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Lito delivers a speech, under the watchful eye
of an army of his own distorted reflections.
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Running Time: Approx. 67 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.
THE PLOT:
Lito, Hernando, and Dani arrive in Sao Paolo, where Lito is startled to learn that he is expected to deliver an address to kick off the parade. He contemplates refusing to speak, but Dani urges him on, telling him how effective he is when he speaks from his heart. At the parade, Lito finds it in himself to deliver a heartfelt speech, earning an enthusiastic response from the enormous crowd, and he pulls Hernando to the stage for their first public kiss.
Now free of the various BOLOs and arrest warrants she's been evading, Nomi takes her sister up on the offer to act as Maid of Honor at her wedding - only to discover that Angelica's cabin, where she spent time with Jonas and her original cluster, is within easy driving distance. Meanwhile, Riley makes contact with two different sensates who attended her rave, neither of whom trust that she isn't a BPO spy. She works hard to gain the trust of a shrewd Scotsman who refers to himself only as "The Old Man of Hoy" (Sylvester McCoy), who has firsthand information about BPO and its founding...
CHARACTERS:
When Nomi learns that her parents have described her as a narcissist, she worries to Amanita that there might be truth to that. Narcissism seems an unduly harsh diagnosis - we've seen her show concern for others - but there certainly may be some self-absorption; note that she ignores a request her sister is about to make in order to track down Angelica's cabin (which, while valuable, does not at that moment seem urgent).
Riley appears on track to become this cluster's Angelica, and the episode ends with Will clearly worried about her following too closely in their "mother's" footsteps. Her intentions are nothing but good - But from what we've seen of the flashbacks, the same was true of Angelica. Riley does share a charming scene with The Old Man of Hoy near the episode's end, but she is perhaps a bit too quick to trust that he is only what he seems to be.
The episode's showstopping scene is Lito's speech at the Gay Pride Parade. This is one of those moments of pure cinema that reminds the viewer of the Wachowskis' background as directors of Event Pictures. Shot on location at the actual Sao Paolo Gay Pride Parade, we see Lito on stage, backed by a screen that reflects his image from multiple angles. When he speaks, the projected image lags, echoing his words even as he moves to the next statement. The effect is not unlike a speech given in a Hall of Mirrors.
The multiple reflections are appropriate, a visual manifestation of the pretenses Lito has maintained for his career. "All of my life, I've had to pretend to be something I wasn't... Admitting that I am different and refusing to pretend to be something I am not may cost me a career of pretending to be things that I am not." For the first time, he recognizes the absurdity of that, and it seems to free him as he repeatedly calls out, "I am a gay man!" before finally calling Hernando to share the stage with him. It's a stunning scene from start to finish, and Miguel Angel Silvestre is fantastic - not just when delivering the speech, but also in navigating the complex emotions leading into and out of it.
THOUGHTS:
I admit, when I first heard about a series from the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski, I had some hesitation over how that collaboration would look, how those very different voices could possibly meld together. It turns out, they are perfect balances for one another. Sense8 marries the Wachowskis' boundless ambition and dynamic sense of the visual with Straczynski's narrative discipline. That discipline keeps the narrative grounded and moving forward, making sure it doesn't spin out of control like, say, Jupiter Ascending; the cinematic visuals and boundless ambition keep the show from becoming dry or stale, or from disappearing into the theatrical speeches JMS loves so much.
I love those speeches too, by the way, and the treatment of the monologues in this series vs. JMS' Babylon 5 makes for a fascinating contrast. In Babylon 5, a show whose grand ambitions belied its minimal budget, the monologues were very theatrical in nature. Sometimes donwright minimalist - On more than one occasion in that series, the speaker would talk against a plain background. In Sense8, the same sort of speech is treated cinematically, with no expense spared to complement the words with something visual that will enhance or contrast the words themselves. Both approaches are effective - I still love Babylon 5, and could happily pass time watching a video of G'Kar speeches. But it is intriguing to compare them, to see how one behaves much like a staged production while the other behaves as a blockbuster movie.
The Lito speech is the episode's emotional high point, but it's far from the only great moment. I thoroughly enjoyed Riley's interactions with the other sensates, who have survived largely through paranoia. Puck (Kick Gurry), the chemist who helped Riley analyze the blockers, is one of them; he points out that Riley's actions are exactly what he would expect of a BPO double agent (when he's not making sexual advances, at least). The sensates survive either by working with BPO or by hiding, with neither option offering a secure future.
Tuppence Middleton and Sylvester McCoy share an engaging screen chemistry, and their scenes together are terrific. Their longest interaction opens with some verbal fencing, as both have secured themselves in unidentifiable locations before speaking. The Old Man mocks the warehouse where she and Will are hiding as offering "all the amenities of a prison." When she visits him at his location, which is little more than a sealed box that he has a labeled a "speakeasy," she turns those words back on him by observing that his setup has "all the amenities of a coffin."
The episode ends with another strong set piece, as The Old Man of Hoy initiates a worldwide search for Whispers' location, brought to life in a succession of visuals that mirror the series' hypnotic credits sequence. He delivers the information as quickly and efficiently as performing a Google search.
The episode ends with the BPO plot moving forward another inch, and with the promise of potential progress but also potential danger if the next lead is followed. Which is to say, yet another episode ending that actively encourages the viewer to skip straight to the next installment... Of which there are sadly now only six remaining.
Overall Rating: 10/10.
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