TV | Why 'Sense8' is well worth the watch
‘Sense8’ is by far one of the best Netflix Original series. As the title implies, the series plays with your senses - in particular, the eyes, ears, and especially your emotions.
The show’s characters are diverse and complex, its writing incredibly captivating, its cinematography a major highlight, and the music award-winning. All in all, ‘Sense8’ is a series worthy of your ‘to be watched’ list.
The show is about ‘clusters’ of eight people across the world - all born at exactly the same moment, with enhanced mental and emotional connections to one another. They are ‘sensates’.
In this series, we are introduced to a newly ‘born’ sensate group, and follow the struggles faced by each individual, and how they benefit from sharing their emotions and existences with each other.
Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith) is a policeman in Chicago who is haunted by an unsolved murder from his childhood.
Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton) lives in San Francisco as a transwoman hacktivist and blogger with her stunning girlfriend Amanita (played by Freema Agyeman).
Lito Rodriguez (Miguel Angel Silvestre) lives in Mexico City as a famous but closeted actor with his endearing boyfriend Hernando (Alfonso Herrera).
Sun Bak (Doona Bae) is a tough South Korean woman born into an elite business oriented family. She is a rising kickboxing star but must decide whether to be true to herself or her family honour when running into issues with the law.
Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai) is a young woman pharmacist and devout Hindu living in Mumbai, who is torn over her engagement to a man she does not love.
Wolfgang Bogdanow (Max Riemelt) is a thief who has serious family issues and is heavily involved in the criminal underground of Berlin.
Riley Blue (Tuppence Middleton) is an Icelandic DJ living and working in London who is trying to run away from a tragic incident in her past.
And finally, Capheus “Van Damme” Onyango (Aml Ameen) is a Nigerian matatu or bus driver who is struggling to earn money to pay for his beloved mother’s AIDs medication.
Although leading very different lives, ‘Sense8’ beautifully brings these characters together and shows the viewer how much they have in common.
There are many things to be praised about ‘Sense8’, notably behind the scenes. For instance, every scene was filmed on location across the world. Production filmed in Seoul (South Korea), Nairobi (Kenya), Iceland, London (UK), Mumbai (India), Berlin (Germany), Chicago (US) and San Francisco (US) just to name a few, taking viewers on an international journey throughout the series. Such commitment to authenticity is paramount to the show’s success.
Similar to Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox) in ‘Orange is the New Black’, another example of authenticity in ‘Sense8’ can be seen in the character of Nomi, who is played by a genuine transwoman.
Although the plot is brilliant and builds constant suspense throughout the Season 1, it is vastly overshadowed by the brilliance of the cinematography.
Countless scenes display the creativity and genius of the creators and directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski, and J. Michael Straczynski. In particular, the group scenes in this series are a standout.
Remarkable also is how the writers manage to intertwine each of the characters concurrently. Perhaps one of the best and most memorable scenes occurs at the conclusion of Episode 4 (‘What’s Going On?). Nomi has just been rescued from a sinister and suspect lobotomy by her fellow Sensates and epic girlfriend Amanita. At the same time, Wolfgang performs the song ‘What’s Up?’ by 4 Non Blondes, during a karaoke night. Riley listens to the exact same song on her music device. As a result, viewers see that every sensate is hearing the song simultaneously, and all begin singing along - in English.
The scene is winding, with moments of the characters singing alone wherever they are and having an excellent time, to snippets of them singing together. These group scenes are so layered and complex, and wonderfully beautiful. The colours are crisp in each location and blur between each scene; the movement is fluid and not at all shocking. Sometimes it’s worth rewinding and re-watching these scenes just to marvel at how well they are edited.
‘Sense8’ has very few, if any, issues. There is a heavy and sometimes unnecessary focus on romance and sex, especially the suggestion that four of the eight sensates may be paired up; this can be combated, however, with the healthy, positive and LGBT oriented relationships portrayed in the show. If there was such a thing as an ideal relationship, then Nomi and Amanita or Lito and Hernando’s relationships have achieved it.
There are also a few stereotypes relied on in the series, but they are not actually negative stereotypes and are used to flesh out a character and scenario in an interesting and refreshing way.
‘Sense8’ is a case study of dedication, own voices, patience, beauty and excellence. It is the finest example of top-end writing, clever casting, brilliant cinematography, excellent acting, and editing done right.
Though the series has won a few awards, it is severely underrated and deserves all the praise and recognition from the industry and viewers.
If this has you excited, then sit tight because a ten episode Season 2 will air on Netflix May 5! Since it has taken nearly two years to film, it is sure to be worth the wait.
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