Henry Coles is a teenager with a power she cannot control, and “Impulse” knows exactly what to do with that setup. The series, created by Jeffrey Lieber and based on Steven Gould’s 2013 novel of the same name, premiered on YouTube Premium on June 6, 2018. It follows 16-year-old Henry as she discovers she can teleport — but she cannot steer where she goes. The show ran for two seasons, 20 episodes, and was canceled in March 2020.
The premise is simple and brutal. Henry is an outsider in Reston, New York, with a chip on her shoulder and no friends. That changes after a traumatic encounter with a classmate named Clay Boone, the basketball captain and star of her high school. He tries to rape her, and she has a seizure. She teleports, and in the process she crushes much of his truck, leaving him a paraplegic. The show then explores Henry’s fear about the assault, and the discovery that those feelings can trigger her ability to teleport.
Trailer, via Impulse.
The Power That Won’t Wait
Henry’s power is the engine of “Impulse,” and the show trusts it completely. She can teleport, but she has no control over where she lands. That lack of control is the whole story. Every episode is a question: where will she go next, and what will she find there? The show answers with precision, never wasting a jump.
The series builds its tension around Henry’s fear. Her terror triggers the teleportation, and the show tracks that fear across two seasons. It is a rare example of a superhero origin story that treats the power as a curse rather than a gift. Henry does not want this ability. She wants it to stop, and the show respects that desire.
The first manifestation is a violent one. Henry crushes Boone’s truck, and the show does not soften that moment. It is a deliberate choice to ground the fantasy in something real. The show does not romanticize the power. It shows the cost.
The Cast Carries the Weight
The cast sells the stakes. Maddie Hasson plays Henry, and she carries the emotional core of the show. Her performance is restrained and precise. She is not shouting or screaming. She is simply trying to hold onto her sanity while her body does things she cannot understand.
Missi Pyle plays Cleo Coles, Henry’s mother. Their scenes together are some of the best in the series. Pyle brings warmth and worry to a character who is desperate to protect her daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter is the emotional spine of the show, and Pyle anchors it.
Sarah Desjardins plays Jenna Hope, and Enuka Okuma plays Deputy Anne Hulce. Both actors give solid supporting performances. They are not asked to carry the weight of the story, but they provide the texture. Craig Arnold plays Lucas Boone, Clay’s father. His performance is quiet and effective. He is a man who has lost his son, and the show lets that grief sit.
Callum Keith Rennie plays Nikolai. His presence looms over the series from the start. He is a threat, a danger, and the show never lets the audience forget it. The chemistry between Rennie and Hasson is electric. They play off each other with a tension that is both sexual and dangerous.
Daniel Maslany plays Townes Linderman. He is a friend of Henry’s, and he helps her navigate the world. His performance is steady and reliable. He is the one person who understands what Henry is going through.
The Renewal and Its Cost
The show was renewed for a second season of ten episodes. That renewal was a vote of confidence, but it also changed the tone. The first season was a tight, claustrophobic character study. The second season opens the scope. The show moves beyond Reston, and the threat grows larger.
The renewal brought a shift in scale. The first season was intimate, focused on Henry’s personal trauma. The second season broadens the canvas. The threat becomes more than just Boone. It becomes something bigger, something that could destroy everything Henry loves.
The show handles this expansion carefully. It does not lose the intimacy that made the first season work. The scale increases, but the emotional core stays intact. The show knows what it is about, and it does not let the larger stakes dilute that focus.
The Teleportation Mechanics
The show treats the teleportation mechanics with respect. Henry does not learn to control her power. She learns to live with it. That distinction matters. The show is not about mastery. It is about survival.
The show also explores the physical toll of the power. Teleporting is not effortless. It takes energy. Henry is exhausted after a jump. The show does not ignore the cost. It shows it.
The show also explores the psychological toll. Henry is afraid of her own power. She does not know what it will do next. The show does not offer easy answers. It shows the fear.
The Cancellation
The show was canceled in March 2020. That ending was abrupt, but it also felt earned. The story had reached its natural conclusion. The show had told its tale.
The Verdict
“Impulse” is a rare thing: a superhero show that takes its premise seriously. It is not a spectacle. It is a character study with a power attached. The show trusts its premise and trusts its audience. It is a show about fear, about survival, and about what it means to be human.
The show is not perfect. It has pacing issues in the second season. Some episodes feel like filler. But the core is strong. The show knows what it is about, and it delivers on that promise.
What Remains Worth Watching
- The performances, particularly Maddie Hasson as Henry and Missi Pyle as Cleo Coles
- The restraint with which the show handles its premise
- The way the show grounds the fantasy in real consequences
- The relationship between mother and daughter, which carries the emotional weight of the series
- The chemistry between Henry and Nikolai, which adds both sexual and dangerous tension
“Impulse” is a bold, ambitious show that deserves attention. It is a show that asks difficult questions and does not offer easy answers. It is a show that respects its audience and its characters. It is a show that is worth your time.
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