Why Sam no longer encounters puppets in Season 1 finale of Generation V (& His encounter with Golden Boy)

Article Overview

In the Season 1 finale of Gen V, Sam's absence of puppet visions further cements his role as a villain. Now, he no longer relies on them to rationalize his violent deeds.

During the finale, Sam begins encountering Golden Boy instead of puppets. Symbolizing his conscience, Golden Boy continually urges him to choose the path of righteousness. However, Sam stubbornly disregards these pleas and continues his malevolent ways.

The disappearance of the Golden Boy hallucination occurs due to Sam's desire to suppress his emotions and embrace his violent nature, thereby increasing his level of danger.

An exceptional aspect of Gen V is its inclusion of puppet scenes, and the reason behind Sam no longer seeing puppets in the Gen V season 1 finale, but instead witnessing the presence of Golden Boy, is as follows. Throughout Gen V, numerous scenes depict Sam engaging with puppet representations of real characters, whether it involves his destruction of puppet soldiers or engaging in sexual activities with a puppet version of Emma. However, in the Gen V season 1 finale, the puppets vanish completely, being substituted by a different manifestation within Sam's visions. Although the exact cause of this alteration is never explicitly explained, it can be rationalized.

Sam Not Seeing Puppets Cements Him As A Gen V Villain

Gen V has finally arrived, with the highly-anticipated spinoff of Amazon Prime Video's The Boys, season 1, now available in its entirety. This new series provides a fresh perspective on the universe of The Boys, shifting its focus towards Godolkin University, a specialized college for supes. Following Marie Moreau, a talented blood-bending supe, Gen V explores her journey as she seizes the opportunity to enrol in the prestigious Vought-run university. However, Marie soon uncovers a massive Vought conspiracy, with Sam Riordan at its core. Sam, an incredibly unusual character within The Boys franchise, experiences significant transformations in the season 1 finale of Gen V.

While Sam's initial puppet visions may be perceived as a joke, their absence in the Gen V finale solidifies Sam's role as one of the show's primary antagonists. Sam frequently experiences puppet hallucinations during violent encounters in Gen V, witnessing his adversaries morph into puppets and their blood transform into confetti. These puppets serve as Sam's coping mechanism for his brutal actions, enabling him to view humans as comical marionettes in order to contend with the guilt of his killings. Despite being a murderer, Sam still experiences remorse, symbolized by the puppets throughout Gen V.

Sam's puppets disappearing at the end of Gen V shows that

Why Sam Sees Golden Boy In Gen V's Season 1 Finale

, with Sam's newfound acceptance of violence. He no longer needs to detach his actions from the consequences, as he now sees his victims as real people rather than mere cloth figures. Sam has fully embraced inflicting harm on others and no longer feels guilt, rendering the puppets unnecessary. While the puppet scenes in Gen V may have been strange, they served to humanize Sam and make him a likable character. However, without them, Sam becomes a full-fledged villain in the Gen V season 1 finale, as their absence reveals his dark side.

Instead of puppets, Gen V's season 1 finale introduces a new character to Sam's visions - Golden Boy. Sam's brother, Golden Boy, had his memory erased by Cate, but Sam always remembered him. Their relationship was strong and seeing Golden Boy again in Sam's visions holds great significance. Golden Boy makes appearances at crucial moments in the Gen V season 1 finale, leaving the cause of his reappearance unexplained.

Why Sam's Golden Boy Hallucination Disappears

In the finale of season 1 of Gen V, Golden Boy serves as a manifestation of Sam's conscience. Whenever Golden Boy makes an appearance, he implores Sam to make the right decisions, yet Sam consistently ignores him. This is particularly evident during Sam's conversation with Cate, as Golden Boy strongly opposes Sam joining Cate's supe supremacist army. However, once again, Sam dismisses Golden Boy's advice, causing him to transform into a full-fledged villain. It is evident that Sam has always viewed Golden Boy as a role model, but unfortunately, Sam fails to heed his conscience during critical moments in Gen V.

While Golden Boy's hallucinations have a positive impact on Sam, they eventually vanish for a reason. In their conversation, Sam pleads with Cate to numb his emotions so he can join the uprising of the former prisoners at Vought's the Woods facility. Granting his request, Cate touches Sam and commands him not to feel anything. As a result, Golden Boy completely disappears, causing Sam to become even more violent and dangerous than ever before.

The obvious interpretation of this scene is that Sam's inclination to kill humans and participate in the uprising was hindered by his conscience and the guilt associated with it. Following Cate's removal of Sam's conscience in the form of Golden Boy, Sam no longer faced any difficulties with killing. Despite finding inner peace for the first time in the series, this transformation made him a significantly more violent individual. In earlier episodes of Gen V, Sam's violence was nuanced, primarily stemming from self-defense. However, in the finale, Sam ruthlessly slaughters humans without any inhibitions, as his conscience no longer serves as a deterrent.

Gen V Already Revealed How Sam Could Be Saved In Season 2

In the Gen V season 1 finale, Sam is undoubtedly portrayed as a villain. However, the show has already hinted at a potential redemption for Sam in Gen V season 2. The root cause of Sam's violent behavior lies in Cate's mind wipes, which have also been responsible for Golden Boy's breakdown earlier in the series. Periodically erasing Golden Boy's memories eventually overwhelmed him, causing leaks in his mind akin to a dam bursting. Even with Cate's extraordinary powers, she struggled to control Golden Boy, exposing the possibility of a similar outcome for Sam.

If Sam persists in his desire to become a violent killer, he will rely on Cate to regularly erase his memories. Nevertheless, if we consider the influence of Golden Boy, there will come a time when Cate's abilities will no longer suffice. Eventually, Sam's conscience represented by Golden Boy, alongside his feelings of guilt, will break through despite the mind wipes, leading him away from his path as a villain. While it remains uncertain whether Gen V season 2 will feature Sam's redemption arc, the possibility exists if the series decides to explore it.

Editor's P/S

In the season finale of Gen V, Sam's transformation into a full-fledged villain is solidified by the disappearance of his puppet visions and the emergence of Golden Boy. The puppets, which initially served as a coping mechanism for Sam's violent actions, are no longer necessary as he fully embraces his dark side. This change symbolizes Sam's acceptance of violence and his detachment from the consequences of his actions.

The introduction of Golden Boy, Sam's brother, adds another layer of complexity to Sam's character. Despite having his memory erased by Cate, Sam has always remembered Golden Boy, indicating a strong bond between the two. Golden Boy's appearances in Sam's visions at critical moments suggest that he may play a significant role in Sam's future, potentially offering him a chance at redemption. Overall, the disappearance of the puppets and the emergence of Golden Boy in Gen V's season 1 finale highlight Sam's transformation into a villain while hinting at the possibility of salvation in the upcoming season.