Following the media outrage sparked by Jordan’s scathing speech, “Bags” focuses on Cipher staging a public fight between Marie and Jordan. They protest, but he forces them to participate in the bloody performance by threatening to send them and Emma back to Elmira. With the fight night looming, Jordan and Cate break into Cipher’s house. They are successful despite Cate’s faulty powers and find a burned man in a hyperbaric chamber. At school, Cipher tests Marie’s powers, telling her that Odessa was a project to make more powerful Supes, and that she could be stronger than Homelander. Utilizing this newfound understanding of her powers, Marie senses Cipher’s blood and discovers that he has no superpowers. The finale of the episode focuses on the night of the fight. Cipher discovers evidence of the break-in and summons Cate to the fight. As Jordan and Marie prepare to face off in front of the massive crowd, Emma and her group of resistance fighters set up a camera on Cipher. Cate reveals that she knows that Cipher’s a human. He recognizes the camera, claims the burned man to be his father, and mind controls Jordan to fight Marie. Marie wins, controlling Jordan’s blood just like Cipher taught her. 

Due to the tight focus on the fight and mission to discover more about Cipher, “Bags” was the best episode of the season thus far. The heist-esque crew, led by Emma and her quest through the pipes, was an extremely exciting part of the episode, paired with the silly powers of her friends and the tension of Cipher being aware of the camera despite all their efforts. Cipher’s dynamic with Cate continues to stand out as well, but his fixation on Marie was a major strength of the episode. While the training scene was a tad basic, the elements of Cipher’s vague yet threatening motivations, paired with the mild tension created with the blood bags and animals potentially exploding, made the scene compelling. The reveal that he was human also worked very well, adding to his mystique and further complicating his obsession with Marie. That said, much of this is elevated by the performance, which elevates pretty standard villain talk into incredibly compelling scenes. 

There are not many glaring issues with the episode at large, having some vulgar moments that are very hit or miss. The climax of the episode was fun, and Marie’s relationships with Jordan and Cipher are set up to be compelling later on. A major concern highlighted by this episode, however, was its placement in the larger universe. On one hand, the show and characters deserve to be judged on their own merit, devoid of The Boys and its characters. That said, this show and episode’s particular constant mention of Homelander makes it difficult to separate. In some respects, this is a positive for world-building, but it comes across more as a worrisome asterisk on Gen V’s existence. At times, it feels like Gen V is a basic, young adult superhero show. At others, though, it feels like the show only exists as a breeding ground to throw backstories and thin personalities on characters whose only and ultimate purpose will be to eventually fight Homelander. That said, this was not a specific issue with this episode, which, on the whole, was the strongest thus far. 

Rating: 7/10