#Impulse season 1 plot summary plus
LeFranc and the writers, plus a team of post-Liman directors dominated by women, including Helen Shaver, Alex Kalymnios and Cherien Dabis, do right by this sensitive, difficult side of the story. Episodes are preceded by sexual violence content warnings and end with hotline callouts to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. There’s a volatile minutelong uncut shot of the young actress in the second episode that sold me completely on the performance and her ability to carry the series. Hasson’s balance of tough-girl exterior and inner fragility is exceptional. It’s a multi-episode process that’s almost always in the foreground as Henry faces the constant presence of her attacker suffers self-doubt as her story is questioned and shies away from other intimacies in her life, already a problem for the new girl in school and for one of those sci-fi characters whose burgeoning adolescence and nascent powers are intermingled. What the show does best is deal with consent and the lingering trauma a sexual assault can cause a victim.
#Impulse season 1 plot summary series
Impulse showrunner Lauren LeFranc is admirably determined not to let the series fall into that second category. Using the sexual assault of a young protagonist as a character catalyst can be effective and fertile instigation for drama - see Veronica Mars or Jessica Jones - but it can also be exploitive when ramifications and emotional scarring are ignored to push the narrative forward. Before she knows what happened, Henry is back in the safety of her bedroom and Clay’s life is changed forever. That’s nothing, though, compared to what happens when basketball star Clay (Tanner Stine) ignores Henry’s boundaries and vocal protestations after some initially benign making-out. Henry’s latest home is somewhere in upstate New York and comes with a popular, dismissive new pseudo stepsister (Sarah Desjardins) and the challenges of being unable to drive due to several recent and unexplained seizures.Ī conflict with a teacher in class leads to Henry’s latest seizure and to attention from Townes (Daniel Maslany), who’s on the autism spectrum and a bit of an outcast himself, when he notices that Henry’s condition also causes objects around her to move. Hasson plays Henrietta “Henry” Coles, a vagabond teen who struggles to make friends and connections because her mother (Missi Pyle) keeps moving from one boyfriend and town to the next. Nikolai makes a startling confession that drives Henry further away from her family and friends.Why 'Impulse' Star Maddie Hasson Was a Casting "Risk" for YouTube and Doug Liman Anna’s family pressures her to make a change.Īnna’s suspicions reach new heights as Henry grows increasingly desperate to evade exposure. Anna faces an inquiry at work.Īfter searching through her father’s belongings, Henry makes a meaningful discovery that puts pressure on Nikolai.Įnjoying a newfound self-confidence, Henry attends the school dance, while Jenna and Townes are forced to confront their own emotional triggers.Īs Henry gains a deeper understanding of her abilities, things at home reach a boiling point.
Henry tries to conquer her past, while Jenna and Townes explore their futures, going on a college visit that offers unexpected opportunities. Young Nikolai struggles to control his newfound abilities. Henry and Cleo take a road trip, hoping to find information on Henry’s father. Jenna and Townes help Henry prepare for her next meeting with the mysterious teleporter. Still reeling from her violent encounter with Bill Boone, Henry tries to let off some steam at a party. Can Henry keep her powers a secret, or will unlocking the truth mean endangering the people she loves? Cast Main But they aren’t the only ones who have taken an interest in Henry’s situation, and the closer they come to the truth, the more dangerous things become.
With the help of her friends, Henry struggles to unravel the mystery of her powers. In the upcoming second season of Impulse, “Henry” Coles life suddenly changes when a traumatic event awakens within her a dangerous ability beyond her understanding and control: teleportation.