The Power

While not flawless (a meandering start; too much padding), The Power is (dare I go there?) electrifying.

The result is a compelling, action-packed series that, while heavy-handed at times, is still delightfully thought-provoking to watch.

Heavy-handed though the metaphor may be, it doesn’t feel corny – it’s genuinely thrilling to see how these girls who are underestimated, forgotten and cast aside light up when they realise that they, and their actions, matter in the world.

Away from the core electrical condition being a somewhat jarringly obvious metaphor for the difficulties of puberty – Periods! Orgasms! Whatever next! – The Power is filled with thrills, and will appeal to a wide audience from teenage fans of Stranger Things to nostalgic adults fresh from bingeing Yellowjackets or The Last of Us.

A slow but eventually satisfying burn of a show, The Power’s electrifying central conceit, cracking cast and sadly still-relevant message about control of women’s bodies make it a compelling watch.

Ultimately, The Power is a well thought out, ambitiously faithful, refreshing and electrifying new offering.

It's a compelling, epic production with a strong central concept.

There are some dark corners of humanity explored over the course of the first season, anchored by strong characters in fascinating situations. But by trying to do a little too much at once, the impact is lessened. ... But there's real reason to be excited for a second season, one unburdened by the need to set up the premise, and instead can focus on all these flying sparks, ready to set the world on fire.

At least for now, the story of the show is incomplete and only hints at the deeper ideas from the original story, which still stands alone in all it managed to achieve. The first season of The Power still lays a serviceable if frequently slight foundation for it to dive into the darker elements that made the novel such a sharply sinister work.

By the back half of the first season, several characters’ stories have at last begun to intersect, in ways that promise intriguing overlaps in the future. But without a clear sense of where this show is headed, it may be too little too late.