Newest Model review: he ordered a partner who will not leave, and the returns policy is unclear

Three weeks, one sink

Break-ups have a smell, and in the description it is the unwashed crockery. His girlfriend left three weeks ago, nothing has been cleaned since, and the man at the centre does what a certain kind of modern person does with a problem: he orders a solution. This one is a partner who is built not to leave.

That is the pitch of our Newest Model Secrets AI review in a single breath, and it is a good one. Episode 1, Selection, runs 79 seconds and is free with no account.

A customer and a product

The cast, as far as the description shows, is a lonely man and the android he has chosen. We know no more than that, and we will not invent the rest. The fun is in the shopping: the episode titles Selection and Version-16 suggest a catalogue, a model number and the faint horror of being asked to choose.

The tags are Android and Breakup, and between them they carry the tone. It is sad underneath and silly on top, which is where good comedy usually lives.

Funny first, then flushed

Secrets AI lists it as Sci-fi and Comedy. The jokes come first, and the flames rise with the plot rather than ahead of it: none in episode 1, one in episode 2, then three, four and five for the final trio.

That ladder matters. A series that begins as a gag about customer service and ends at the top of the scale has a clear journey, and the episode called Jailbreak suggests the product stops following instructions. We say that from the titles, not from a viewing of the lot.

How the stars add up

Four and a half stars is the magazine's view, taken from platform facts. We did not mark the acting or the picture.

1. Free runway scores 5, because two of five episodes are free.
2. Pilot pace scores 4, with a 79-second first episode.
3. Easy to finish scores 5, since five episodes is a short run.
4. Heat scores 3, a middling average across five episodes.

The series ranks third of twelve in the Secrets section by our own order. The method is on How we rate.

What you pay after that

A sign-in gets you Version-16 for nothing; the final three episodes cost 500 Moments each, which takes a Premium or Ultimate plan. Unlocked episodes stay unlocked, and they open in order. See Free Episodes and Pricing for the rest.

If you like this, try

Deprecated is the thriller cousin, with a rogue AI and a man who has been sent to switch it off. The Haunt goes supernatural and playful. For another strange arrangement, Terms of Service has an AI partner who is much too devoted, and The Man Next Door Knows is the Candy AI study in being noticed. Or browse Even, a Dreamy Shorts revenge story. The rest of the catalogue sits on the Secrets shelf.