YouTube Red Jumps Ahead with "Impulse"

In 2008 I saw a movie called Jumper starring Hayden Christensen and Samuel L Jackson and directed by Doug Limanamp160 That movie was based on a novel of the same name written by Steven Gould As it turns out Gould continued his series of books Jumper being the first then Reflex amp8211 which led to his most recent novel Impulse amp160Cut to the present and both Gould and Liman have key roles in YouTubeamp8217s crack at the story with Liman writing and directing at least two episodes and Gould doing character writing in the first two episodes of the seriesAesthetically Impulse felt familiar before I was even consciously aware as to whyamp160 Itamp8217s opening sequence the snowy small town in the background the nasty school kids amp8230 it was all there even down to the protagonist39samp160obliviousness to what is going onamp160 This very closely mimics the visual tone of Jumperamp8217s first act in which itamp8217s protagonist also went to a high school in a small snowy town just before discovering his hidden powersSpeaking of opening sequences the kickoff inamp160Impulse is actually a chase scene in which an extremely underdressed and yettobenamed character played by KeeganMichael Key is running from an assailant in dark clothing through an icy tundra amp160They tussle and then amp8230 poof amp160Theyamp8217re in what looks like a crowded European subway car Their fight continues as they teleport back and forth between the tundra and the train until finally the assailant gets free of Keeganamp8217s character and poofs away for the last time leaving the underdressed man in the unforgiving ice and snow presumably to dieamp160 It39s all extremely reminiscent of Limanamp8217s Jumper which featured similar chases throughout its second and third actsamp160 FYI several episodes in the writers still haven39t revealed the identity of Key39s characterAlthough Jumper was more amp8220set it up and move alongamp8221 premisewise no one at YouTube Red seems confused about the very nonmovie lane that Impulse is in The necessary amount of time was obviously taken when establishing Maddie Hassonamp8217s character Henrietta amp8220Henryamp8221 Cole and the emotional groundwork it was going to take to keep viewers locked inamp160 Hasson is pictured at topIn the movie Christensenamp8217s character David only really had two emotional anchors his absentee mother and his high school crushamp160 Other than that his main goal was selfpreservation amp160Henry on the other hand doesnamp8217t know enough about any of whatamp8217s going on to form any new goals amp160Sheamp8217s got the same old interests and concerns as any Millennial high school lonerSee her teleportation powers get stirred up when sheamp8217s having one of her chronic seizures amp160Seemingly set off by any form of intense stress her powers flex a little during these episodes causing the inanimate objects around her to be kinetically affected by some unseen force she is generating amp160This is all unbeknownst to her of course because well sheamp8217s the one seizing amp160Due to the nature of her affliction normal things like driving or just being at school end up being complicated issues at best amp160On top of that her mother Missi Pyle is depicted as having been a rolling stone of sorts at least up until the point where we meet heramp160 Henry yearns for some form of stability which amp8211 spoiler alert amp8211 she probably isnamp8217t going to getThe other big defining feature of this series is its focus on femalesamp160 2008 was a long time ago and besides the fact that America was a lot less orange back then it was normal for a movie like Jumper to be a boysamp8217 club the director all the writers and both leads were male amp160Impulse unapologetically turns this trend on its head and in a big way I might add amp160Of the ten episodes in Impulseamp8217s freshman season seven of them were directed by women amp160Of the 12 writers on the series four are women with one Lauren LeFranc shouldering the majority of the episode work Lastly the three main leads are all women Maddie Hasson Sara Desjardins Jenna Henryamp8217s stepsister and Enuka Okuma Deputy Anna HulceThe infusion of the female experience on all levels is what truly sets Impulse apart from its movie of originamp160 As someone who never really considered YouTube the place to find a highquality series I can honestly say this show has changed my perspective in that respect amp160I canamp8217t wait to see how the rest of the season turns outClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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YouTube Red Jumps Ahead with "Impulse"

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Ainsley Andrade

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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YouTube Red Jumps Ahead with "Impulse"

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Ainsley Andrade

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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