REVIEW: ‘The Imperfects’ Is A Mixed Bag of Terror, Teenage Drama & Superpowers

The Imperfects is a Netflix Original Series created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen, which attempts to blend a coming-of-age story with superhero and horror tropes. It brings together three different teenagers: aspiring comic book artist Juan (Inaki Godoy), budding scientist Abbi (Rhianna Jagpal) and punk rock singer Tilda (Morgan Taylor Campbell). All three underwent a form of experimental growth therapy by Dr. Alex Sarkov (Rhys Nicholson) in their youth, and are now starting to experience side effects. Tilda can hear a pin drop – literally – and scream at supersonic frequencies. Abbi generates pheromones that cause everyone she encounters to be attracted to her. And Juan transforms into a bloodthirsty beast. The three embark on a hunt for Sarkov, aided by his former colleage Dr. Sydney Burke (Italia Ricci), in order to find a cure.

Netflix has been dipping more and more into the well of genre fare, to the point where it even held an event to promote upcoming projects that fall into its “Geeked” wheelhouse. And it’s clear that the streamer hoped The Imperfects would be its next big hit since it literally advertised the series as “The Umbrella Academy meets The Boys.” But it’s one thing to wear your influences on your sleeve. It’s another to draw inspiration from those influences and make something entirely new.

And try as it might, this show feels somewhat derivative. A group of teenagers struggling with superpowers and hormones, secret government experiments, a protagonist struggling with great power and the great responsibility that must come from it…you’ve probably seen these plot points in other works of fiction and done far better. And it’s not the first time this has happened with a Netflix project; Jupiter’s Legacy stretched out its heroes’ origin story over the course of eight episodes and a generational conflict that was tackled in previous superhero shows – namely Invincible.

The Imperfects also piles up a  mountain of subplots over its ten-episode run. Those subplots include but aren’t limited to: a secret government organization that has its own agenda regarding the kids, a group of “bio-hackers” who want to steal their DNA, and Burke hiding her own powers. Of those three, it’s the Burke subplot that’s actually interesting as it leads to a twist that upends the entire series. But the rest feel tacked on and distract from the main storyline. And considering that the main storyline is where most of the series’ emotional and narrative thrust lies, you’d think that Heaton and Eriksen would want to focus the most on it.

Simply put, it feels like the creators tried to stuff two seasons’ worth of story into one. Additionally, the show is never sure if it wants to be fantasy or science fiction – though the kids’ powers are rooted in science, Juan is referred to as a “chupacabra”, Tilda a “banshee”, and Abbi a “succubus”. There are no mythical elements to the show, which makes this terminology confusing.

The bright spot of The Imperfects is the three lead actors, and the chemistry they have with one another. Godoy brings an endearing boyishness to the table as Juan, and Campbell gets the lion’s share of hilarious moments as Tilda. Jagpal makes Abbi the team’s resident problem-solver whether it’s with science or settling an argument. Over the course of the season, the three slowly come to grips with their powers, as well as how it changes their lives. Tilda, once a skilled musician, is edged out of her band. Abbi’s powers throw a wrench into one of her longest friendships.

Juan learns that his girlfriend isn’t scared by his chupacabra form, but rather aroused by it. Yes, monster lovers, you have some representation in the show. The show also makes perfect use of its Seattle setting, from the lush green trees to the coffee shops that pop up on nearly every corner. Having been a Seattle native for six years, it’s refreshing to see a science fiction series set in my backyard.

The Imperfects has all the right ingredients for a compelling story, including a trio of compelling leads, yet it never fully gels together. Should it receive a second season, the showrunners will hopefully either trim down the episodes or decide on which genre they want to go for – or both.

The Imperfects is streaming on Netflix.