Straczynski/Wachowski Sense8 on Netflix

[Kyoshi]

Wait - which Bollywood dance number are people talking about?
 
The one Rajan pulls at the engagement party? I didn't have a problem with that, dance performances happen all the damn time. Just saw one at my cousin's engagement party, and expect another one at another family gathering for a sweet 16 party.

Lol. There was a time in Durban when a wedding wasn't a wedding until there was a Lal Dupatta dance performance.

[protar]

I definitely think the drugs are going to be a theme. I reckon BPO is linked with the pharmaceutical company Kala is working for (unbeknownst to her of course). 

[red snow]

I definitely think the drugs are going to be a theme. I reckon BPO is linked with the pharmaceutical company Kala is working for (unbeknownst to her of course). 

 

Yeah, the Nairobi drugs, Kala and her fiance's company, and the drugs Benjen Stark's being peddling all seem to be the same thing as far as I can tell. Not sure if Sun's company are involved in drug development but I could throw them in too. If Chicago's gangs are selling the drugs that could be another angle.

 

Wolfgang's story suddenly got a lot more interesting with episode 7!

[Mexal]

Wolfgang's story suddenly got a lot more interesting with episode 7!

 

His story, especially the last few episodes, goes mental.

[Lord Hanna]

 

His story, especially the last few episodes, goes mental.

It really does.

 

The last 2 episodes were amazing television. 

 

Honestly, the long time goes by, the more i realized this show just isn't like any other on TV right now.

[Mexal]

Honestly, the long time goes by, the more i realized this show just isn't like any other on TV right now.

 

And the more I realize how much I loved the experience. I always did as people can see from my posts in this thread but I can't stop thinking about it and I love discussing it. 

[Lord Hanna]

 

And the more I realize how much I loved the experience. I always did as people can see from my posts in this thread but I can't stop thinking about it and I love discussing it. 

Yeah, i feel like the slow first 5 episodes are worth it when you're finally done and have the bigger picture on it all. 

 

I really hope it was popular enough for a season 2.

[Kyoshi]

Yeah, i feel like the slow first 5 episodes are worth it when you're finally done and have the bigger picture on it all. 
 
I really hope it was popular enough for a season 2.

One of the creators says he's confident for a second season. But nothing official has been announced yet. I've been checking everyday and there's still nothing. :(

[Lord Hanna]

One of the creators says he's confident for a second season. But nothing official has been announced yet. I've been checking everyday and there's still nothing. :(

Yeah, just googled and saw that comment.

 

Co-creator J. Michael Straczynski assures fans of ‘Sense8’ Season 2 renewal on Netflix; Announcement to be made this week?

 

Sounds promising, this was posted yesterday. 

 

http://www.vcpost.com/articles/79450/20150720/co-creator-j-michael-straczynski-assures-fans-sense8-season-2-renewal-netflix-announcement-this-week.htm

[MerenthaClone]

 

Yeah, the Nairobi drugs, Kala and her fiance's company, and the drugs Benjen Stark's being peddling all seem to be the same thing as far as I can tell. Not sure if Sun's company are involved in drug development but I could throw them in too. If Chicago's gangs are selling the drugs that could be another angle.

 

Wolfgang's story suddenly got a lot more interesting with episode 7!

Sun's former company was doing financing for a pharmaceutical company, iirc.  How well the show picks up after episode 4 or 5 is amazing.  

 

Another potential link between the Sensates that, if this wasn't a TV show about connections, I'd totally ignore, but; [spoiler]  Capheus has a younger sister.  Amanita seems a few years younger than Nomi and is adopted.  Whether that's going to play in or not, I don't know.  I hope it doesn't, tbh, and his sister comes back another way.  [/spoiler]

[Dr. Pepper]

Is it ever stated that Neets is adopted?

[AndrewJ]

Well, her mother is very white, so...

 

(I guess she could be a step-mother - but there's no sign of a father, either)

[Dr. Pepper]

Well, her mother is very white, so...

 

(I guess she could be a step-mother - but there's no sign of a father, either)

The actress is biracial, so I just figured it was easy to assume the character was biracial as well.  

[Kyoshi]

I also assumed she is biracial. But for some reason, I don't think the mother is straight. IVF also works. But I could see it turning out to be adoption.

[karaddin]

 

Yeah, the Nairobi drugs, Kala and her fiance's company, and the drugs Benjen Stark's being peddling all seem to be the same thing as far as I can tell. Not sure if Sun's company are involved in drug development but I could throw them in too. If Chicago's gangs are selling the drugs that could be another angle.

 

Wolfgang's story suddenly got a lot more interesting with episode 7!

I thought Benjen was peddling DMT, which is the active ingredient of the South American hallucinogens - Ayahuasca (sp?) and others I think. People go on retreats to experience it and the hallucination, at least when appropriately prepared is typically experienced as extremely spiritual. Unprepared it just makes you spew a bunch iirc. In addition to his Indian party dances Sci can probably add to this too as I remember him having read up on it a bit.

[red snow]

Is it ever stated that Neets is adopted?

 

I just took it her mother was also lesbian (and her story was abount finding her other mum - although I maybe misread that scene?) and that they adopted her? Merenthaclones idea is a pretty good catch - I'm torn as to whether it's a great idea for the show or too much of a co-incidence.

 

 

One of the creators says he's confident for a second season. But nothing official has been announced yet. I've been checking everyday and there's still nothing. :(

 

I think the comment about Netflix knowing it's being binge-watched and that their actual viewers are responding well to it, will help. Plus, I guess as a growing platform they are unwilling to let it appear their shows aren't successes. No-one knows the viewing figures but cancellation would imply viweing figures were bad. I imagine the show is expensive though with all the locations and high profile directors. Then again, I can see these being a bit of a passion project for the wachowskis and the show has been getting far more positive reviews than their recent movie efforts.

 

I'm still going for the Marco Polo comparison - similar critical reviews (but Sense8 has better general viewer reviews) and similar production costs (I'm guessing although Sense8 may be cheaper). The question is whether more people checked out marco polo as a "GOT in china" than Sense8 which was "Wachowskis TV show". Illegal downloads suggest it's fairly popular and it is apparently proving a hit in non-english european markets. I'd be surprised if it doesn't get a second season - the question is whether they tell the creators it's one more season and that's it. Time wise it took a while for Daredevil to get a second season so I'm not too worried that no news is bad news.

[red snow]

Wait - which Bollywood dance number are people talking about?

 

The one Rajan pulls at the engagement party? I didn't have a problem with that, dance performances happen all the damn time. Just saw one at my cousin's engagement party, and expect another one at another family gathering for a sweet 16 party.

 

The engagement one. Like I said it wasn't the dancing from the groom's side it was the implication that the bride's gang instantly knew how to jump up and dance along to it. I always left the show an out for it in the sense a lot of Indian people know these routines

[The Fallen]

Finished it and really liked it. I liked how all the sensates contributed at the end. This ability is so useful. It will be interesting to see all the different ways in which they'll make use of it.

I liked all the characters, thought the actors all delivered. Kala's storyline is still the weakest.

The actor who plays Wolfgang really sells his lust for violence simply with his eyes. I thought he was really good.

The fireworks scene was also cool.

And everybody knows Indian weddings are the funnest.

ETA:
I thought the series was greenlighted for five seasons?

[red snow]

ETA:
I thought the series was greenlighted for five seasons?

 

No. There is a 5 season arc planned out. Whether it gets to have 5 seasons is up to Netflix, probably on a year to year basis. I'd hope they'd be upfront and tell the creators if a given season would be their last though as JMS has been known to be able to condense his plans accordingly (which led to an excellent season of Babylon 5).

 

One episode left.

[red snow]

Finished and I thought it was great. Just really different from a lot of other shows and I really like the sense of optimism/humanity throughout - even if the characters are put through the ringer.

Maybe we need a spoiler thread for discussing the season as a whole?

 

I'll do my "favourite" list but by the end of the show it certainly felt like all the characters stories were connected in the sense I began to appreciate they are linked in their heads if not in some plot driven way. [spoiler]

 

1) Nomi - her story becomes as integral to the big story as Will's in the last half but I like her relationship with Amanita and how Amanita simply accepts everything that is going on.

 

2) Will - he's the "father" of the group (although I'm still trying to work out if that bears any relation to what Jonas said about his cluster's "father") and unless I'm mistaken he's the first one to be able to hold conferences with more than one of his cluster? He may appear a bit dull on the surface but I think there's more to him. It's interesting how he shares a lot in common with Wolfgang but is on the whole more open to his cluster.

 

3)Leto - Thankfully his story didn't become too much of a weird gangster/blackmail story and more about what he's willing to sacrifice for the love of his life. One of the most endearing relationships I've seen on TV and felt very genuine. Great work by the actors.

 

4) Wolfgang - his story became more action packed but it was his character that won me over in the end. It's really interesting how he's the most closed off of the group. He wants to be a loner which isn't great for a sense8. As others mentioned it's curious how he's drawn to the most "pure" of the group and is certainly the darkest in terms of morality (although Sun wuite casually kills too). The actor nails being cold but has that quiet soul feel to him.

 

5) Sun - In many ways her story "resolved" once she was in prison as she seems to have weirdly found peace there. It was a surprise that her dad came clean but a bit predictable that her brother would commit patricide and trap her in prison. I hope she gets out or just becomes a character that functions largely through the others. She's definitely on the Wolfgang spectrum in terms of being damaged and violent.

 

6) Riley - she still doesn't do much but her connection with Will is interesting as is her encounter with the other sense8. AS soon as she stopped sitting in London and moved to Iceland things improved. What really helped though was her dad and the gutwrenching revelation of why she's so damaged. I love the iceland scenery - I want to go back.

 

7) Capheus - great action scenes and I like how warm hearted he is and how he takes his powers in his stride (I don't think he ever freaked out). His story was a bit shallow ultimately though but fun to see the carnage.

 

8) Kala - it felt like more could be done about the religious war aspect. Otherwise it felt like her story was running at a different speed from everyone else.  [/spoiler]

 

I'm with everyone else how the mythology and character interactions work. Part of me wants to chart a list of the interactions to see who does the most interacting (probably Will if we include non-cluster members) and who interacts with the most members of their cluster (I'm not sure but possibly Capheus?). I'm also fascinated by the members who don't share with each other much (or at all) [spoiler] Despite Will appearing to be the most interactive/skilled he doesn't share with Leto until the final episode. Why? [/spoiler] I don't think I've wanted to think/study a show quite so much since "lost" and thankfully the mysteries in this show don't appear to be of the "we don't have a clue" kind and given JMS is involved I'm sure he has the answers to these mysteries.

 

The other thing I keep thinking about is possible spectrums of the cluster. It seems to me there's a basic light/dark thing going on with the loners tending to be the violent ones with the most damaged backgrounds and the lightest ones being more open and with happier lives. I'd put the spectrum a bit like this

 

[spoiler] Kala, Capheus, Lito, Nomi/Riley (I think these two are in the middle and even wonder if Nomi's transgender nature is also representative of her being in the centre of the cluster - although that also suggests Lito might be close to her too), Will, Sun, Wolfgang. Obviously this is just my list but it strikes me as curious how the central ones interact more Nomi/Will/Riley while the extremes tend to interact more with their opposites. It could just be that i notice the opposite interactions because of the contrasts. [/spoiler]

 

One downside to the show is that we really don't know much more about the series opener by the end of the season. I guess there just wasn't any room but there were some elements I felt could have been explained or I missed such as why did the connection seem to happen at that point [spoiler] I guess it was the death of daryll hannah? [/spoiler]

 

The other thing I was wondering if anyone noticed was whether it's explicitly stated that a cluster only contains 8 members? I know the name of the show suggests this but part of me thinks it would be cool if there was another (or possible a couple) of other cluster members we don't know of yet. Why we don't know of them would also be interesting. But it may well be that 8 is the maximum a brain can handle or something.

 

Anyway I'll repeat I'm happy to discuss the show further. Does anyone think it warrants a season spoiler thread? I just don't want to accidentally ruin anything for folk watching at their own pace.