2-9. What Family Actually Means.

Nomi becomes the focus of unwanted 

attention at her sister's wedding.

Running Time: Approx. 57 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.


THE PLOT:

As the wedding of Nomi's sister approaches, Nomi prepares to act as the Maid of Honor - even as she contends with hostility from her family, particularly her mother (Sandra Fish). With support from both her sister and Amanita, she deals as well with that as is possible... But the dogged Agent Bendix (Anthony Cistaro) remains determined to arrest Nomi, and to do so in the most public way he can.

In Mexico, Dani finds the perfect comeback script for Lito, who continues to despair over the unraveling of his career. Through stubbornness, charm, and a few well-placed lies, she manages to secure him an audition. In Hollywood.

Meanwhile, Capheus discovers that his political opponents have placed a price on his head. Wolfgang continues to evade both Fuchs and the police. And Will receives distressing news about his father (Joe Pantoliano).


CHARACTERS:

Season Two has been a veritable showcase for Jamie Clayton's Nomi, and much of this episode's best material goes to her. Early on, she considers leaving the reception, claiming a headache to avoid speaking in front of her family and their friends.  Then her mother approaches her, acidly suggesting that she do exactly that - Which prompts Amanita to observe that she now has to give the speech.  She does so - with just the right amount of nervousness and defiance. Nomi's hint of self-absoprtion does come through, as the speech is very much centered on herself, but her caring for her sister also shines through as she turns the focus more and more to her sister's kindness.

Freema Agyeman continues to impress as Amanita. When Agent Bendix shows up at the wedding, it doesn't take long for her to realize that in his arrogance he hasn't checked with his superiors about Nomi's current status. She has no way of verifying her suspicion - But she knows Bendix's brand of arrogance very well, and intercedes. She quickly gets the crowd on her side, notably Nomi's father; and while I wouldn't give the scene high marks for realism, it is a definite crowd-pleasing bit, perfectly carried off by Agyeman.

What Family Actually Means also gives Eréndira Ibarra her best scene to date. When a depressed Lito insists that a Hollywood producer would never look at him for the role in Iberian Dreams, Dani responds with swaggering self-confidence. She picks up the phone, asks Lito and Hernando to time her, then proceeds to make a series of calls. She switches from earnest to flirty to disinterested and back again as she talks first to someone connected with the film, then to an entertainment journalist, then back to the first person, weaving a picture of Lito as an in-demand presence who may not even be available to make the film. Before a single hour elapses, she is speaking with the director, who is locking in the audition. Would this really work, let alone in such a short time? I highly doubt it. Does it make for a great scene, not to mention a fantastic acting showcase for Ibarra? You bet.


THOUGHTS:

The BPO plotline moves very much into the background for What Family Actually Means. There are a few developments, as Riley and Diego find the house of the woman who contacted Riley, uncovering the hidden lab where Whispers conducted experiments. But the bulk of the focus is on individual character threads, particularly the Nomi and Lito strands. This is very much a good thing. As I've said before, the BPO plot is effective in giving the show structure and momentum, but it's never been the focus of my interest. The moments that linger in my mind have nothing to do with Evil Corporate Conspiracies, and everything to do with strong character writing.

There is a heightened sense to this episode's "big moments." As I indicated above, the showcase scenes for Amanita and Dani aren't necessarily realistic. Bendix would likely have an officer arrest Amanita for interfering before she got three words out, with the mess untangled by lawyers some time later. Dani would be unlikely to bluff Lito into an audition with just a few phone calls; even if she was able to successfully bring the pieces together, it would be the work of days, not a single hour. But in an episode centered around a wedding, there's something appropriate in the inclusion of semi-operatic set pieces. Both scenes are enormously fun to watch, and it's a treat to see characters who were initially defined in relation to main characters being allowed to fully claim the spotlight.

With so many moments of triumph, it's a given that somebody will receive an emotional smackdown. This time, it's Will, who learns that his father is dying. He isn't able to physically go to him, and has to settle for saying goodbye through Riley. The scene is entirely too relatable to anyone who has ever lost a close family member (which is to say, pretty much anyone over the age of 30), and the performances of Brian J. Smith and Joe Pantoliano sell the emotion beautifully, visually intercutting between the deathbed conversation and the shared memory of a childhood game of catch.

If the episode is a last drawing in of breath before the run up to the finale, then that scene is a perfect moment of stillness before letting it go. A beautifully moving final moment in a thoroughly engaging installment.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: All I Want Right Now Is One More Bullet
Next Episode: If All the World's a Stage, Identity Is Nothing but a Costume



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

The group supports Sun at her parents' graveside.

Running Time: Approx. 67 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: James McTeigue.


THE PLOT:

Riley journeys to Chicago alone for what she hopes will be a meeting with a potential ally - but that Will fears is at least as likely to be a trap set by Whispers. With the rendezvous set in his home town, Will is able to arrange for his old partner, Diego (Ness Bautista), to accompany her - But Diego is still upset with Will for his abrupt disappearance.

Capheus decides to accept the KDRP's offer to run for public office, while Kala discovers that her husband's company is deliberately shipping expired and useless medications to Asia and Africa. Sun has another encounter with the dogged Detective Mun (Sukku Son). Meanwhile, Nomi and Amanita stumble across video from a recent mass shooting - video that points to this shooting being anything but random...


CHARACTERS:

When Capheus tells his mother that he is running for office, she is upset. His father died after becoming involved in local politics, and she worries that her son may suffer the same fate - particularly as Capheus' reasons for wanting to improve his home country so closely mirror her late husband's. Ultimately, she gives Capheus her blessing, but pleads with him to be cautious.

Capheus has probably been mulling that decision since the offer was made, but the final push seems to be Kala's discovery that many of the drugs her pharmaceutical company are sending to Kenya are known to be useless. This isn't much of a revelation - this was all but acknowledged to be the case just two episodes ago. But seeing Rajan shrug this off, dismissing it as "how this business works... We all do it" appalls her, and leaves her questioning her decision to marry him.


THOUGHTS:

The Kala/Rajan scene ties closely to one of the series' main themes, of the evils of dividing people based on difference. Rajan justifies an outright murderous business practice as reasonable, because the drugs are sent to "faraway places." He adds that "we would never risk the lives of our own people," making explicit the separation - He will take care of his countrymen, people like him, but is less scrupulous when it comes to others. Much like the difficulties Lito is now experiencing with his career, now that his agents and former colleagues see him as "one of those people," rather than someone like them. Or Sun, who had to continue to train in secret because her father disapproved of her fighting - not just because she was a girl who was fighting boys, but because she committed the unpardonable sin of being too good at it - Too "different." Just as all of the sensates are "different" from "regular people" - and therefore, to be feared.

The parallels are on the nose, but still quite effective. Less effective are some of the on-the-nose moments specific to just this episode. Amanita's "fathers," a group of former Black Panthers, debate the role of toxic masculinity in mass shootings, with one of them outright stating that "violence has a gender." We're clearly meant to approve that comment, as Nomi instantly turns to Amanita to whisper to her how much she loves her dads. Later, Sun has an effective moment at her parents' graves, where the rest of the cluster gathers to support her. But first we get a rather forced flashback to her mother expressing her pride at her daughter's fearlessness and joy that "your life will not be like mine."

The dialogue in both of these scenes feels artificial, and these moments are why this episode earns my lowest score since the second season opener. It's not that Sense8 has never been heavy-handed... But it's rarely felt manufactured, and in this episode, in these moments, that is exactly the feeling I come away with.

Mind you, there's still plenty to enjoy.  Once the forced flashback is over, the verbal and physical sparring between Sun and the detective pull me right back in. I also thoroughly enjoyed the believable character banter amongst Will, Riley, and Diego, along with the almost Hitchcockian scene in which Riley revisits (for the first time, in person) the church in which Angelica killed herself.

But in a series that rarely missteps, and even more rarely delivers scenes that feel "false," those moments throw me out of the drama just a bit. Hopefully, those couple of iffy scenes will prove to be an anomaly in an otherwise excellent series.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Isolated Above, Connected Below
Next Episode: All I Want Right Now Is One More Bullet



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