Other Media Review

Sense8: Like Whoa, Love is Amazing, AMIRITE?

Sense 8 is a weird mess of a show that is notoriously slow to grab its viewers’ attention. Most people either love it or hate it by episode three or four. I was completely apathetic at the end of Episode 1 and fanatically obsessed by the end of Episode 2. What hooked me? The romances, and how the romances hook into the idea that people need to connect to other people in order to emotionally and physically survive.

Sense8 is about eight people (sensates) from all over the world. They have little in common except that they were all born on the same day and they are all incredibly attractive. They are also psychically linked. They can visit each other and have a conversation face to face (leaving their physical body elsewhere) or step in and out of each other’s bodies. They develop this connection at the start of the series and the first season involves them learning about their situation and dealing with the shadowy bad guys who menace them in addition to their own personal problems, which are legion. However, the plot takes a way, way back seat to exploring the human experience. As Todd VanDerWerff at Vox said:

Sense8 contains kernels of ideas about globalization, gender, sexuality, and race, as well as some dabbling in themes of religion. But for the most part, the show’s deeper ideas could have been just as easily conveyed by the cast staring at the camera and saying, “Have you considered how we’re all human beings? Really makes you think.”

 

So much has been written about this show that I’m going to focus on romance knowing that there is much more to discuss and that the entire Internet is busy discussing it. There are eight sensates (Capheus, Sun, Nomi, Lito, Will, Riley, Wolfgang and Kala) but I’m just going to focus on the couples. Two of the couples, Nomi and Amanita, and Lito and Hernandez, are already established when the series begins. Will and Riley and Wolfgang and Kala establish tentative romances due to their sensate bond which they may or may not choose to pursue. This involves mild spoilers but I’m trying to stay as spoiler-free as possible regarding any major events.

 

Most adorable cast ever, making silly faces.
This cast is adorable. The sensates (out of character, obviously), from L – R: Wolfgang, Kala, Riley, Nomi, Will, Sun, Lito, Capheus

 

The healthiest relationship in the show belongs to Nomi, a transgender woman, and her girlfriend Amanita. These characters are introduced in a sex scene in Episode 1 that I found somewhat off-putting – not because it involves two women, but because I’m not crazy about lengthy explicit sex scenes. Later on, I appreciated the sex scene more because I realized that it established very quickly that this is a show which absolutely accepts and honors all kinds of sexualities, and that this specific couple owns and values their sexual identities and their sexual pleasures.

The next interaction we see between them is a flashback of Amanita sticking up for Nomi, and in fact Amanita continues to stand up for Nomi throughout the series. This couple is a great example of how happiness does not have to be boring. There’s plenty of external drama to keep tension in the air, but Nomi and Amanita are a team, damn it. Amanita’s support for Nomi is unconditional and unwavering, and Nomi is not so wrapped up in her own crisis that she forgets about her girlfriend – she expresses her appreciation to her frequently, as well as concern for Amanita’s safety.

 

Amanita and Nomi, at Pride in San Francisco, looking adorable
Amanita and Nomi

Lito and Hernandez are also an established couple at the beginning of the show but they have a rockier time. Lito does not bring the same level of honesty to his life that Nomi and Amanita do, nor does he acknowledge the hardships that his decisions to stay closeted impose on his loved ones. He’s not a villain – the show makes it clear that for him the personal and professional stakes of coming out are gargantuan. But he is profoundly selfish in his pursuit of secrecy. Hernandez brings a greater level of emotional commitment and maturity to the relationship than Lito does and that’s an issue that Lito has to deal with if they want to stay together.

 

gif of Hernandez and Lito, looking confused over coffee
Hernandez and Lito

 

There’s a scene between Nomi and Lito that is a huge tearjerker even though it’s just people talking. It’s also cleverly filmed. At one point Nomi visits Lito at a museum and Lito tells her about when he came to the museum with Hernandez and Hernandez talked about the art. Then we see Hernandez sitting on the other side of Lito, and hear him talking about art – he’s only there in memory, but the memory is as real as Nomi’s psychic presence. You can watch that whole conversation below. It’s a long clip (about 11 minutes) and very emotional, and it includes discussion about art, love, sex, and coming out. There’s also a flashback moment in which Nomi recalls being violently bullied as a child by other children that is pretty harrowing, but it’s also a really powerful scene. You’ll need fortitude and some tissues, and it’s NSFW because of a brief flashback to the first time Lito and Hernandez had sex.

 

 

Meanwhile Will and Riley and Wolfgang and Kala become each other’s primary sensate contacts, and they develop powerful attractions to each other. Their relationships follow different arcs, but I’d argue that they are asking the same question: “To connect, or not connect?” and their storylines differ based on their answers to those questions.

This whole show is driven by the belief that connections (romantic and otherwise) matter, that they are powerful, and that they are worth fighting for. This is true emotionally but also practically, because none of the sensates can survive the conspiracy that hunts them without working together. The science fiction thrill comes from seeing them pool their skills to escape from difficult situations. The emotional thrill comes from seeing them offer each other unwavering emotional support, even when they think they are talking to a hallucination.

 

Will and Riley, on a volcano in Iceland, because of course they are.
Will and Riley. The real moral of the show is “Iceland is awesome and it will also fucking kill you.”

 

This series, at least in it’s first season, is very much a meditation on love – romantic love, love between friends, love between family members of birth and by choice – and how that love can motivate us to do good and bad things. A sub-theme is revenge. When people in the show want revenge it’s always because someone they love was hurt or killed. Another sub-theme is sacrifice and responsibility – Sun, Riley, and Capheus got to great lengths to protect their loved ones at the cost of their own happiness.

The show does have a plot, and there are action sequences that are quite thrilling, but most of the season is people talking to each other, or otherwise reaching out to each other. The dialogue is often very speechy. It sounds like what it is – a thought someone wrote down ahead of time, not a spontaneous thing the character is saying. And the speeches are not necessarily very deep or original.

But they are intensely powerful. Clichés like “love needs to be free” become clichés because they are true, and sometimes we need to hear these true things again, even if the true thing is, as the Vox reviewer quoted above summed up, “”Have you considered how we’re all human beings?”

 

Kala and Wolfgang almost kissing.
Kala and Wolfgang

 

A few miscellaneous notes:

  1. It’s easier to believe that these people are mentally linked than it is to believe that Nomi and Amanita can afford that apartment and all those throw pillows that appear to be from Cost Plus World Market. Professional hacking must pay really well. As Nomi says to Amanita, “It’s not hacking if they pay you for it.”
  1. Everyone has a useful skill except for Riley. Her only discernable skill is looking fragile and elfin. I like her, but I hope she levels up. “Trauma” is not enough of a character trait to pull a character through a series, even one this adorable. Also, her backstory is incredibly horrific. You’ve been warned.
  1. The main cast is racially, geographically, socially, and sexually diverse, but what makes me incredibly happy is that the diversity doesn’t stop with main characters. Nomi’s girlfriend is black, and so is Will’s partner. The storylines that take place in Korea, Kenya, Mexico, and India involve actors who are (or who appear to be) Korean, African, Mexican, and Indian, respectively. This should be obvious but how many damn times have we seen a movie set in, for instance, Africa, in which all the main characters are white and the black characters outnumber the white characters but serve either to support the white people’s arc or to provide anonymous fodder for war and/or disease? Honestly, Sense8 just totally casually blows so many tired rules about diversity out of the water that I never want to settle for tokenism again, not that I ever should have.
  2. There’s a lot of violence and trauma in this series. Trigger Warning for violence, child abuse, domestic violence, and child death. Refreshingly, there’s no rape.
  1. On a happier note, there’s lots of happy sex, including f/f, f/m, m/m/, and group, and there is full frontal male nudity (thank you, Wolfgang!). There are also babies coming out of vaginas, which I consider to be a happy thing but I acknowledge that we are far more accustomed to seeing bloody machete fights on TV than babies coming out of vaginas.
  1. The science fiction elements of the show are really shaky and inconsistent. Will the science fiction get better in Season Two? I kind of doubt it but we can hope. Meanwhile, the science fiction premise serves as scaffolding for stories about the human experience. If you aren’t in love by Episode Four, let it go and watch something else.

Episode Four has a simply glorious moment in which the sensates connect to each other through a song. This is not a spoilery clip – just pure delight. NSFW because Sun does her singing in the shower as the gods of singing intended. Enjoy!

Add Your Comment →

  1. LisaC says:

    My husband & I love this show. It is amazing! There are some scenes that just have you on the edge of your seat – pretty much all of Capheus’ scenes did that to me, which is fitting since he is a huge Van Damme fan & they are action & tension packed! I also loved the romances of the two established couples, like you said. Also, just to clarify, Lito’s partner is named Hernando, not Hernandez.

  2. cyllan says:

    My husband and I likewise loved this show. The plot has some issues, but I never really noticed because I was too busy loving all of the characters.

    It’s supposed to be a five year arc, but for those of you who hate unfinished things, it wraps up neatly enough. I want more, but don’t feel incomplete if that makes sense.

    So good! So much love.

  3. Mel Scott says:

    Am loving it so far. And the 4 non blondes scene was great

  4. quantum entanglement says:

    I am definitely going to have to check this out. I read some reviews when I was considering watching it, but everything seemed overwhelming negative? But, I tend to like character explorations rather than heavy, plotty stuff anyway.

  5. Jamie says:

    So has it been green lit for season 2? Or is this it?

    Also, thank the gods, group relationships, FINALLY. HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN WAITING?

    (Forever. The answer is forever.)

  6. sheathen says:

    I was in love with this show after the middle of the first episode. I was hooked and could not stop watching until I finished all of season 1. I then immediately shared it with all my friends that I knew would appreciate it. I am usually not a watcher of material that is all about relationships, but there was enough action and susense to keep me hooked in.

  7. What I found really interesting about the storytelling was how the individual stories of each senseate is driven by the type of television show that is popular in their culture. Will (chicago) is in a police procedural. Wolfgang (Germany) is in a high-stakes/high drama crime show. Sun (Korea) is very much in a K-drama. Kala (India) is in a Bollywood relationship drama. Lito (Mexico) is in a telenovela. Capheus (Nairobi) is essentially in a Van Damme movie. Nomi (San Francisco) is a bit harder to pin down, but she’s basically in a sci-fi light drama.

  8. ppyajunebug says:

    LOVE THIS SHOW. Its such a fascinating use of the sci-if genre to explore different facets of what makes us human…including love and sex. I am hoping against hope for a season 2!

    Nitpicky, but I’m pretty sure Lito’s boyfriend is named Hernando?

  9. Cordy (not stuck in spam filter sub-type) says:

    I tried two episodes, and really disliked it – I think this is a very divisive show where people either think it’s incredible or they think it’s bad. It’s such an example of art being subjective, because different viewers very genuinely feel “it’s so diverse and smart and great” vs “it pretends to be diverse but is vapid and poorly-written”… and they’ve watched the same footage!

  10. Aly says:

    The first couple of episodes left me cold but around episode 3 or 4 I became completely emotionally invested in this show.

    In the end I really loved it. What I liked the most were the quiet thoughtful discussions like that one between Nomi and Lito.

    I can’t wait for season 2!

  11. Darlynne says:

    Full disclosure: I loved THE MATRIX, hated the other two films That Shall Not Be Named so much that I hesitated about purchasing a nearly-free DVD set of all three movies.

    Obviously, I had a lot of baggage going into Sense8, was sort-of interested after the first episode, but so many people were raving in a good way and I continued to watch.

    *squee cannon*

    Relationships, relationships, love, philosophy, sex. Lather, rinse, repeat or, in some cases, just keep lathering. I have enjoyed every minute and can’t wait to see where it goes next. My fear is that it will all go south and I don’t think that’s unreasonable given past performance, but I’m in for season two.

    Hernando and Lito may be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen on TV.

  12. Jee Ann says:

    My God I love this show and am so glad you wrote about the romances. YES! Romances in action and thriller shows don’t usually intrigue me, but in Sense8, it’s so meaningful and touching.

    Lito + Hernando? Perfection. It’s so heartwarming how romantic Lito is. Especially towards the end, after he and Wolfgang have their badass moments, Lito’s “These lips belong to another…. I have already found the love of my life. And he’s name is Hernando.”

    And Nomi and Amanita are so awesome. Neets is a great girlfriend, loyal and funny, and cool.

    Sense8’s message of empathy is seen in every episode, when people so different are actually so similar.

  13. Tamara Lush says:

    Great review! I love Sense8. So beautifully filmed.

    I wanted to add this. If you love Lito — Miguel Angel Sylvestre — like I do, he’s in another Netflix show. It’s called Velvet and it’s a Spanish TV drama set in the 1950s. It’s a pure romance, set in Madrid in the fashion world in the 1950s. It has the aesthetics of Mad Men and the charm of Downton Abbey.

    Two seasons are on Netflix, subtitled. I would love to see SBTB review that show. It’s a little telenovela-y but SO much fun.

  14. Alina says:

    The thing about this show is that it made me want to be part of a sensate cluster, because if you are, then you always have someone who (a) will watch your favourite shows and movies with you; (b) will listen to you cry about your significant other; (c) will help you fix a flat tire; (d) will make you a pantry bomb to blow up your mobster uncle.

    I loved it. There are things about it that I do have issues with, but over all, it really grabbed me and filled me with joy, and I very much want all 5 seasons of it in my brain now.

    (Kala and Wolfgang forever!)

  15. Sandra S says:

    This was one of my great favorite series for the year. It truly has an international cast and the scene shots of the different countries are amazing. Each character has real depth and personality and you can’t help but love them all. I truly adored the love stories being told in this series. The couples (or in the case of Lito, the trio) are all very well matched. As interesting as all the brain-hopping sci-fi stuff is, it really is the love stories that are grabbing me. I really, truly hope this series runs for years. I’m all in.

  16. Tabaqui says:

    YES! To all of this, and to every comment. This show is *utterly* amazing. I love every character, which *rarely* happens in an ensemble such as this. I love how diverse it is, how bold and in your face it is about *everything*, sex and love and yes, babies coming out of vaginas. I just….wow. Cannot get enough, and really really hope for a season two.

  17. talyn530 says:

    Great review! You wanna know how you can tell that this show is unique? You can tell by the number of “professional critics” that literally nuked it from Day 1! Sense8 is NOT your standard fare. It doesn’t fit neatly into any of the out-dated, formulaic modes of story-telling that’s been shoved down our throats since the advent of television. It forces you to think, to feel – and it challenges your biases and beliefs on many levels. This is an important show that deserves further exploration!

  18. DJ says:

    I adore this show because …it’s real. Too long have our eyes been assaulted with the sanitary and obtuse way that the networks think society wants to be shown . I’m not talking about the sex, though that’s true too… Wolfgang I have ULTIMATE sympathy for as a child abuse survivor . NOOMI I feel for because I am a gay man and although the world likes to think it’s so accepting , if you don’t live in a city of 2 + million is easily seen the awkwardness of ” oh you’re one of them ” even when it’s not said , but happens ace noticed. I also feel for her being institutionalize by her own family and left wondering is this their sick revenge on me. Then Their relationships , the flaws the cracks and the patches. And there is something I would say the ” Elf ” offers. Beng caught in the drug world is complex and horrific, particularly when Somone is dating a kingpin and a user. Thankfully Netflix is going where the networks can’t because of their politics, REAL LIVES , and adding scifi in a way that’s interesting, and invigorating.

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