The Imperfects review: Netflix sci-fi series is nowhere near ‘perfection’

In ‘The Imperfects’, Abbi, Juan and Tilda attempt to cure themselves after suffering genetic mutations that have turned them into ‘monsters’. The sci-fi series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

After failing to receive medication pills for genetic disorders called AGDS, Abbi Singh (Rhianna Jagpal), Juan Ruiz (Inaki Godoy) and Tilda Webber (Morgan Taylor Campbell) begin experiencing monster-like side effects.

Abbi can compel others to do her bidding if they come into contact with her pheromones, Juan can turn into a chupacabra, while Tilda has magnified hearing as well as vocal destruction capabilities.

Dr. Sydney Burke (Italia Ricci) tells them that they have been the subject of experimentation. To cure patients with AGDS, Burke created the Wellness Program alongside Dr. Alex Sarkov (Rhys Nicholson).

Together, they used stem cells to cure the subjects. However, Sarkov saw the potential of these cells to make humans superior and allow them to survive. Otherwise, he believes a majority of the population will go extinct in a century.

The three attempt to find Sarkov to get their hands on the cure while dealing with a mysterious organisation named Flux. Will they be successful?

Performances

Jagpal, Godoy and Campbell play the protagonists of the series and perform adequately because that’s all their characters allow. It doesn’t help that their characters aren’t nuanced at all.

While Abbi and Tilda develop as characters through the course of the season, it doesn’t feel organic or hit you hard. Juan’s arc is comparatively stronger, as he reconnects with his brother’s family.

Rhys Nicholson’s Alex Sarkov is the highlight of the show. His unconventional, almost robot-like personality provides plenty of comic relief across the episodes.

Italia Ricci is adequate as Burke. But the alter-ego, Finch, played by Kyra Zagorsky, is too gimmicky and not well-written enough to be worthwhile.

Positives

One element that Netflix shows have definitely been getting right lately is diversity. Even among the protagonists, there is enough for it to feel real and not white-washed.

The Imperfects does get the light tone and humour right for the majority of the season. There are enough moments to prevent it from getting tedious.

Aesthetically, it does a decent job of showing otherworldly creatures. The best instance of this is Juan’s Chupacabra.

Negatives

If you strip down the narrative to its basic plot points, there is no case for this to be a 10-episode series lasting over 40 minutes each. After a point, you’re just wishing for it to pick up the pace.

The show is riddled with sci-fi cliches such as a hyper-intelligent being who is cold to emotions; Sarkov, and AI that isn’t explained well enough; the nanobots.

The Imperfects tries to blend humanity with all the supernatural but never digs deep enough. With such a long runtime, Abbi’s relationship with her family, and Tilda’s final decision deserved additional attention.

For such a lengthy build-up, the payoff at the end is minuscule at best. The conflict is solved too easily and without anything that was foreshadowed earlier.

The twists come in thick and fast but never make you feel thrilled because the show never builds up the stakes high enough. Even at its darkest, everything seems trivial.

Verdict

Compared to shows in a similar genre, such as The Umbrella Academy or Stranger Things, this one is one of the weaker offerings. The fact that it has been dragged out impacts it negatively as well.

If it does manage to intrigue you, and you find yourself willing to sit through ten, long episodes, The Imperfects will appeal to certain sections of the audience.

The Imperfects
The Imperfects review: Netflix sci-fi series is nowhere near ‘perfection’ 1

Director: Various

Date Created: 2022-09-08 17:25

Editor's Rating:
2.5

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