DISCLAIMER: This recap of Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, “Welcome to The Monster Club,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

Welcome back, supes! It’s hard to believe we only have three episodes left this season. Gen V isn’t on the same level as The Boys, but it’s pretty damn close. The potential is there. Anyway, I love that “Welcome to The Monster Club” dives deeper into the college side of things as our heroes grapple with romantic feelings and issues of consent. We finally learn the guilty party behind our crew’s memory wipes. While the reveal is unsurprising, the potential blackmail aspect is intriguing. We’ll explore Cate’s story in next week’s episode and perhaps get that long-awaited Soldier Boy appearance. 

Overall, it’s an outing that focuses on character evolution and continues to explore those fun dynamics, with a surreal trip to Puppet Land, more displays of weird powers and plot development. We finally know why The Woods exists, y’all. 

Ready to delve into “Welcome to The Monster Club”? Let’s get to it. 

RELATED: Check out our recap for Gen V Season 1 Episode 4, “The Whole Truth” 

We open with Andre (Chance Perdomo) waking up in a bed with Cate (Maddie Phillips). They notice a clear, dripping, gooey substance on the ceiling above them. Ew. Cate and Andre wander through the hallways, wondering if they attended Dusty’s rager. They spot a donkey meander past them, with Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton) chasing it. Fun fact: Maverick is the son of the late Translucent. Our duo opens the door to one room, where a man with the ability to vibrate his hands acts as a vibrator for a woman with a hole in her back. You can imagine what comes out of that when she … ya know. Only The Boys would showcase the weirdest powers. I love it. 

Next, Andre and Cate open the door on Marie (Jaz Sinclair) and Jordan (London Thor), who are in bed together. They apologize profusely before leaving in a hurry. As Marie and Jordan dress, the former confesses that she has no memory of the night before. Jordan admits to the same. Marie asks if they slept together, to which Jordan smiles. Aw. I like these two together. 

Jordan, in their female form, touches Marie's shoulder while they stand outside at night in Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, "Welcome to The Monster Club."

GEN V Season 1 Episode 5, “Welcome to The Monster Club.” Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video.

Later, Marie finds Emma (Lizze Broadway) in her giant form. She’s asleep in the pool, using the pool cover as a blanket. Marie looks for a prime spot for Emma to vomit so she can shrink to her average size. Meanwhile, Jordan (Derek Luh), who’s in their male form, tells Andre and Cate that they don’t recall sleeping with Marie and have days missing from their memories. Andre and Cate disclose the same. Who wiped their minds? 

RELATED: TV Review: Gen V Season 1

Then, Emma and Marie watch evidence of their night on TikTok, featuring a giant Emma drinking from an actual keg and Marie and Jordan (in their female form) making out. Yes! Marie asks Emma if she knew she could get big. Emma tells her about the only time she grew in size and her mother’s abhorrent response. She ignores her mom’s call. Suddenly, Sam (Asa Germann) wanders onto the patio. They don’t recognize him. That’s when he realizes “they” scrubbed Marie and Emma’s minds. Sam explains that God U. doesn’t want them to know about Sam’s existence or The Woods. 

After he departs, Emma admits that he’s cute. Even when bereft of her memories, she’s still drawn to him. As they leave the house, Marie tells Emma when her next period will arrive. This is a new facet of her powers. Marie has the potential to be the most powerful supe if she taps into the full scope of her abilities. They reunite with Andre, Cate and Jordan. Our heroes realize they share a mutual dilemma: no memories. Marie reveals that Rufus (Alexander Calvert) was at the party the night before. We see footage of him as proof. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Cardosa (Marco Pigossi) puts his foot down with Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn). He refuses to keep tabs on Sam any longer. After all, Sam threatened him and his family. Cardosa also reveals he’s very close to perfecting the virus. Said virus will keep supes in check. So, that’s what The Woods is all about. Shetty reminds Cardosa that his whole job consists of looking after “psychopaths” along with tweaking this new supe virus. 

RELATED: Catch up on the diabolical madness with The Boys recaps!

Then, Cate tells the group about her traumatizing encounter with Rufus. She woke up in his bed with a camera pointed at her. Well, you can guess what happened after that. Naturally, Andre is enraged. Marie asks Cate if she’s okay. She admits that now she knows to steer clear of Rufus. This is a common mindset for sexual assault survivors. I say this as one myself. We try to frame it as a “lesson learned.” I applaud the creative team for doing their research. 

Sam wears a gray jumpsuit while standing on a patio during the day and looking sad in Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, "Welcome to The Monster Club."

GEN V Season 1 Episode 5, “Welcome to The Monster Club.” Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video.

Later, still in their male form, Jordan reassures Marie that everything’s “cool” between them. Rufus messed with their minds. Marie isn’t obligated to do anything, nor must she keep seeing Jordan if she doesn’t want to. I’ve noticed Jordan remains in their male form when they long to have their guard up. However, they shift into their female form when they want to be vulnerable. Interesting. 

While walking on campus, they notice Shetty chatting with Rufus. Marie says she doesn’t want to report Rufus to Shetty because she doesn’t trust the dean. Finally. Even Marie, without her memories, senses bad vibes from Shetty. Still, Marie and Jordan chase Rufus across campus. When Jordan confronts him, he shifts into another student—a decoy. The real Rufus returns to the safety of his room, only to find Andre waiting for him. Andre utilizes his metal-bending abilities to lock down the dorm room. However, a split second later, Andre stands at the counter in Voughtaburger. The cashier gently nudges Andre to leave, claiming he’s holding up the line. 

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Next, Emma tells Marie that she broke the Top 100 ranking for the school. Success! Emma also has had opportunities come her way since going viral. However, she wants to know more about Marie and Jordan. How long have they been getting cozy? Marie’s feelings for Jordan seem complicated on the surface, but after some much-needed prodding from Emma, Marie realizes she likes them. Marie resolves to tell them how she feels. During their chat, Emma finds her t-shirt from the abandoned drive-in. Sam mentioned their stay at said drive-in. Emma discovers that Sam was telling the truth about their time together. 

Speaking of Sam, we see him duck into a tunnel to avoid detection. A puppet Emma materializes. Then, a crew of security officers storm the tunnel, but they’re all puppets. Even Sam transforms into one. Sam proceeds to rip them to shreds, which looks amusing and horrifying in puppet form. Is this real? Sure enough, he did kill those soldiers. We see half a body swing in the darkness as Sam flees. 

Jordan, in their male form, stands next to Marie on a college campus during the day in Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, "Welcome to The Monster Club."

GEN V Season 1 Episode 5, “Welcome to The Monster Club.” Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video.

Meanwhile, Marie discovers a tracking device in her neck. She uses her powers to remove it. So, she can also sense metal devices inside bodies. Hmm. Marie chats with Cate about her findings. When Cate removes her glove, Marie puts two and two together. Cate is the one responsible for their frequent mind wipes. Eh, it makes sense. Jordan chats with Maverick in their female form about their feelings for Marie. Maverick encourages them to be honest. Also, their identity issues don’t fall on Marie but on themself. Maverick departs with his donkey, probably heading to a locker room to be an invisible Peeping Tom. Ew. 

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Marie emerges from Cate’s room with her memories scrubbed. Jordan brings to mind their earlier conversation about everything being “cool.” However, Jordan wants to keep seeing Marie. Marie questions that convo — she doesn’t recall it transpiring. That’s when Jordan realizes Rufus wiped Marie’s mind again. As for Cate, she’s chatting with Shetty about her discreet memory erasings. She’s tired of being Shetty’s puppet. Of course, the school is making her do this. She’s their greatest weapon, especially in protecting The Woods. Shetty embraces Cate, reminding the latter that she’s doing what’s best for her friends. She’s shielding them. Sure, Jan. 

Next, Emma returns to the abandoned drive-in to reunite with Sam. She remembers everything now. Cate heads to Andre’s room to watch an episode of The Mesmerizer while high. Aw, remember when Butcher killed him? Anyway, Andre and Cate reminisce about Luke’s hatred of Mesmer. He used to provide hilarious commentary while watching The Mesmerizer. Happy times. 

Marie stands outside during the day while looking confused in Gen V Season 1 Episode 5, "Welcome to The Monster Club."

GEN V Season 1 Episode 5, “Welcome to The Monster Club.” Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video.

Meanwhile, Marie and Jordan confront Rufus, who’s been partying with Dusty (Andy Walken). Rufus insists he had nothing to do with their mind wipes. Plus, he has to be close to them physically, and he’s been in his room for hours. Emma calls Marie to reveal that Rufus is telling the truth — he’s not behind it. Cate is the culprit, according to Sam. Marie and Jordan switch gears when Andre storms into the room. He pins Rufus to the wall and holds dangerous metal objects near his throat. Marie and Jordan attempt to persuade him to stand down. Cate appears to confirm what they know. She admits to wiping their minds. Then, she places her hands on Andre’s head to return his memories to him. He calls her a monster before leaving. Ouch. 

RELATED: Catch up on the collegiate supe shenanigans with our Gen V recaps!

Will the gang forgive Cate for betraying them, especially since it appears Shetty is blackmailing her? When will Shetty and Cardosa release their supe virus into the world? Can our heroes stop them before that happens? Only time (and more episodes) will tell. 

Gen V drops new episodes every Friday on Prime Video. 

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