2-12. Amor Vincit Omnia

One last ride for the Cluster...

Running Time: Approx. 151 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksander Hemon. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.


THE PLOT:

Wolfgang is now a prisoner of BPO - But Will organized the other sensates into responding forcefully, infiltrating BPO and taking Whispers and Jonas hostage. Now hiding with their prisoners in Paris, the group is organizing an exchange. They know BPO will double-cross them as soon as the exchange is complete, and have a plan to complete the trade and escape.

That plan is threatened by several outside parties. River El-Saadawi (Amira Ghazalla), daughter of BPO co-founder Ruth El-Saadawi, reaches out to the group to tell them that Whispers is the sole pilot for BPO's drone program, and urges them to kill Whispers even at the cost of Wolfgang's life. Other sensate clusters, under the guidance of a woman known only as "The Mother" (Urusla Jones), take direct action to interfere with the exchange.

Meanwhile, BPO turns up the pressure by instigating a purge of known sensates worldwide. Jonas takes advantage of the confusion to escape, leaving Will's cluster to wonder whose side he might be on. And into the chaos strides Lila Facchini (Valeria Bilello), the sensate assassin who turned Wolfgang over to BPO. She appears to be working for them - But she has an agenda all her own, one that will soon put them on a collision course with the mysterious BPO Chairman (Stephen Boxer).


CHARACTERS:

It's the nature of the beast that a movie will have a narrower focus than an ongoing series. I figured relatively early in the series' run that the finale would inevitably center around the BPO arc, meaning that the regulars least involved in the BPO arc - Capheus, Sun, and Lito - end up getting less to do than the other five. Sun at least gets a few good action scenes and a love interest, but Capheus is reduced to little more than the team's designated driver, while Lito is basically comedy relief. Lito's significant others actually get stronger material than him; Hernando's extensive art knowledge helps the group to infiltrate Lila's fortress-like estate, while Dani gets an early confrontation with Whispers that is an absolute showstopper.

For the rest, it's largely business as usual. Will drives the plot, but aside from some interest/jealousy over some of Riley's past contacts, he doesn't get much in the way of character material. Nomi and Amanita provide a few emotional scenes - though for arguably the first time in the series, some of their dialogue (notably an early conversation about Amanita's fantasies about Paris) feels forced and stilted. Wolfgang and Kala probably get the best overall material, each repeatedly showing devotion to the other, and the resolution to the Wolfgang/Kala/Rajan triangle is unexpected but fitting for this series.

Oh, and Bug, whose role has continued to expand throughout the series, gets even more to do here. He proves to be a delight throughout the film, with just enough moments of insight sprinkled between the comedy to keep him from descending into being purely a "joke" character.


A BRIEF REFLECTION ON WHAT WAS LOST:

The BPO plotline itself feels reduced and simplified. Whispers had shown signs of being a potentially fascinating character - Sense8's equivalent of Babylon 5's Bester, a thoroughgoing villain who nevertheless saw himself as serving a greater good. Here, he's just a baddie, whose relatively brief bits of dialogue amount to sadistic threats. He isn't even the main bad guy, being quite literally reduced to a plot device: spending the first half of the episode as our heroes' prisoner before spending the second half as someone else's prisoner.

Then there is the matter of the mysterious BPO Chairman. The Chairman was mentioned multiple times in Season Two, so was always going to emerge as a major villain. I have difficulty believing, however, that had the series played out as originally intended, he would have been such a 2-dimensional figure, an impotent clone of Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine.

Ultimately, as I watched the movie, I felt that something was missing from both characters and the dialogue, and I think that something has a name: J. Michael Straczynski, who co-created the series and co-wrote all the episodes prior to this one. Straczynski has a particular creative voice, often expressed through monologues that are slightly heightened and theatrical but that are nonetheless spellbinding. The absence of that voice leaves a tangible void in this finale - Not in the big action set pieces, but in the quieter character moments. A layer is missing to the dialogue, and I am fairly certain that missing layer is best explained by his absence.


WHAT WAS GOOD, AND EVEN GREAT:

Most of my complaints amount to acknowledging the inevitable: some characters draw the short straw, ongoing plotlines are substantially simplified, and some of the exchanges lack the resonance of the series proper, with dialogue more focused on advancing plot than character. All of these largely fall into the category of "given," since this movie is tasked with closing out a series that was roughly intended to run for three more seasons; per original intent, the last regular episode wouldn't even have been considered the halfway mark!

Accepting those limitations, the movie does a solid job of closing out the BPO storyline in a manner that is largely consistent with what has been learned over the course of the series. I can speculate about where I think the plot might have gone had the series continued... But taking what was made purely on its own terms, the main ongoing plot of the series reaches a satisfying conclusion - with the door left just enough ajar to allow for future seasons or movies, should Netflix prove willing.

The major set pieces, from the botched exchange to the final pursuit of Lila, are uniformly outstanding, conveying intensity and excitement. I'm of two minds regarding a moment in which one of the regulars appears to be killed, only to survive with no apparent ill effects... But another part of me is just as happy for Sense8, a series that has largely embraced compassion and hope as its guiding principles, to embrace a celebratory atmosphere in its finale. Besides, "wringing emotion out of major character death in finale" has become a cliche in itself, so I was not too sad to see it subverted.

There's an epilogue that runs a little long, and a closing sex scene that - unlike most similar scenes in the series - seems to exist as much to make sure there is a sex scene as to serve any particular character or narrative purpose (though I did find the final shot to be an amusing swipe at those who expressed outrage at the series' very first sexual encounter). Overall, however, Amor Vincit Omnia does an admirable job of wrapping up a complex series. It will never rank among my favorite episodes, simply because of the built-in limitations of the situation. But given what it had to do, it is more successful than it had any right to be and represents a satisfying end to an outstanding series.

Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: You Want a War?



Review Index

2-5. Fear Never Fixed Anything.

At an underground performance, Riley makes a plea...

Running Time: Approx. 52 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: James McTeigue.


THE PLOT:

Jonas is dead. He visited the Cluster one last time, to say goodbye, before being strapped down to a gurney for surgery - which would either have killed him or left him in a vegetative state. After a follow-up visit from Whispers, who gloats that the group's exposure of his BPO rival has put him in his most powerful and secure position ever, Will decides that he has had enough of running and hiding. "Whispers has turned me into a fugitive - He's got me acting like one and thinking like one. I'm not; I'm a cop. A fugitive runs because he's alone; a cop knows he's not... Why does BPO have so many resources? It has to be because there is a lot more of us out there than we thought. We need to find them!"

Even as Will and Riley prepare to reach out to other sensates through a concert, the others' individual complications continue. Kala's father butts heads with Rajan's father over politics, while Capheus' television interview results in an offer to run for office. Lito is frustrated at the terrible roles now being offered to him, while Nomi is given the opportunity to electronically erase her entire existence. Meanhwile, Sun prepares to go to war with her brother, declaring to her old sensei: "I have no plan. I have an enemy - And I won't stop until he's dead, or I am."


CHARACTERS:

In the previous episode, Kala told Wolfgang that she wasn't sure she really was a good person. Her conversation with her father in this episode continues that thread, as she expresses worry that if she pursues her own happiness, it will be at the cost of disappointing and hurting others.  Meanwhile, her husband has been consistently presented by the series as a basically good and decent man - However, in this episode, we see that he is completely unconcerned when Kala informs him of inconsistencies in the quality of drugs they are shipping abroad. He tells her that all that matters is that they ship, and all but says that she shouldn't worry her pretty little head about it. Of course, we've already seen the results of low-quality medication in Capheus' thread last season, in all of his efforts to find reliable medication for her, so the series has already shown us the human cost of Rajan's attitude.

Last season, Lito observed that "You can't be an actor and get the parts I want and be gay." That prophecy seemed proved true in Who Am I?, when several members of the audience laughed during his kiss of the female lead. It is borne out again here, as he finds he is only being offered offensively stereotypical roles. Indulging in a bout of self-pity, Lito soundly rejects the idea of accepting an invitation to act as grand master of Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade, scoffing at the thought of the roles he would be offered after that. But, thanks to his connection with Nomi, he is able to witness a showing of one of his old films in San Francisco - the film playing to a large and appreciative audience. Reconnecting with the bartender with whom he had shared a kiss last season, he learns that he inspired the man to propose to his now-husband. "Courage is contagious," Capheus observes - and by the episode's end Lito is clearly reconsidering the Pride invitation.


THOUGHTS:

I strongly suspect that Kala's pharmaceutical company is linked to BPO. We see links to other strands already: In Polyphony, Rajan's business partner indicated that he missed their wedding because of "business in Seoul" - business to do with Sun's brother, perhaps? At the very least, it's a lot of coincidences.

An amusing note is struck by Nomi's meeting with the contact Bug refers to as "The Guy." A member of what is obviously intended to be Anonymous, "The Guy" meets Nomi at a screening of one of Lito's films. He appears in full costume, as "V" from V for Vendetta - an amusing nod, as that movie was directed by this episode's director, James McTeigue.

I loved the callbacks to Season One in the latter part of this episode. Lito revisits the bar and orders "tequilas cubed," to share with the other sensates as they summon courage before Riley's concert. When Riley calls out for other sensates to show themselves, she summons them by playing a remix of - what else? - What's Up?, whose performance in Episode Four marked the moment the eight collectively linked for the first time. That first performance marked, in effect, the series' first Act change; I think this second performance marks the next one.

The concert proves an exhilerating set piece. Not in a traditional way - There's not much in the way of action, the crowd disappearing as soon as they learn the police are on their way. But as the music comes up, and Riley appears on stage, flanked by the other sensates, it feels very much like a "hero moment." As Riley speaks into the microphone, the camera is tight on her face, brightly illuminated by the stage lights. Her plea - that "as long as we're together, I know that there's nothing we can't do" - feels as if she is coaxing the hidden sensates out into the open. And as the music comes up, we see them, the camera picking them out of the partying crowd.

"This was careless, Will," Whispers says, seeming genuinely disappointed at this act of defiance. But Will is no longer acting like a fugitive, and he is even more defiant in his response:

"No. This was amazing."

It was probably a little bit of both - But it certainly looks positioned to open up new avenues for the story, and I'm enjoying the idea of the eight going more on the offense in their fight against BPO.

Besides, what's to dislike about seeing Doctor Who's Sylvester McCoy popping up at a rave in Radagast beard, looking aghast before crying out profanities and fleeing in terror?


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Polyphony
Next Episode: Isolated Above, Connected Below



Review Index

2-4. Polyphony.

Jonas has grave news for the cluster.

Running Time: Approx. 58 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: James McTeigue.


THE PLOT:

Will's meeting with the BPO executive all too predictably turns out to be a trap. Fortunately, the cluster was prepared, and Will is able to escape. They are also now in possession of two resources they did not previously have: the knowledge that some of BPO's executives do not agree with the hunting of sensates, and the "blockers" used by Whispers to cut off the connection to other sensates. Riley has a contact who knows a chemical engineer, and he is able to study the pills - with Kala looking invisibly over his shoulder the entire time.

Kala and Capheus experience different types of unrest in their home countries. Kala is made the target of religious protesters' anger at her temple, which has now been transformed by new laws banning "idolatry." Capheus finds himself in the center of a protest about water prices, which have risen to a level that many people cannot afford. "Water is life," Capheus argues - and, when he is caught on camera defusing a potentially violent situation, he finds himself the subject of a local television interview.

In Mexico, Lito interviews the father of one of the members of Angelica's first cluster - a journalist who had interviewed Lito at the start of his career, and who disappeared in Chicago in pursuit of "the story of the century." Meanwhile, Sun's refuge comes to an abrupt end when the police knock on the door of the woman hiding her...


CHARACTERS:

One aspect of this series that I truly appreciate is that I actually believe in all of the relationships. That's quite rare - It is very common in films and television to have to nod your head and squint past screen couples who don't really fit together. All of the couples in this show work: Wolfgang and Kala, Will and Riley, Lito and Hernando, and Nomi and Amanita. Nomi and Amanita have been particularly strong this season, and this episode sees a highly effective moment with them at the center. As Amanita dodges over-persistent FBI agent Bendix on her motorcycle, Nomi is left to worry helplessly. Amanita's not a sensate, so Nomi can't simply look in on her - She's just left to wait and wonder, her anxiety further stoked as she experiences the potential for violence in the protests affecting Capheus and Kala. It's a startlingly suspenseful scene, and I found myself sharing in Nomi's relief when Amanita arrives safely.

Sun's friendship with Min-Jung is also well portrayed, and the two share a nice moment as the older woman reflects on Sun's character. She observes that for all of Sun's strength, she has a kind heart. "It was what made me like you the moment we met," she tells Sun. "Part of me wants you to find your brother and make him pay for what he has done... Whatever you do, child, do not let it be at the cost of your beautiful heart."


THOUGHTS:

After I finished this episode, a horrible thought occurred to me: I am now two-thirds of the way through this series. There are only eight installments remaining (admittedly, the last of those a very long installment, but still...). That is starting to make me quite sad. Not only do I love this series, but it is so clear that there is much more to explore with these characters and this concept, far more than can adequately be explored in seven episodes and a feature-length wrap-up.

The least of those is the BPO plot.  The conspiracy thriller story provides a narrative skeleton for this series, something to create incident and bring the characters together in focused moments - But as much as it makes for effective cliffhangers and set pieces, the real hook of the series for me lies with the characters and their individual stories. I like some better than others, of course - I will never care about Kala's husband and father-in-law no matter how much the show might want me to, and her scenes with the cluster are easily more enjoyable than the ones focused on her marriage - but all of the characters come across as credible. Even Sun, who is perhaps a little too capable at times, has an emotional vulnerability that offsets her "action hero" persona.

Speaking of action heroes... I rather like that Riley's friends joke about Lito's "cheesy" movies, much to his chagrin. First: Based on what we've seen of them, Lito's movies are cheesy, and there is merit in him recognizing that. It's also amusing when he self-deprecatingly echoes that criticism a few scenes later, to the father of the missing journalist. Which provides an opening for the older man to reject that dismissal, telling Lito: "You underestimate yourself."

The roles are being mixed more and more as the series goes on. Lito, who was the most disconnected from the cluster for most of the first season, has now become the go-to person whenever some convincing falsehoods are needed. But the last part of this episode sees him acting as an investigator, and - even accounting for prompts from the cluster - doing a genuinely competent job.

As per usual, the episode ends on a strong, in this case rather gruesome, note. But at this point, I'm dreading this series' ever-advancing end more than any of BPO's shenanigans.

Oh, a final note: I have so fully accepted Toby Onwumere's Capheus that I didn't even remember until after the episode's end that he wasn't the original actor.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Obligate Mutualisms
Next Episode: Fear Never Fixed Anything



Review Index

2-3. Obligate Mutualisms.

Sun escapes from prison.

Running Time: Approx. 51 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.


THE PLOT:

After barely surviving a brush with hit men disguised as prison guards, Sun escapes from prison in the company of one of her cellmates, Min-Jung (Yuh-Jung Youn). They hide with Mrs. Cho (Young Lan Lee), an old friend of Min-Jung's.

In Mexico, Lito discovers that the movie studio has pulled its deal with him, citing a "morals clause" in his contract... Even as he, Hernando, and Dani find a new apartment that may now be outside their price range. In Berlin, Wolfgang visits Sebastian (Lars Eidinger), one of the "crime kings" now eyeing the territory once controlled by Sergei. Sebastian has a tempting proposal for Wolfgang - and an even more tempting associate in Lila (Valeria Bilello), who is also a sensate.

Meanwhile, Will arranges an in-person meeting with BPO executive Richard Croome (Clive Wood), under the condition that Whispers be put "on ice" until after their talk. Croome agrees - but Whispers has other plans in mind...


CHARACTERS:

Just before the prison break sequence, there's a lovely moment in which Nomi and Amanita prepare to go out for a "normal" evening. There is something infectiously joyous in their brief moment of relaxation.  When Sun reaches out for help, Amanita doesn't skip a beat before sitting down at her computer to do her part in freeing her. I also love the little button on that scene, as the couple marvels that they just assisted in prison break. "So much for normal," Amanita remarks.

Though most viewers will realize immediately when Will strikes his deal that something is going to go wrong, it is nevertheless nice to see him finally step out into the sun with Riley. Their moment of celebration, shared with the rest of the cluster, is an effective grace note, even if it's clearly just a moment of calm before the next storm.


THOUGHTS:

Another strong installment - I'll be honestly surprised if the series has a weak one left in it, and I'm feeling confident that this is one series that will be free of any true clunkers.

The assault on Sun and her subsequent prison break form the episode's major set piece. As Sun is walked down the prison hallway, she realizes that this is not normal and that she is in trouble. When she reaches out for help, the others fill in details to confirm her worries. Will observes that the guards carry tasers, equipment the other guards have not possessed; Nomi lets her know that the camera is powering down in the room they are taking her to.

The assault is brutal and visceral. As Sun is tasered, then hanged, we see the other sensates physically react. To those around them, it looks as if they are having seizures. I found myself actively wondering if they were about to kill her off (which would be a gutsy move - killing off the most physically capable member of the group). Eventually, with some help from Will and Wolfgang and the timely intervention of Min-Jung, she is able to turn the tables... at which point, Will, Capheus, and Lito take turns using their particular skillsets to make good her escape, with the tone now turning much lighter to allow us to enjoy the relief of her survival. The entire sequence - assault and escape combined - is lengthy, taking up a good percentage of the total running time, and it is spellbinding from start to finish.

Wolfgang's Season Two story continues to develop in the background. The revelation of a sensate who is apparently attached neither to our cluster nor to BPO is an intriguing one, and actress Valeria Bilello makes a striking first impression. Wolfgang is a little too stricken, which I suspect will lead him to consequences down the road.

Narratively, the main thread is again Will's. Through his deal with Croome, he is able to talk to Jonas again. We learn new information as a result, including that the sensate population is increasing worldwide. We also receive additional backstory about Jonas' life with Angelica, and about the gradual disappearnce of Angelica's first cluster. The episode ends with Will's meeting with Croome - at an art gallery, discussing a particular piece, in a direct reflection of Lito's first conversation with Nomi.  There, the piece overlooking the conversation was Diego Rivera's subversive Man, Controller of the Universe, with mention made of Rivera's clashes with J. D. Rockefeller and his belief in artistic freedom; here, it's Rembrandt's The Night Watch, with mention made of the artist's eyes being on the flag, on the "bigger picture."

The conversation that ensues hints to schism at BPO, with indications that not all at the organization share the same vision. An intriguing revelation... that segues into yet another of this series' spectacular shock endings.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Who Am I?
Next Episode: Polyphony



Review Index

1-12. I Can't Leave Her

Riley relives the worst day of her life.

Running Time: Approx. 55 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: The Wachowskis.


THE PLOT:

Riley is now in BPO's clutches, a prisoner at their facility in Iceland. Fortunately for all of the cluster, she remains unconscious; Whispers is unable to use her to locate the others until she wakes up - leaving Will and the others a narrow window to attempt a rescue. Nomi and Amanita frantically hack their way through BPO's security measures, while Will acts as an avatar for the members of the cluster to utilize their skills to locate and free Riley.

But Whispers knows Will is coming, and has a few surprises of his own in store...


CHARACTERS:

Riley spends this episode trapped. Not merely in BPO, but worse - reliving the most horrible hours of her life: The car crash that killed her husband, followed in rapid succession by the birth and death of her baby girl. Even after Will manages to wake her, she remains a prisoner of those memories - so much so, that she seriously considers dying rather than continuing to carry her grief. Fortunately, Will matches that grief with sheer stubbornness. Even faced with a hopeless situation, he refuses to give up, believing that there must be a better solution than the one Angelica pursued.

The rest of the ensemble is in support mode, but every character gets his or her moment. Kala's skills as a chemist save Wolfgang in the first half of the episode, then help Will to save Riley in the second half. Kala also gets a close-up look at the violence that is part and parcel of Wolfgang's life, with him even declaring himself to be a "monster." Lito, who a few episodes back cursed himself by crying, "All I do is lie," now gets to put those very skills to good use. Sun continues to make Rambo look like Strawberry Shortcake (actually, one of the few criticisms I have is that Sun is so hyper-capable that she's become the default solution to anything that can be solved with fighting skills), while Capheus gets an amusing bit in securing a getaway vehicle. Meanwhile, Nomi and Amanita are a pure delight providing tech support and occasional wry commentary.


THOUGHTS:

Though this series always looks more like a movie than a television show, the location shots of Iceland in this episode are breathtaking.  From the barren winter that Riley confronts on the worst day of her life, to the single highway that is both Will's approach and escape from BPO, to the final shot of the entire group on a ship at sea - This episode looks absolutely incredible.

Throughout the season, Sense8 has gradually increased the degree to which the main characters interact. The first direct interactions were conversations: Will and Riley in the first episode, Nomi and Jonas in the second. Then we see the characters borrowing each other's skills: Capheus drawing on Will's police training and Sun's martial arts skills, Nomi doing the same to escape first from the hospital and then from Whispers, Wolfgang using Lito's skill at lying and Lito using Wolfgang's fighting and endurance abilities to defeat Joaquim. Those moments have become more and more complex as the season has gone on, with an increasing number of characters involved in these interactions - as in Nomi's escape from Whispers or Capheus' confrontation with the Superpower Gang.

It all builds to this episode, in which Will draws on the abilities of all six of his fellows to rescue Riley. At each step, Will encounters an obstacle that he himself could not clear, but that another member of the cluster can. The resulting sequence moves from suspenseful to startlingly funny to occasionally surprising - And just as it seems the abilities of the cluster are going to allow Will to get through with relative ease, Whispers throws a curveball with a single glance.

Though the rescue makes a strong climax to the season, plenty of plot threads are left dangling for Season Two. Sun is still in prison for her brother's crime; Capheus may want to return to his old life, but it seems very unlikely that he will be able to; Wolfgang's moment of violence seems poised to push Kala into a marriage she doesn't really want, and at the same time has pushed Wolfgang into a more nihilistic emotional space. Not to mention that Whispers is still hunting Will and Riley, and Will's solution in this episode seems like a very temporary one.

The final shot - in which we at last see all eight of them together, enjoying their moment of triumph, however fleeting it may be - is a wonderfully satisfying visual. But all the nagging threads mean that it leaves plenty of compulsion to dive straight into the next season - Which I am greatly looking forward to.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes
Next Episode: Happy F*cking New Year



Review Index

1-9. Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye.

Lito wrestles with his recent choices at an art gallery.

Running Time: Approx. 55 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: The Wachowskis.


THE PLOT:

Riley makes contact with Yrsa (Lilja Þórisdóttir), the mysterious woman who told her not to come back to Iceland. Yrsa is another sensate, but she works for the Biologic Preservation Organization (BPO), doing what she can to help others to evade detection. Will is also investigating BPO, which has an office in Iceland. When Yrsa learns that Will is talking to Jonas, she breaks the connection.  She tells Riley that Jonas is a collaborator, that he and Angelica helped BPO to track down sensates. One thing both Yrsa and Jonas agree on: Riley needs to get out of Iceland as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang receives a visit from Sergei, asking him not to try to take revenge for the attack on Felix. Sun receives a visit from her father, who announces his intent to tell the truth to clear her name. Nomi hides in her old apartment, convinced she is safe after putting out a fake BOLO showing herself as last seen on a flight to Australia.

And in Mexico, Lito struggles with the loss of Hernando, coming to the realization - as Nomi says - that "there's a huge difference between what we work for and what we live for."


CHARACTERS:

If the previous episode was mostly about plot, then this episode is mostly about the characters. We learn a huge amount about Riley, who visits the graveside of her husband and her child, whose dates of birth and death are the same. Riley tells Yrsa that, when the accident happened, all she wanted was "to be dead, to be with them." Capheus visits Riley again, sharing some of his own backstory - That he had a younger sister, whom they had to give away as an infant to save her life. "I never saw her again," Capheus tells her. "I cried as if she had died. In a way, she did, but in another way she lived."

Lito finally gets a significant interaction with one of the others. When he visits the art gallery where he and Hernando had their first date, his emotional vulnerability calls out to Nomi. He relates some of the art anecdotes Hernando shared with him, and through his memories we see exactly why Hernando's passion for art drew Lito to him. Nomi recalls the swim team her father enrolled her in, back when she was "Michael," and how that ended with bullying from the other boys erupting into violence. Nomi tells Lito that this was the last time she attempted to "fit in," because she realized that she never would.


THOUGHTS:

The scene in the art gallery is very nearly the episode's best. It is emotional, superbly acted, and visceral as Nomi recalls her violent assault. I actually had to stop the episode after the scene for a few minutes before I could carry on with the episode.

But even it gets outdone by the ending scene.  The episode's final scene is just Lito alone, in his apartment, calling Hernando's voice mail over and over again while drinking himself silly and struggling with such basics as the operation of a bathtub.  Miguel Silvestre's acting is an absolute masterclass, as he goes from quiet, to histrionics, to panic, to self-pity, to resignation.  After being emotional, the scene actually becomes quite funny as Lito drinks straight from the blender and batters at the handles on the bathtub.  Then, after all the histrionics drop away, he is simply and sincerely emotional... Just in time to hear a "mailbox full" recording on the other end.  Lito is left on the rooftop with his blackest thoughts: I'm a fake.  I'm a liar.  All I know how to do is lie."

Between those two scenes and Capheus' wonderful interaction with Riley, Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye is the most purely emotional episode of the series so far, and I think I would rank it as my favorite installment to date.

It's also an inverse of the previous episode. I wrote of the last episode that it was almost entirely concerned with plot, but still managed to advance the characters. This episode is almost entirely concerned with characters, but still manages to advance the plot. We learn a lot more about BPO, and receive a startling revelation about Jonas and Angelica. We also learn that BPO has a facility in Iceland, which puts Riley in direct jeopardy. Given how close we're getting to the season's end, I'm guessing the setup for the finale is starting here.

Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: We Will All Be Judged by the Courage of Our Hearts
Next Episode: What Is Human?



Review Index

Sense8 Review Index

Christmas Special
Original Release Date: Dec. 23, 2016
2-1. Happy F*cking New Year

Season Two
Original Release Date: May 5, 2017
2-2. Who Am I?

2-3. Obligate Mutualisms

2-4. Polyphony

2-5. Fear Never Fixed Anything

2-6. Isolated Above, Connected Below

2-7. I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate

2-8. All I Want Right Now Is One More Bullet

2-9. What Family Actually Means

2-10. If All the World's a Stage, Identity Is Nothing but a Costume

2-11. You Want a War?

Finale
Original Release Date: June 8, 2018
2-12. Amor Vincit Omnia


Previous Season: Season One