Impulse: Five questions you probably have after episode five

Henry explores her past with an eccentric companion; Jenna spends some time alone with Zach, and Nikolai’s motives are revealed in Impulse.

Picking up where episode four of Impulse left off, Henry (Maddie Hasson) finds herself back in the closet she’s been mysteriously teleporting to at night and goes to great lengths to uncover its surprising connection to her childhood.

Zach (Gabriel Darku) asks Jenna (Sarah Desjardins) out on a date of sorts to help prank the rival high school Lincoln. Back in episode three, Henry makes the bathroom explosion she inadvertently caused look like a stunt pulled by Lincoln.

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Meanwhile, after watching Dominick (Keon Alexander) kill himself and his own son Tristan (Raphael Bergeron-Lapointe), Nikolai (Callum Keith Rennie) decides that he wants out. Here are five questions you’re probably asking yourself after watching episode five:

1. How is Henry that good at thinking on her feet?

Ok, so technically another term for it could be lying. But it’s still impressive. After just one walk-through of a house she teleported to in the middle of the night, Henry is able to piece together enough details of the owner’s (Lois Smith) life to give herself a valid excuse as to why she is supposed to be there. Plus, Henry improvs while being threatened with a shotgun. Those are some mad skills.

Of course, I feel horrible for Dippy for being somewhat cruelly deceived and for Henry because it’s clear how badly she feels about what she did out of desperation. To be fair, Henry couldn’t have known how much the “visit” from Lizzie would mean to Dippy when she came up with the idea. Maybe Henry will have a chance to make amends someday. We’ll have to see.

2. What happened to Henry’s dad?

Back in episode three of Impulse, Cleo reveals to Henry that she had lied about why Henry’s dad left. Apparently, he didn’t abandon them for another woman. He walked out while Cleo was on a mini-tour with her band, leaving a four-year-old Henry home alone.

Well, as it turns out, that’s not the whole story. In episode five, Henry flashbacks to the first time she found herself in Dippy’s closet about 12 years earlier. Her dad puts her in the closet for her protection. Then, the same high-frequency device that Nikolai used on Dominick is heard.

So, Henry’s teleporting ability isn’t a phenomenon. It’s genetic. And her dad, who we now know is quite the opposite of a deadbeat, could still be alive.

3. Will Jenna be coming out?

Speaking of being in the closet, this episode isn’t exactly subtle about showing Jenna awkwardly going through the motions during her hook up with Zach and then being entranced by two girls kissing at the bowling alley. It’s clear that Jenna is still trying to figure herself out, like all teenagers. She might not even be fully conscious of what she wants, but the Impulse writers definitely seem to be hinting that Jenna will eventually question her sexuality. Happy Pride Month, y’all!

Also, I want to recognize Zach for being the total anti-Clay. He asks for consent to kiss Jenna. Then, when he realizes that she is not at all enjoying pleasuring him, he tells her it’s okay to stop. He doesn’t want her to do anything she isn’t comfortable with, even if she doesn’t want to admit she’s uncomfortable.

4. Who is Henry’s new friend?

I’ll admit it, I took the bait and assumed that Henry had called her mom to come pick her up, so the new guy (Amadeus Serafini) was a solid twist for Impulse. And, perhaps, I should actually say “old friend.” He and Henry have a history, the nature of which is unclear, but it could definitely be romantic.

Whatever the case, they must’ve been pretty close. After all, he drives seemingly well out of his way to pick her up and take her home. I’m excited to find out how their reconnection pans out.

5. So Nikolai is a bounty hunter?

I’ve been trying to figure out for a while now what Nikolai’s deal is. In episode two, he appears to be an assassin as he tries to take out Dominick. Then, in episode three, he uses Dominick to track down Tristan, potentially to use Tristan as leverage. However, at the end of episode four, Nikolai reveals that Dominick was never his endgame target. Tristan was.

Nikolai plans to hand over Tristan to the same organization that seemingly experimented on Dominick when he was a child. Nikolai promises that Dominick can stay with Tristan if he cooperates, but Dominick shockingly decides that death is a more merciful fate for his young son.

Next: Impulse Ep. 6: An unflinching look at intimacy after assault

What episode four does not answer is why Nikolai is working for such an organization. In episode five, we learn that the bounty he’s after is not money, it’s something called “factor.” Apparently, Nikolai will die if he doesn’t get a regular supply, so he reluctantly takes a new assignment: finding Reston’s resident teleporter.

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