Top 10 Pop Culture References in Gen V Episodes 1-5

When Sam sees a recently shrunken Emma in his holding cell, he understandably wants proof that she’s real. So, he asks her a series of questions to confirm she’s a true stranger. Emma’s most hilarious reply comes when she’s tasked with guessing Sam’s favorite movie. With one line, she roasts bonafide classics like “Star Wars” as being cliche #1 picks for college dudes. Not to be outdone, Sam makes us laugh again by confessing his actual favorite isn’t what we expected. We’re unsure why the wet and critically panned apocalyptic film sits at the top of his movie list. But we do know that this movie discussion was a funny scene that had the bonus of bringing Sam and Emma a little bit closer together.

Have you ever turned on the tv in the middle of the day and seen an incredibly cheesy ad for a school? If you haven’t, “Gen V’s” got you covered with a spot-on parody. The first episode contains a ridiculously over-the-top ad for Godolkin University. This commercial has the cheesy music, slow panning drone shots, and humble bragging you’d see in a real tv spot. And while the clip tries to cover up imperfections, hilarious details about heroes like the Deep still get through. The ad ultimately serves as a great send up to institutions that try a little too hard to convince us that they're perfect.

While hanging out with a classmate named Justine, Emma discloses the harsh truth about how she gets small. It initially seems like the secret will stay between them. Unfortunately, Justine reveals how Emma’s powers work in a YouTube video for clout. This betrayal leads to a very heated conversation. When Justine later approaches Emma to apologize, it becomes clear that their talk is being filmed. This sad series of events is clearly meant to take aim at YouTube personalities who try to monopolize tragedy for views. Additionally, Justine’s insincere attempt to say sorry satirizes the numerous examples of bad video apology videos present in our world. Overall, this plotline highlights how a single misguided clip can cause someone a lot of pain.

“Gen V” proudly continues the franchise tradition of making fun of every superhero movie. In any given scene, there’s a good chance you’ll see a poster for a supe film. The well-designed ads even manage to copy details like text. Just compare the font for the Nubian Prince movie to the real life Black Panther poster as one example of what we mean. Outside of the designs, the show also doesn’t pull its punches on calling out controversial superhero film directors. The two programs combined might make fun of every single stage of production of the cape genre. But we’re okay with that if running gags like the satirical “Red Thunder” movie keep popping up.

Shortly after intimate details about Emma’s personal life are leaked, she receives an offer to lead a reality show. At first, media personality Courtenay Fortney seems to be interested in the supe’s fun YouTube personality. But it soon becomes clear that the proposed show would focus on the most painful aspects of Emma’s life. This awful pitch is an absolutely scathing condemnation of exploitative reality tv programs that try to capture people’s worst qualities on camera. By placing the loveable Emma in this scenario, the audience gets to see it from the celebrity’s side. While reality tv stars may not seem all that real, she reminds us that famous lives shouldn’t just be fodder for cheap entertainment.

Episode 5 takes a bit of a turn as our literal heroes find themselves in an amnesiac-like daze. They have to get to the bottom of why none of them can remember key details about the last few days. At first they think a psychic named Rufus is to blame, but it’s ultimately revealed to be the work of Cate, one of their own. Able to mind control through touch, Cate has secretly compelled them to forget at the behest of Dean Shetty. Once we learn of Cate’s pact with Shetty, we see Shetty twirl a spoon around an ornate teacup. We don’t know about you, but we can’t think of mind manipulation and teacups without harkening back to Jordan Peele’s horror masterpiece “Get Out.”

During “The Whole Truth” episode, we hear about a story where a superpowered woman named Shehemoth was arrested for the murder of her partner. Her unique skin color, immense strength and tall stature were all designed to make fun of Marvel’s She-Hulk. But that’s not the only MCU tv star that comes under direct fire. In “Gen V’s” first episode, Justine describes the plot of a Vought TV supe show that she wants to be part of. Both the theme of grief and sitcom style that she mentions are direct references to the MCU smash hit “WandaVision”. Additionally, the real and fictional programs are both directed by sitcom star actors. We hope the Marvel characters can laugh at these Vought jokes.

The superhero known as Tek Knight is absolutely obsessed with getting material for his hard hitting investigative show “The Whole Truth”. While he tells the public that he’s really invested in the truth behind the tragedy, it’s clear that he only wants to make a sensational program. To further hammer this point in, Tek Knight laughs while discussing traumatic events. He also pushes witnesses past their breaking point just to get sound bites he can use later. Virtually everyone who knows Tek Knight calls him out for being dangerous and morally bankrupt. Through him, the audience is pushed to examine their own relationship to big true crime shows.

In a scene no one saw coming, a muppet version of The Deep and television’s Jason Ritter suddenly appeared on a screen. Although the unlikely duo looked friendly, they lobbed dark words at Sam. Deep and Ritter’s set is clearly meant to be a parody of the Sesame Street setting. To make the “Gen V” satire more unsettling, the Deep muppet came complete with talking gills. The chatty anatomy is a great callback to an equally gross season 2 episode. Additionally, the dark parody pushes Sam to go after one of his old enemies. Once again, the franchise managed to use a sharp satire to push the story forward in a hilarious way.

Goldokin’s U dean loves to brag about the tv shows that her students have gone on to star in. While none of “Gen V” leads had major roles on Riverdale, the actors behind Marie and Andre have an indirect connection to the drama. Both Jaz Sinclair and Chance Perdomo had significant roles on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. That magical show coincidentally crossed over with “Riverdale”. Beyond this connection, Lizzie Broadway’s Emma mentions being on a certain drama. While the real actress didn’t star on that show, she actually did appear on the spin-off Chicago P.D. These cameos don’t even scratch the surface of meta casting gags. Any actor who appears on this show should be prepared to have their resume made fun of.

What’s your favorite pop culture reference on “Gen V”? Let us know in the comments below!