Gen V is a worthy spin-off of Amazon Prime’s The Boys. If its first three episodes are anything to go by, it may well turn out to be one of the greatest television spin-offs of all time. It expertly recaptures the magic of The Boys, and its trademark dark and goofy humour is intact. This is apparent right from the beginning when viewers are introduced to Emma’s gerbil named David Caruso. Yes, you read that correctly.
Told from the perspective of young blood-bender Marie Moreau during her first days at Godolkin University, Gen V wastes no time introducing viewers to its dysfunctional students. Just like Marie, they are all supes. Godolkin is owned by Vought and supposedly teaches its students how to become real superheroes.
Marie’s college roommate is Emma Meyer, also known as “Little Cricket”. Emma’s superpower allows her to shrink her body. When Marie first meets Emma, the latter is in her shrunken form and filming a boxing video for social media. Emma’s opponent is her pet gerbil named David Caruso.
Some viewers may remember David Caruso for portraying lead character Lieutenant Horatio Caine in noughties hit CSI: Miami. The show was a big success for CBS – in 2006 it was the most watched TV show in the world. Despite its success (and Caruso’s viral fame as Horatio), it became the first TV show in the CSI franchise to be cancelled when it unceremoniously concluded in 2012.
That was 11 years ago and David Caruso has since retired. Therefore, it’s understandable that many viewers won’t get the reference to the actor in Gen V.
Why is Emma’s gerbil called David Caruso in Gen V?
Emma explains to Marie that her gerbil is named David Caruso because she is a fan of the 1995 film Jade.
Upon first meeting each other, Emma asks Marie if she’s “cool with David Caruso?”. When Marie questions who David Caruso is, an alarmed Emma responds “You didn’t see Jade?!… Are you f**king kidding?!”
Jade is an erotic thriller directed by Oscar-winner William Friedkin. David Caruso plays the main character, Assistant District Attorney David Corelli.
The movie’s plot revolves around Corelli, who becomes entangled in a murder investigation involving a mysterious woman named Jade. He is tasked with unraveling the web of intrigue surrounding the murder.
While this is a somewhat bizarre reference to include in Gen V, that’s entirely the point. Jade was a critical and commercial flop, with Caruso even ‘winning’ a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star.
Emma’s taste in movies clearly leaves a lot to be desired, but we certainly appreciated the nod to this 90s ‘classic’.
On 14th September, the official Gen V X/Twitter account anticipated the confusion surrounding the gerbil’s name but refused to elaborate: “The gerbil’s name is David Caruso and we will not be explaining any further”.
Have you seen Jade? Do you think it’s a good movie? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other Film & TV articles…
