The Imperfects
| The Imperfects | |
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Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
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| Composer | Patric Caird |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Running time | 39–45 minutes |
| Production company | Nomadic Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 8, 2022 |
The Imperfects is a Canadian superhero science fiction television series created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen that premiered on Netflix on September 8, 2022.[1][2] Promoted as a "coming of rage" story, it follows three young adults pursuing the mad scientist who tampered with their DNA, resulting in disruptive superpowers.[3] In November 2022, the series was canceled after one season.[4]
Synopsis
Three Seattle-based adults, Abbi, a scientist, Juan, a comic book artist, and Tilda, a singer, are turned into monsters after undergoing an experimental gene therapy. The trio subsequently decides to hunt down the scientist responsible for their transformation, Dr. Alex Sarkov, and force him to make them human again. They are joined by Dr. Sydney Burke, a scientist who assists them in their quest.[1]
Cast and characters
Main
- Italia Ricci as Dr. Sydney Burke, a scientist and the estranged former partner of Dr. Sarkov; the two worked on a synthetic stem cell project together
- Morgan Taylor Campbell as Tilda Weber, the lead vocalist in a punk rock band who develops enhanced hearing and the powers of a banshee through sonic screams
- Rhianna Jagpal as Abbi Singh, a genetics student who develops the powers of a succubus through pheromones that cause people to be uncontrollably attracted to and easily influenced by her
- Iñaki Godoy as Juan Ruiz, a comic book artist who develops the powers of a werewolf-esque chupacabra by temporarily shapeshifting
- Kyra Zagorsky as Isabel Finch, a mysterious woman with a grudge against Dr. Sarkov. She is also Burke's Hyde-like alter ego.
- Jedidiah Goodacre as P.J., the lead guitarist in Tilda's punk rock band and her boyfriend
- Rhys Nicholson as Dr. Alex Sarkov, a rogue scientist who unethically experimented on his patients with synthetic stem cell therapy, leading to many of them developing powers as side effects
- Nicholson also portrays Dr. Hallenbeck, a mysterious figure connected to Dr. Sarkov
- Celina Martin as Hannah Moore, a barista and former "failed experiment" of Dr. Sarkov who didn't develop powers like the other patients
Recurring
- Junnicia Lagoutin as Darcy Cobourg, Juan's girlfriend
- Ron Selmour as Jim Sponson, a high-ranking operative for Flux tasked with hunting down Sarkov's former patients
- Rekha Sharma as Dr. Dominique Crain, chief science officer for the secret government organization known as Flux
Guest
- Max Lloyd-Jones as Doug, one of Dr. Sarkov's former patients whose side effect power is rapid regenerative healing. He is tasked with surveilling Sarkov's other patients.
- Ben Francis as Simon, the drummer in Tilda's punk rock band
- Veronica Long as Rose, the rhythm guitarist and backup singer in Tilda's punk rock band
- John Cassini as Dr. Brian Yake, an estranged former colleague of Dr. Burke
- Kai Bradbury as Dr. Nathaniel Lang, the leader of a trio of biohackers who hunt Sarkov's former patients
- Louriza Tronco as Qamara, a biohacker working with Nathaniel
- Naika Toussaint as Melanie, a biohacker working with Nathaniel
- Wesley MacInnes as Owen Schultz, one of Dr. Sarkov's former patients whose side effect power makes his skin invulnerable. He is also a self-declared "superhero".
- Jennifer Cheon as Sonja Benning, an operative for Flux who impersonates a law enforcement agent
- Diego Stredel as Alejandro Ruiz, Juan's estranged older brother and Paloma's father
- Danika Athenea Williston[a] as Paloma, Juan's precocious niece and Alejandro and Renata's daughter
- Michelle Morgan as Betsy, Zoe's mother, who is searching for her missing daughter
- MaeMae Renfrow as Zoe, one of Dr. Sarkov's former patients whose side effect power is electrokinesis. She is unable to control her abilities, which results in the deaths of multiple people.
- Siddhartha Minhas as Ben Singh, Abbi's younger brother
- Kandyse McClure as Dr. Monday, a roboticist who develops a new advanced form of nanorobotics
- Manuela Sosa as Renata, Alejandro's wife and Paloma's mother
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sarkov's Children" | Mathias Herndl | Shelley Eriksen & Dennis Heaton | September 8, 2022 | |
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Singer Tilda Weber, genetics student Abbi Singh, and art student Juan Ruiz stop receiving medication for their Acute Genetic Decay Syndrome (AGDS) in the mail, and start developing strange and unwelcome conditions. Dr. Alex Sarkov, who devised their treatments along with Dr. Sydney Burke, provides them with pills that turn out to be placebos, and their symptoms intensify. Tilda's enhanced hearing and ultrahigh vocal pitch impede her music; Abbi secretes pheromones that drive those around her to be dangerously obsessed with her, hurting her pursuit of higher education; and Juan uncontrollably transforms into a bloodthirsty beast he calls a chupacabras. Sarkov calls Burke to share what he learned by studying the youths, but she refuses to listen due to his amoral tendencies. His findings invalidate her gene therapies, which she is trying to use to treat her own illness. Sarkov then disappears and can't be reached. Burke explains to the three youths that they were test subjects for the gene therapy they received in their childhood, the ultimate goal being to rewrite and improve the human genome. Sarkov deliberately withdrew their medication to see if they developed side effects, and Burke agrees to try and develop a cure for them. They are menaced by a strange man who has been stalking them, only for Juan to transform and maul him. Burke conducts an autopsy at her house, but he promptly resuscitates himself, demanding to see Sarkov. | |||||
| 2 | "Doug of the Dead" | Mathias Herndl | Shelley Eriksen & Dennis Heaton | September 8, 2022 | |
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The man, Doug, is revealed to be another of Sarkov's test subjects, with the side effect of rapid cellular regeneration. Doug feels persistent pain from wounds even after they heal, and remains conscious post-mortem. He tracked down the other test subjects for Sarkov in the hopes of being cured, and cuts a deal to cooperate with the protagonists in exchange for a permanent and painless death. Burke intends to use acid to destroy Doug on the cellular scale, prompting Tilda to release him from his restraints, after which he blows himself up. The information he gives helps the group track down a fellow test subject, Hannah Moore, whose immune system rejected the gene therapy that gives the others their side effects. However, she has no leads on Sarkov's whereabouts. Later, a woman named Isabel Finch (previously seen arguing with Sarkov) approaches Hannah, recruiting her in a vendetta against unethical scientists. Tilda and her boyfriend PJ have a falling out, and Juan's girlfriend Darcy walks in on him while he's transformed. Burke decides to stop treating her illness, and starts sleepwalking and having nightmares of a robed monster. She wakes to find an ominous warning ("They must be destroyed") scrawled in blood on a mirror. | |||||
| 3 | "Portland Warehouse Massacre" | Julien Christian Lutz | LA Smith | September 8, 2022 | |
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Hannah believes she is assisting Finch with minor crimes against unethical scientists, but Finch is murdering them. Darcy is unscathed after her encounter with Juan's beastly form, and becomes obsessed with it, to his chagrin. Burke contacts fellow scientist Dr. Brian Yake for help with research. Finch appropriates dangerous chemicals from Burke's house, using them to kill Yake before he can share his findings with Burke. Tilda, Abbi, and Juan travel to crash an appointment between Sarkov and another test subject, but it turns out to be a trap set by biohackers to study them and sell their research to a bioengineering conglomerate, Flux. The three test subjects are incapacitated and restrained, but they manage to escape, leaving only biohacker Nate alive and in critical condition. A transformed Juan flees alone, leaving Tilda and Abbi to return to Burke's house with the biohackers' research in tow. Later, a mysterious operative arrives to clean up the biohackers' hideout. | |||||
| 4 | "One of Us" | Julien Christian Lutz | Steve Cochrane | September 8, 2022 | |
| 5 | "Zoe Must Be Destroyed" | Mark Chow | Kor Adana | September 8, 2022 | |
| 6 | "Lest Ye Become a Monster" | Mark Chow | Kim Garland | September 8, 2022 | |
| 7 | "Cure All" | Nimisha Mukerji | Gorrman Lee | September 8, 2022 | |
| 8 | "The Devil You Know" | Nimisha Mukerji | Gorrman Lee | September 8, 2022 | |
| 9 | "All Monsters Attack" | Dennis Heaton | Dennis Heaton | September 8, 2022 | |
| 10 | "Destroy All Monsters" | Dennis Heaton | Dennis Heaton | September 8, 2022 | |
Production
Development
On April 16, 2021, Netflix gave production a straight-to-series order consisting of ten episodes. The show is created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen, who are expected to executive produce alongside Chad Oakes and Michael Frislev. Nomadic Pictures is the company involved with producing the series.[1] The show bases the main characters' powers on those of legendary creatures, such as the banshee, succubus, and chupacabra.[5] Filming took place in Vancouver.[6] The series premiered on September 8, 2022.[2] On November 8, 2022, Netflix canceled the series after one season.[4]
Casting
Upon series-order announcement, Italia Ricci, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Rhianna Jagpal, Iñaki Godoy, Rhys Nicholson, Celina Martin, and Kyra Zagorsky were cast to star.[1]
Reception
The Imperfects received positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Liz Kocan of Decider called this show "fine." She praised the story as "decent" and noted that the show reminds of a "mashup of X-Men, Fringe, and Riverdale, in that it blends the plot devices of genetically modified mutant youths, supernatural beings, and dark, sometimes dangerous teen angst into one show."[7] Stephanie Morgan of Common Sense Media gave the show three stars out of five, describing it as "Fast-paced anti-hero monster action; language and gore."[8]
Notes
- ^ Credited as just "Danika Williston" in the episodes "All Monsters Attack" and "Destroy All Monsters".
References
- ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (April 15, 2021). "Italia Ricci to Star in Netflix Sci-Fi Series 'The Imperfects' from Nomadic Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ a b "Video: "The Imperfects" - Official Trailer - Netflix". The Futon Critic. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ Radulovic, Petrana (June 6, 2022). "The Imperfects is Netflix's latest supernatural coming-of-age show". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2022). "'Partner Track' & 'The Imperfects' Canceled by Netflix After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ Bricken, Rob (April 15, 2021). "Out of The Order's Ashes, Netflix Finds The Imperfects". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Malyk, Lauren (April 15, 2021). "Netflix introduces The Imperfects". Playback. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ Kocan, Liz (September 13, 2022). "'The Imperfects' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider (New York Post). Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Morgan, Stephanie (February 17, 2023). "The Imperfects TV Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2024.