2-11. You Want a War?

The Cluster works together to take down Sun's brother.

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


THE PLOT:

When Detective Mun attempts to arrest Sun's brother, Joong-Ki (Lee Ki-chan), at the Bak Gala, Joong-Ki shoots the detective and flees. Sun is able to catch up with him, but is unable to make herself take revenge. She escapes - But so does her brother, with the aid of a political figure.

Meanwhile, Kala discovers that her husband is cooperating with a major corruption investigation, and has implicated one of his business associates. A major change occurs in the relationship between Nomi and Amanita. And Lila (Valeria Bilello) returns, taking a particularly vicious revenge against Wolfgang for his refusal to join forces with her...


CHARACTERS:

After his lapse in the previous episode, Will is back to acting as the de facto leader of the group. He halts Sun's blind thirst for vengeance at the gala by pointing out Detective Mun's arrival, and it's his "Get the bastard" that sets the stage for the chase that follows. He is also the architect of the plan to turn the tables on BPO at the end of the episode.

The relationship between Nomi and Amanita has gotten a lot of focus this season, to the extent that I've noted that Amanita feels like an honorary member of the Cluster. Their quiet scene that follows the big action piece brings that thread to its climax for the season, as their relationship undergoes a major shift. As has been true of almost all of their scenes together, it's a very well-turned moment, and Jamie Clayton and Freema Agyeman continue to show an absolutely unforced screen chemistry that really sells the relationship.

As in Season One's finale, every character gets a chance to contribute something to the episode, from Capheus' driving skills to Kala's chemical know-how and observational abilities, to Wolfgang's handiness with violence of pretty much all types. Sun, Will, and Wolfgang are the most prominently featured here, but nobody is forgotten.


THOUGHTS:

"Are you serious? My sister is the fucking Terminator?"

Sun's relentless pursuit of Joong-ki is at the center of a breathtaking action set piece that more or less makes up the first half of this episode. The sequence does not feel like something from a television series. It's more in line with the kind of larger-than-life set piece you would find in the Wachowskis' Matrix movies.

I love the sense of geography to this sequence.  It starts in the lobby of the gala, when Joong-ki shoots the detective and escapes in the chaos. Sun's pursuit of him takes us through the gala to a shootout in a parking garage. From there, we move to a car chase in the streets of South Korea, and finally to a direct, one-on-one confrontation. It's terrifically kinetic and energetic, but it also maintains a strong sense of where the characters are.  This may seem like basic filmmaking competence (and perhaps it is), but it is very refreshing after entirely too many Hollywood action set pieces that have left me wondering when the dust settles: "So how did the characters get here from there?"

The rest of the episode does a good job of keeping the pace going. After the chase, we get a chance to breathe with the Nomi/Amanita scene, and take in some new exposition that was doubtless prepping a Season Three plotline in the scene between Kala and her husband. Then the episode upends expectations during a particularly tender Kala/Wolfgang moment, which kicks us into the final Act.

...And here's where my only issue with the episode is. The last part of the episode remains gripping, but it also feels rushed. Lila takes revenge on Wolfgang and BPO seems to have the Cluster cornered, but Will Has a Plan (TM) - and with almost no transition and frankly too little explanation, the episode ends with the Cluster somehow having turned the tables.  An extra 10 minutes or so was badly needed, so that Will's plan could be a little bit better defines. Yes, I know the very end is meant to be a surprise - But it's a surprise that comes out of nowhere, with not enough planted to even retroactively understand what happened. I'll withdraw this complaint if all is explained at the start of the series finale... But as it stands right now, the entire last bit plays as vaguely incomplete, and represents the one factor costing this episode full marks.

That cliffhanger is a beauty, though. And when the episode ends, I'm left very grateful that I wasn't watching at the time... When this cliffhanger would have been presented by Netflix as the final end of the series, before a fan campaign pushed the company to finance a movie-length finale.

It is clear enough that this series was creatively far from over, but I am glad at least that it was afforded the opportunity of a proper ending - an ending I look forward to watching very soon.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: If All the World's a Stage, Identity Is Nothing But a Costume
Next Episode: Amor Vincit Omnia



Review Index

2-6. Isolated Above, Connected Below.

Lito delivers a speech, under the watchful eye

of an army of his own distorted reflections.

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.

Previous Episode: Fear Never Fixed Anything
Next Episode: I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate



Review Index

2-1. Happy F*cking New Year.

Amanita and Nomi, ready for the holidays.

Running Time: Approx. 120 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.


THE PLOT:

Will and Riley have escaped from BPO, but not without a cost: Whispers (Terrence Mann) was able to look Will in the eye, and now he can visit Will wherever he goes - which means he can potentially use Will to track down the others. Riley is countering that by giving Will regular heroin injections to shut down the psychic link, but it's clear that this is a temporary solution. And with Whispers making contact with Will's father, whose health is deteriorating without his son there to take care of him, Will may need to act sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, the photos of Lito and Hernando go public, leaving Lito "watching (his) career die in real time." Sun finds her life in prison growing more precarious. Amanita fends off the persistent Agent Bendix (Anthony Cistaro) who is certain she knows more about Nomi's whereabouts than she's saying. Kala's honeymoon with Rajan proves less than ideal, while Capheus' friends and community show their appreciation for his recent actions.

In Berlin, Wolfgang discovers that killing Sergei has opened up a power vacuum in the criminal underworld. Rival crime families are on the brink of war - a war he might prevent if he takes his uncle's place as one of Berlin's four criminal kings!


CHARACTERS:

OK, just how cool is Hernando? He's in mid-lecture in his art appreciation class when the pictures of him and Lito hit the Internet. A smugly homophobic student is all too happy to share, and the picture goes up on the screen. And Hernando... literally turns it into a teaching moment. He doesn't miss a step as he answers Mr. Smug's challenge, "Is this art?" and quickly gets the entire class laughing with him and laughing at the homophobic student who thought he was going to come out of this as The Big Man (TM).

Meanwhile, I have come to the conclusion that I am never going to care about the endless running subplot involving Kala and Rajan's marriage. By this point, it seems evident enough that Rajan is a genuinely nice guy, and that I was wrong when I thought I picked up on something sinister in his possessiveness. But I don't care about him, not even a little bit. I don't care about his and Kala's sex life, or lack thereof, though I'll admit that his injury in this episode gave me a simultaneously laugh and wince. I don't care about him in any way, not even enough to dislike him, and the thread involving him remains my least favorite part of the show - Though Kala and actress Tina Desai absolutely sparkle when playing opposite Max Riemelt's Wolfgang, with the scene in the snow late in this episode a particularly charming highlight.


THE CAPHEUS RECAST

Happy F*cking New Year sees the debut of Toby Onwumere as Capheus. A fairly minor amount of Internet research reveals that Aml Ameen's departure was abrupt, occurring in mid-production after a period of creative disagreement with Lana Wachowski. Additional information varies, and I doubt the full truth will ever be made public knowledge. Suffice to say, while I normally prefer shows write out a character rather than recast - In this case, with production already underway, I doubt there was any viable alternative.

I do regard it as unfortunate. Capheus started as a nonentity in the first couple episodes, but he rapidly became one of my favorite characters, and Ameen's performance had a lot to do with that. This episode is fairly Capheus-light, so I will wait to form an opinion on Onwumere. He does perfectly well with his material in this episode, so I suspect all will be well... But he is a much larger and more imposing physical presence, and he doesn't convey quite the same sense of innocence, so it will definitely be an adjustment.


THOUGHTS:

This episode dropped during the almost two-year gap between seasons, airing as a Christmas special about six months before the rest of the second season launched on Netflix. It's a lengthy episode, running about two hours, and serves to catch us up with the eight leads while at the same time setting up the threads that will run through this season.

As a series, Sense8 has leaned heavily into the notion that family isn't just decided by birth - That we form our own families based on the connections we make with others. That theme is abundantly visible in this episode. At one point, Nomi receives a message from her sister, asking her to act as Maid of Honor at her wedding. Nomi remarks to Amanita that if she went, her parents would be the very first people to turn her in as a fugitive; by contrast, Nomi and Amanita form a sibling-like connection with Bug, who is genuinely touched when they invite him to share their Christmas plans.

Lito, Hernando, and Dani already have been acting as a sort of family unit, with Dani tearfully admitting that this Christmas, shared with them and with Lito's mother (Dolores Heredia), is the happiest she can recall. Wolfgang is far more connected to Felix than to any of the members of his murderous extended family, and Sun is treated as family by her cellmates who tell her, "Welcome home," when she is finally released from solitary confinement.

Ultimately, I don't have very much more to say about Happy F*cking New Year. It does its job, setting various threads in motion: Lito's now-open sexuality, Wolfgang being called on to become a crime boss, whether he wants to or not, the FBI agent pursuing Nomi and Amanita, and of course Whispers' pursuit of Will. There are some very strong scenes, from a shared birthday celebration to an effective rendition of Hallejulah as the eight celebrate Christmas. And Terrence Mann continues to be a wonderfully creepy presence as Whispers, sinister even when being superficially friendly to Will's father.

What it lacks is the momentum Season One had built by its final episodes. This episode is effectively a new start, establishing the characters' new situations for future developments. It is absorbing, because by this point we are so absorbed by the lives of these characters that it would be interesting just to watch them navigate their most ordinary respective days. But it's definitely less compelling than the series' very best - More of a foundation for developments to come than a gripping piece in its own right.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: I Can't Leave Her
Next Episode: Who Am I?



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

1-11. Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes.

Capheus' desperate bid to reclaim his future.

Running Time: Approx. 45 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Tom Tykwer.


THE PLOT:

After her blackout at her father's performance, Riley finds herself in a hospital ICU. Yrsa visits her to call her a fool and tell her that she is going to die in this hospital. Meanwhile, Will, Nomi, Amanita, and their hacker friend Bug use their skills to buy time for Riley while they figure out what they will do next.

In Kenya, the day has come - The day Capheus has been ordered to bring Silas' daughter to the Superpower Gang. Having built up his courage by watching Van Damme movies, Capheus delivers the girl not to the gang, but to his friend Jela to protect, with instructions for Jela if he fails to return. Capheus clings to a vain hope that he might yet reason with the gang's leader, but the situation quickly explodes into violence - with Capheus relying on Sun's martial arts skills and Will's police training to keep himself alive, before in the end relying on his own strength and driving skill.

Meawhile, Wolfgang hatches a plan to save Felix from his uncle's wrath, while Sun learns that her last hope of freedom is gone...


CHARACTERS:

The benefit of the slow burn approach this series has taken is that, when an action-heavy episode arrives, even the most over-the-top sequences feel like a reasonable progression of the character's journey. This was true of Wolfgang's rocket launcher pyrotechnics in the previous episode, and it's true of the violent martial arts sequence-turned-car chase that forms the centerpiece of this episode. The sequence itself would be quite at home in a big summer action film - But the time we have spent following Capheus' journey to this point (and following Will and Sun, who aid him) lends the proceedings a certain weight. All the actors are excellent, but special mention should be made for Aml Ameen. He anchors this plot thread, and invests so much honest determination in his character that even when his bus is playing chicken with a villain on a motorcycle, it doesn't feel silly - Or at least, we're too invested in his emotions and well-being to laugh even when it does feel silly.

In the other threads, we see Will mentally perched at Riley's bedside as she lies in the ICU. We sense, as Jonas does, that his only thought is reaching her physically as fast as possible - a determination that could be too easily manipulated by Whispers. Bug proves that his friendship with Nomi is genuine when he delivers the very hacking equipment he sold her earlier, stolen straight from police custody. Wolfgang is pure cold calculation as he prepares to use violence to save his friend, while the normally reserved Sun finally explodes with rage at her situation.


THOUGHTS:

Running a mere 45 minutes, Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes is the shortest episode of the season. The reason for that is simple; this episode is the most direct, lean, and fast-paced of the season to this point. After a few quick scenes setting up the state of the ongoing arc, the focus settles on Capheus and his plan to reclaim his life from both Silas and the Superpower Gang. From the moment he drives his bus to the warehouse that is the gang's headquarters, the remainder is basically a straight adrenaline shot.

The episode is directed by Tom Tykwer, who collaborated with the Wachowskis on the (in my opinion) unfairly maligned Cloud Atlas. Though not exactly an action film, that movie did feature a few breathless action set pieces, and that same energy is in evidence during the central part of this episode, the tension and excitement punctuated by moments of startling violence. I also very much appreciate that, while Sun and Will provide their skills to help Capheus survive a seemingly hopeless scenario, the final moments of the action see Capheus relying solely on his own strength and skill set.

Most of the other strands are there only long enough to advance those bits of plot, but I did enjoy Bug's reappearance. Michael X. Sommers' performance is a great deal of fun, the character being convincingly sleazy enough to be instantly identifiable as a criminal, and yet likable enough that you can actually believe Nomi's fondness for him. His dubbing Amanita and Nomi "angels" after Charlie's Angels is an amusing running gag at this point, though it may have the potential to become wearisome if it persists.

I love the way the episode ends. Capheus has taken his decisive action, and Wolfgang is about to move forward to his own showdown. But after all the action and violence, and the looming threat of Whispers and his manipulations, we don't end on any of that. Instead, we cut to Sun, talking with Kala from her cell. Her voice is cold, her eyes angry as she puts words to her newfound determination to escape her apparently inescapable fate:

"This is what life is. Fear, rage, desire, love. To stop feeling emotions, to stop wanting to feel them, is to feel death... I take everything I am feeling, everything that matters to me. I push all of it into my fist, and I fight for it."

When the episode cuts to black a second after that declaration, it's honestly a surprise that it ends there - But I can't think of a better place to leave off before the finale.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode; What Is Human?
Next Episode: I Can't Leave Her



Review Index

1-10. What Is Human?

"All that matters is that today, two stood against many..."

Running Time: Approx. 59 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: The Wachowskis.


THE PLOT:

It is the Fourth of July, and the eight sensates stand at individual moments of decision. Sun has a chance to end her imprisonment, but is told that her brother's sentence will be much harsher than hers. Steiner tells Wolfgang he will give him and Felix "a pass" as long as Wolfgang gives him the diamonds they stole, but it's already clear that he can't be trusted to keep to his word. Kala wrestles over whether to tell Rajan that his father's last wish before the assault was to cancel the wedding. Capheus watches old Jean Claude Van Damme films to try to build up courage after the threat made against his mother. And Lito gets some unexpected help in realizing that making a mistake doesn't matter - Provided you do what is necessary to fix it.

Meanwhile, Will receives a visit from Jonas, who tells him that Whispers is trying to use him to find the members of the cluster. He urges Will to "never look him in the eye - Never!" And in Iceland, Riley stays to watch her father's symphonic performance - a seemingly simple decision that has unexpected consequences.


CHARACTERS:

Will shares a wonderful little scene with his father (Joe Pantoliano), as they enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks from a boat on the water. Will's father talks about how he tried to follow in his electrician father's footsteps, only to find he had no aptitude or interest in the job.  He then tells Will how proud it made him when he became a cop as well. Capheus continues to have chemistry with anyone he shares screentime with, talking with a depressed Kala about how Van Damme gives him courage and about the violence of the world - a violence Kala has been sheltered from, until the assault on her not-quite father-in-law.

Lito and Wolfgang are the last pairing I would have expected, but they prove to be a delight and they fit well with each other's weaknesses. Wolfgang is the kind of implacable tough guy Lito plays on screen, while Lito has an ability to lie convincingly that is utterly foreign to the straightforward thief. The two scenes in which they come to each other's aid are both crowd-pleasing moments that work, because of how well the two characters end up fitting together.

In addition, with Lito aiding Wolfgang in his confrontation with Steiner's crew, they effectively make true the quote Wolfgang's friend loves from Conan the Barbarian: "All that matters is that today, two stood against many. Valor pleases you, so grant me this one request.  Grant me revenge!"  Sergei warned Wolfgang against seeking revenge - But with Steiner effectively forcing that choice onto him, Wolfgang seems to get quite a bit of pleasure from taking it.  Almost as much as we get from watching it...


THOUGHTS:

May I say how much I love this show? I'm trying to think of another series that can flip on a dime to musing about whether the Holocaust was "an aberration or a reflection of who we really are," to a touching father-daughter scene debating the value of hurtful truths vs. reassuring lies, to a crowd pleasing set piece featuring a hidden handgun and a rocket launcher. And that's before Lito gets into a fistfight and attempts to fend off his attacker by (badly) throwing potted plants at him.  Never mind the shared experience that is the last five or so minutes of this...

When I started What Is Human?, I did so under a natural assumption: The previous episode had been focused on advancing the characterizations, so this one - as we gear up for the season finish - would return to being plot-focused. Nope. For a second episode running, the focus is on the characters, and I couldn't be more delighted. These eight people are so engrossing in themselves, and their individual situations so interesting, that just watching them navigate (and help each other through) the messes of their own lives is addictive enough without any need for an external Big Secret Threat, so I'm happy to get one more episode focused just on that aspect before The Plot takes over.

Not that I'm not intrigued by the plot, and I fully expect to enjoy the season's final two episodes. But regardless of the payoff or lack thereof, the journey has definitely been worthwhile.

For most series I've reviewed, this episode would unquestionably be a "10." But I didn't like it quite as much as What's Going On? or Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye, and I have a feeling that this is a series where I should be very stingy with full marks, or else I'll end up awarding full marks too often. So instead I'll give this a still very strong...


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye
Next Episode: Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes



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

1-6. Demons.

"And it was at this moment my child walked in

and asked what the people on screen were up to..."

Running Time: Approx. 52 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: The Wachowskis.


THE PLOT:

Nomi and Amanita visit their apartment and find all of their belongings either gone or ruined. A furious Nomi realizes that the people hunting her will not stop "unless we make them stop." Needing a safe place to stay, Amanita takes Nomi to hide out at the home of her mother (Maximilienne Ewalt) while they figure out their next move.

In London, Riley finds Nyx - the drug dealer her ex-boyfriend attempted to murder - waiting for her. She is able to channel Will's police training to escape, but is left on the run with no safe place to hide. In India, Kala is visited by Wolfgang, who tempts her even as Rajan urges her to complete their interrupted wedding. In Mexico, Lito, Hernando, and Dani are growing increasingly comfortable in their new relationship.

Meanwhile, Capheus' agreement with Silas takes a more serious turn, as the crime lord entrusts him with the protection of his daughter. And Sun confesses to her brother's crimes, only to immediately worry that she has made the worst mistake of her life...


CHARACTERS:

In my last review, I complained that Riley had been pushed so far into the background, she was at risk of becoming entirely redundant. This episode revives her thread in a memorable way. Nyx's interrogation with the plastic bag is allowed to run well past the point of being genuinely uncomfortable to watch, and the performances of Tuppence Middleton and Joseph Mawle are almost too good - As he placed the bag over her head for longer and longer periods, I almost felt like I needed to catch my breath.

Before that scene, Riley and Will share a bit of cross-continental flirtation. These two seem to be developing the same type of bond as Wolfgang and Kala, only they're more cute than carnal. Will tests that they aren't going crazy by plugging his number into her phone and having her call him, then passing the call to his partner, Diego (Ness Bautista) - simple but smart. I also suspect it will be important that Riley now has the means to directly contact Will. Oh, and her flipping from being indignant at Diego describin her as having "a weird accent" to declaring that she likes him when he says, "She sounds hot" is just one of many little bits that make this entire scene adorable.

Riley also seems to be the one of the eight most able/willing to visit the others. Her visit with Will in the first episode was the first direct contact we saw; and while Wolfgang and Kala have been mostly limited to visiting each other, Riley has by the end of this episode had notable interactions with Will, Capheus, and Sun, as well as sharing a smile with Nomi during Episode Four's singalong. She and Capheus are also the only ones we've seen who have neither resisted the visits or questioned their own sanity because of them.

Speaking of Capheus - I love the scene in which he meets Silas' daughter. Critically, we are shown the genuine bond between the crime boss and his cute little girl before Silas explains his love for his daughter, which makes it real in a way that the explanation alone would not accomplish. In a series that's loaded with parallels, the scene establishes yet another one: Even as Capheus makes his choices for his mother, so does Silas for his daughter. In a single scene, a stock gangster character becomes a human being, and also becomes a possible future for Capheus - If he continues on a criminal path, one can easily see the simple but brave bus driver eventually becoming the feared crime boss.

THOUGHTS:

Well, after the previous episode's pause for breath, I think we're officially getting on with it. Demons is again terrific, well-paced and turning successfully from charming character comedy to white-knuckled tension to eroticism without skipping a beat.

The decision in Episodes Two and Three to slow down and focus on some of the individual threads is now paying dividends. The last few episodes have been able to skip across all eight members of this "cluster" with absolute comfort, and with each episode we're left feeling like we know these eight (and the people in their orbits) just a little bit more. Amanita's mother is a good addition to the San Francisco strand, and it is refreshing to see a television show where a parent is absolutely accepting of their LGBT child and her partner - which at the same time makes a good counterpoint to Nomi's mother, who is anything but accepting of her.

Of course, just as it would be ridiculous to talk about Episode Four without mentioning the singalong, it would be equally ridiculous to discuss this episode without mentioning the sex scene. This is basically the singalong's erotic counterpoint. Lito and Hernando begin having sex at the same time as Nomi and Amanita, while Will lifts weights and Wolfgang basically relaxes in his comfortable nudity in a swimming pool. Soon we are moving among all of these characters, mixing them in with the partners from the other segments. Some react (Will is definitely startled; Wolfgang seems to be musing something along the lines of, "It must be Thursday"), others don't even seem to notice, but it all builds to a striking artistic tableaux.

The episode ends with several characters contemplating what they're going to do next; and since we seem to be at the point where events are starting to move more quickly, my guess is it won't be long before we find out.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Art Is Like Religion
Next Episode: W. W. N. Double-D?



Review Index

1-5. Art Is Like Religion

Capheus and Sun hold a 

conversation across two continents.

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


THE PLOT:

After escaping from the hospital, Nomi and Amanita seek refuge from friends, even as Nomi wonders whether Dr. Metzger might have been right. Amanita rejects that, instead insisting that something else is going on, and that they need to find out what.

In Germany, Wolfgang is summoned by his uncle, Sergei (Sylvester Groth) - the father of the man whose big score Wolfgang stole. Sergei is suspicious of Wolfgang, largely because the safe containing the diamonds was not blown, but cracked - despite being an uncrackable safe. When Felix makes light of the conversation, Wolfgang upbraids him, telling him that Sergei is no fool and is certainly having them watched.

Meanwhile, Sun and Capheus wrestle with difficult decisons; Lito finds his acting career complicated as he keeps sharing flashes of the others' lives; and the day of Kala's wedding finally arrives.


CHARACTERS:

To no one's surprise, Capheus' errand for Silas becomes more complicated than advertised. He is ambushed by members of the Superpower Gang, out for revenge. This time, he is not able to call on Sun for help and ends up in the dirt with Silas' package stolen. But even on his own, Capheus is not about to let go of the chance to get good medication for his mother. He chases the gang back to their base, smashes the back window of the car containing the bag, and runs for dear life. He may not have martial arts skills of his own, but his determination is unwavering, and Silas is suitably impressed.

The strongest parallels drawn are between Capheus and Sun. Both are faced with a choice between preservation of self and of family. For Capheus, the decision is easy. He has a loving mother, who has provided companionship, support, and a role model his entire life. For Sun, it's much more difficult. "My question is, am I the person who wants to see my brother punished, who wants to watch the business my father built be destroyed? Or am I the person who wants to save them, who will go to prison for them, even though they have been cruel to me for my entire life?"

Meanwhile, the bond between Wolfgang and Kala continues to be emphasized. Not that it stops Kala from moving forward with her wedding - After all, from her perspective, Wolfgang appears to be just "the singing man in (her) dream." She is not about to upend all her family's hopes and preparations based on a dream. At least, not until she is confronted with him, literally standing naked in front of her, demanding to know why she is marrying a man she does not love.


THOUGHTS:

The scene between Capheus and Sun is the episode's best moment. The two characters, initially the series' most neglected, have become among the series' strongest. The parallels between the open young man and the closed off businesswoman are skillfully established, and the situation of each speaks to that of the other. A nice touch is that we see the scene from two perspectives: From one angle, we are in Nairobi, the two actors bathed in warm sunlight. From another angle, we are in Seoul, the light much colder to match the city around them. The intercutting is so skillful, you don't even consciously register it at first. That blending of settings within a single, relatively simple conversation is the exact type of thing that sets this series apart.

The Capheus and Sun material is quite gripping overall, as we watch both characters being drawn down dark paths for entirely understandable reasons. Unfortunately, the rest of this episode is far less gripping. I noted in my review of What's Going On? that the end of that episode felt like the end of the series' First Act. That makes this episode the beginning of Act Two, and it largely feels like the show is pausing for breath before moving forward.

For the most part, the episode is just re-establishing the regulars. We see Will getting chewed out by his supervisor for ignoring chain of command in his attempts to see Jonas (note: This is entirely reasonable from his supervisor's point of view, and in fact it's a fairly mild verbal reprimand). Nomi and Amanita are hiding, and currently have no plan beyond Amanita's determination to find out exactly what is happening.

Lito is still trying to carry on with his movie star career, in scenes that are mostly played for laughs... Though I'll admit that some of these bits are funny, particularly as he tries to deal with the sensation of Sun's period and bursts into tears while doing a scene, then later shouts at traffic such ineffective invectives as: "I see you, villain, with your villain mustache!" Meanwhile, Tuppence Middleton's Riley, who received a great deal of attention in the premiere, has now spent four episodes pushed so firmly into the background that she's in danger of vanishing altogether.

The final major strand is Kala's wedding, and that subplot gets more screen time than in previous installments. However, I must confess that as of this point, her wedding is the thread that I'm least invested in. After five episodes of "I don't love him, but I'm marrying him anyway, unless I don't," I'm more than ready for her to just get on with it one way or another.

Ultimately, Art Is Like Religion is my least favorite episode since the first one, lacking much in the way of excitement or even strong character drama. As I've indicated, I think it's a deliberate pause for breath before getting on with the next Major Plot and Character Turns... But it's still noticeably less gripping than the preceding entries.


Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: What's Going On?
Next Episode: Demons



Review Index

1-4. What's Going On?

Wolfgang and Kala share a moment.

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


THE PLOT:

Sun finally is able to see her father, Kang Dae (Kyong Young Lee), and informs him that "the auditors already know." Her brother, Joong-Ki (Lee Ki-chan) has been embezzling money, too incompetently to even properly cover his tracks. "Someone is going to jail for it," Sun tells her father - And since her father has rarely so much as acknowledged her existence, the company will be better able to survive the scandal if she goes to prison, while her brother remains free.

In Kenya, Capheus' star has risen after his beating of the Superpower Gang. His bus is full of passengers now, all of them eager to travel on the safest bus around. But his actions have caught the eye of crime lord Silas Kabaka (Peter King Nzioki). Silas has an offer for Capheus - and he knows exactly the enticement the young man won't be able to refuse...

In Germany, Wolfgang and Felix decide to celebrate their caper with an expensive night on the town. In India, Kala draws nearer to the date of her wedding to Rajan (Purab Kohli), a man who is seemingly perfect in every way but for whom she feels nothing. In Chicago, Will manages to get some answers from Jonas, through unexpected means.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Nomi is being prepped for surgery, with no apparent hope of escape or rescue...


CHARACTERS:

Thus far, I haven't really mentioned Tina Desai's Kala in these reviews. She has not been the focus of a single episode, the plot of her unwanted wedding running very much in the background. In this episode, Rajan, her seemingly perfect fiancé, is very insistent that he wants to exchange rings as part of their ceremony.

"Married men in India don't wear rings. There is nothing to show their commitment. That is why I want one... I want the whole world to know I'm bound to this woman." His vehemence makes this statement feel a bit possessive, even sinister. This may be unintentional, and Rajan could well end up being the very nice guy he seems - But this is the first time I've actively felt something "off" about him. Meanwhile, a showstopping scene late in the episode emphasizes a connection between Kala and Wolfgang, visually establishing them as the very type of couple Rajan wants Kala and himself to be.

For his part, Wolfgang allows Felix to drag him along on a night of profligate spending. The entire time I was watching this strand, I was shaking my head; after snatching a heist out from under the nose of a dangerous criminal, surely the last thing you should do is draw attention to a sudden cash intake. There are no consequences in this episode, but I would be actively surprised if this night on the twon didn't come back to haunt both Wolfgang and Felix in the fairly near future.

Finally, this episode gives us a lot of time with Sun. Having established much of her personality in the previous installment, we now learn bits of her backstory. Rejected by her father in favor of her weaker and stupider brother, she has built up resentment toward them both - But also feels the weight of family obligation, something drilled into her by her late mother (Hye-Hwa Kim).


THOUGHTS:

What's Going On? is the best episode of the series to this point, and is the episode that inspired me to write these reviews instead of just watching the show (as I had originally intended). It is the first episode to offer a payoff to previously building threads. The scene between Will and Jonas provides a few answers, along with some helpful terminology - The eight main characters form a "cluster," able to share each others' lives and borrow skills. Jonas tells Will that he now has "seven other selves" - That the eight are no longer truly separate individuals, but rather parts of a whole (much like each of the eight threads is part of the whole that is this series).

This is the first episode since Limbic Resonance in which every one of the regulars gets at least one good scene. It's a noticeable contrast with that first episode.  Then, we knew none of the characters, so moving constantly from one to another was distancing - We were barely getting a chance to know one person before being introduced to the next. After the steady character building of Episodes 2 and 3, this episode is able to move from one character to the next without it being jarring or confusing. Since all strands are advanced, or at least touched on, What's Going On? goes by remarkably quickly.


WHAT'S UP?: MUSIC AND JAILBREAKS

Near the end of the episode is a purely cinematic sequence that I can't imagine working as well in another context. At the end of Wolfgang's night of excess, he and Felix end up singing karaoke... very, very badly. Wolfgang is ready to walk away from the stage, when the song, What's Up? by Four Non-Blondes comes on - at the exact same moment that Riley, in London, pulls up that song on her personal playlist. The song gets an enthusiastic reaction from Wolfgang's audience, and at the same time he is hearing it through Riley's headphones. So he sings. And we transition among all eight of the characters, each singing along with Wolfgang. Some of them start to visualize the others - Wolfgang and Kala definitely see each other, and sing to each other with broad smiles on their faces.

It's impossible to do the scene justice in a narrative description - Suffice to say, it is three glorious minutes in which the actors, the editing, the overall context of the story at this point, and the song itself fuse into something greater than the sum of those parts. It is, in a word, breathtaking.

And is followed up by the long-awaited rescue of Nomi from the hospital, with the assistance of Will, who takes control of her body long enough to free her from her restraints. She is able to make it to the hospital lobby, where Amanita, pretending to be a nurse, ferries her out of the building to a taxi.

With that running plot thread ended, and particularly punctuated by the previous musical set piece, it feels very much like an End of Act One. We've met all the characters. We know their basic situations. The Evil Conspiracy has at a minimum identified Nomi, who may now be free but will likely have to run fast and hide well to stay free. And both we and Will have at least some comprehension of the eight's abilities.

The episode ends with Nomi, still reciting the lyrics to the song, suddenly asking in all seriousness:

"What's going on?"


Rating: 10/10. Builds on the previous installments to deliver a truly great hour of television; the first episode to show that this series can truly be something special.


Previous Episode; Smart Money Is on the Skinny Bitch
Next Episode: Art Is Like Religion



Review Index