Critical Condition: The Innocents

The Innocents | Netflix, from Friday

➢➢ “A new series whose lead character (Sorcha Groundsell) has the power to shift between bodies; unlike most superheroes, though, she can barely control her gift and seeks to keep it hidden. Teens, the show’s obvious intended audience, will relate to The Innocents’ high dudgeon, but adults will find a show that punches above its weight, defined by both its stirringly dramatic tone and the two charming performances at its centre.” — Variety.

➢➢ “The Innocents is, in its heart, a teen romance following two almost-able-to-voters who ditch their rough upbringings for life on the road together … Oh and one more thing, the girl is a shapeshifter. That may be the hook, but the sturdy spine of The Innocents is the exhilarating and scary freedom of going all in on forbidden teenage love, and with a backdrop of English countryside and Norwegian fjords, it becomes something magical.” — TV Guide.

➢➢ “If viewers make it through the intentionally opaque first few episodes and stick around through the eighth, the clamouring for a quick renewal will probably be loud. Maybe a second season of The Innocents will take the show to more grown-up places and also turn its shape-shifting into a device to move a story forward and not just a thing to be explained at a deliberate pace.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢➢ “Some will scoff, but The Innocents really does work best — albeit imperfectly — as a strange and delicate romance. At its core, this is a show sweetly more concerned with reaffirming the power lovers draw from one another than watching the world tear them apart in dramatic fashion. And even if what plot surrounds it is ultimately too shapeless to make you crave the too-eagerly teed-up second season, that’s an aim too refreshingly earnest not to embrace.” — Entertainment Weekly.

➢➢ “Overall, The Innocents is worth a watch. Not just from fans of the slow burn, but also from those who would pass on another entry in the genre. It’s the kind of slow burn that could turn some fresh converts. It’s also a show designed perfectly in its structure for the streaming era. Episodes never run too long and are packed full of the goods. There’s little reason to believe the series doesn’t have a long, healthy life ahead of it.” — Forbes.