesn’t have a tragic origin like Cate and Marie, they do try and commiserate. Don’t look now, but Gen V is crafting multiple layered friendships with characters that happen to be women.
Emma also makes a new bond. Andre wants her help to sneak into The Woods to find Sam. Not an awful plan. Sam thinks she’s a figment of his imagination and uses the most logic-defying movie test to determine if she’s real. Emma says, ‘You’re a white guy so your favorites are probably The Godfather, Star Wars and Shawshank.’ I’m not sure if that’s limited to white guys, Ema…
Sam knows the codes to escape his holding cell but doesn’t want to get anyone else hurt. Andre gets a shock upon learning Polarity knows all about The Woods and warns him not to talk about it to anyone. Well, too late for that, Pops.
Security guards start realizing Sam is talking to someone and not hallucinating. Emma’s got an idea on how to stop him and travels through one ear through the other. Maybe a punch up the mouth wasn’t so bad after all? Emma seems a little freaked out about it, but she’s going to decide on a new strategy soon as a lot more guards have entered the cell.
#ThinkBrink was largely a table setter episode, but Gen V’s DNA allows for even a ‘slower’ episode is funny and showing while putting more pieces together to the overall story.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Photo Credit: Amazon