2-2. Who Am I?

Whispers closes in on Will... or does he?

Running Time: Approx. 55 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.


THE PLOT:

Lito's movie has its premiere. Since Lito's secret is now officially public knowledge, he decides to bring Hernando, as well as Dani. Some of the public is demonstrably supportive - But Lito observes that the movie's poster does all it can to downplay his presence, while a reporter eagerly ambushes him for his sexuality and for "lying to (his) fans." Capheus also deals with a potentially hostile journalist, who resents the "Van Damn" for glorifying "white courage," though she proves more persuadable.

Will is in decline, as the constant drugs that diminish Whispers' link take their toll on his health despite the group's best efforts. He continues to pursue the opportunities of that link, trying to glean information about his tormenter's identity and location, with Nomi and Amanita following up on every clue he finds. Whispers is fully aware of Will's attempts to monitor him, however, and prepares to turn the tables...


CHARACTERS:

As the series goes along, the sensates are working more and more as a unit. Early in the episode, Lito and Capheus find themselves simultaneously talking to journalists who are determined to make them look either hypocrital or foolish. Their replies intertwine, and bring in the others, basically smashing their experiences together into a single, heartfelt reply, that also gives the episode its title: "Who am I? Do you mean where I'm from? What I one day might become? What I do? What I've done? What I dream? ...I guess who I am is exactly the same as who you are. Not better than, not less than. Because there is no one who has been or will ever be exactly the same as either you or me." Rapid-fire editing has all eight speaking at various points, their words overlapping each other and in some cases anticipating each other, as quick cuts of some particularly memorable moments play over the speech. It's a breathtaking moment - and not the episode's only one.

The eight also work together to try to help Will. Kala's pharmaceutical expertise helps Riley maintain his health (or at least, slow down his decline) even as she keeps him drugged. Nomi and Amanita follow up on every clue Will gleans about Whispers, while Bug tries to hack into BPO's servers (thus far, without success). Meanwhile, Riley shows herself to be wilier than anticipated. A memorable scene sees Whispers laying out for Will just how in over his head he is, and just how close BPO are to tracking him down... Only for the very next scene to reveal that some of Whispers' moves have been anticipated.


THOUGHTS:

Lito observed back in Season One that he couldn't be both openly gay and a star of the kind of ultra-macho action movies that have been his trade. The scene at his movie premiere shows how prophetic that statement was. When the scene comes up in which he dramatically declares, "We will all be judged by the courage of our hearts!", followed by his melodramatic kiss of his leading lady, the audience... giggles. Not all of the audience, or even most (which is a nice touch), but enough to show that many of his accustomed viewers will no longer take him seriously in the roles he's been playing.

It isn't all doom and gloom - He clearly does well dealing with the journalist's attempted ambush, and we see some enthusiastic fans showing their acceptance of him on his way in. His career isn't likely to be over... But it will need to evolve, with him taking different types of roles - Which honestly, might prove more rewarding in the long run. I suspect that's where his career arc is heading, though time will tell if it's able to advance to that point given the show's pPreremature cancellation.

Lito doesn't appear to convince the journalist who confronted him, but Capheus fares a lot better. Not only does his sincerity transform Zakia (Mumbi Maina) from critic to supporter, she comes back later to invite him to lunch, leading to another heartfelt scene in which she is impressed by his optimism in the face of adversity. While I still occasionally find myself mentally inserting Aml Ameen into some of these moments, Toby Onwumere is growing on me; I'm confident in another episode or two, my brain will fully accept him as Capheus.

Will's strand is the dominant one of the episode, and his confrontations with Whispers stand alongside the interview scene as particularly memorable moments. Will might be constantly drugged up, and in visible physical decline, but he remains determined to find a way to turn the tables on his tormenter. There's a scene in which first Will, then Whispers, deconstruct what each man can deduce about the other's location based on the glimpses of their respective surroundings. Each man is intelligent, and each is given a moment in which he seems to have the upper hand... Only for that moment of strength to be taken away again.

I will also note that the more we see of Terrence Mann's Whispers, the more impressed I become with the performance. At this point, he's more than a mere creepy presence - He's emerging into a fascinating character in his own right.

The episode ends on a particularly strong note, making it an effort of willpower not to just move onto the next installment.  From the very beginning, this series has demonstrated its mastery of the art of the cliffhanger, and I imagine that many viewers just binged the season in a single weekend when it originally dropped.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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