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

2-11. 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

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

Wolfgang gets caught in an assassin's trap.

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


THE PLOT:

Jonas is alive.

Though the group was certain they had witnessed his death, he reveals that he was saved through the intervention of BPO's Chairman. He is still BPO's prisoner, forced to work with them, but he is alive - and Whispers' position may not be quite so secure as he had believed.

Meanwhile, having been dropped by his agent, Lito decides that his career is over and wallows in self-pity and comfort food. But his skills may soon be needed. Sun's brother is soon to attend a function, and Nomi and Amanita have found a way to smuggle Sun in with the help. The catch? She will have to pose as a bartender, which will only be possible if she borrows the skills Lito learned on the set of a previous movie.

Capheus is drawing attention in his bid for public office, but is also drawing a backlash from his opponent, seeking to paint the upstart bus driver as a "thug" who extorts protection money from his neighbors. As Capheus absorbs this, he receives a visit at gunpoint by the leader of the Superpower Gang, who lets him know in no uncertain terms that his life is in danger - but that he also has support in some unexpected places.

Finally, in Berlin, Wolfgang realizes that Lila, the sensate assassin, is planning to play him off against gang leader Sebastian Fuchs (Lars Eidinger) - all to further her dream of transforming Berlin into a haven for sensates. She hopes to enlist Wolfgang to her cause - But will settle for eliminating him to remove the threat he poses!


CHARACTERS:

Nomi is rather adorable in this episode, from accidentally waking Sun and begging her not to hit her to admitting that time zones confuse her to her clutziness in high heels. When Amanita tries to relax her nerves, correctly diagnosing that she's worried about seeing her parents again, Nomi observes that Amanita knows her in ways her Cluster never will.  Speaking of Amanita, at this point she could be considered an honorary member of the Cluster.  When Nomi knocks herself out of action near the end, Amanita effectively fills her role via FaceTime (with an assist from Bug), which ends up working seamlessly.

Lito's self-pity is amusing, and Miguel Angel Silvestre continues to show a genuine knack for comedy. The scene in which he curls up on Sun's bed, clutching a stuffed animal and crying, is genuinely funny, with Sun alternating between exasperation and compassion in her response to him. At the end of the scene, after Sun has spelled out exactly how much worse her situation is than Lito's, he passes her the stuffed animal and grabs another one for himself.

My favorite part of the episode is, of course, the standoff between Wolfgang and Lila at the end. But there's a great character moment before the shooting starts, when Lila tries to persuade him to become a "king" for Berlin. He dismisses that as fantasy, telling her Berliners always ultimately reject would-be kings. When she tells him that he's not like other people, he dismisses her by replying, "You are." The great thing about a character who says little - When he talks, his words are never wasted.


THOUGHTS:

When Jonas returned at the very end of the previous episode, my first thought was that he was another kind of "meat puppet" for Whispers to use to try to ensnare the Cluster. When he coldly referred to Will as "Officer Gorski" at the start of this episode, I was certain my suspicions were about to be confirmed.

Instead, we discover that he is another kind of puppet - kept alive for the benefit of "The Chairman" (whom I do hope we meet before the series ends), as a potential check on Whispers. Later in the episode, Will gets a glimpse of Whispers, hiding with his family in a hotel room. His wife and daughter are losing patience with the disruptions to their lives, and he is losing patience with them, shouting that all he is doing is to "protect this family!" Will realizes that Whispers is just as much a prisoner of circumstance as he is, or as Jonas is.

These revelations are intriguing, likely setting up major plot developments for the finale. The episode also sets up other strands. Kala's husband comes home bleeding, then later takes an angry midnight phone call, both of which he lies about (and not very well, so at least Kala can take comfort in knowing that Rajan is a lousy liar). In the midst of Lito's epic self-pity, Dani and Hernando observe that his Sao Paolo speech has generated a lot of buzz, and that his situation is actually much better than he thinks; it's just that Lito is unable to see this in the midst of his wallowing. And of course, we set up the inevitable conversation between Sun and her brother.  With only a handful of episodes left, I actively hope they don't set up anything else - These strands and the BPO arc are already quite a lot to resolve in the four remaining installments.

In short, this is a transitional episode, carefully moving pieces into place. The kinetic action climax aside, this installment exists to get the characters ready for the season's final Act.  The script offers some amusing bits of comedy alongside several good character exchanges. But transitional episodes never are the ones that leave you breathless, and despite the fantastic final scene, this episode is no exception. It does its job well - But when I think back on this series after completing it, I doubt there is much my mind will cling to from this particular piece.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode; I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate
Next Episode: What Family Actually Means



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

1-10. 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

1-5. 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

1-1. Limbic Resonance.

Angelica (Daryl Hannah) on the last night of her life.

Running Time: Approx. 67 minutes. Written by: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: The Wachowskis.


THE PLOT:

Late at night in an abandoned church in Chicago, a woman named Angelica (Daryl Hannah) prepares to shoot herself. Her lover, Jonas (Naveen Andrews) appears, telling her that "it has to be now" and that she can give "them" a chance. Her pursuer (Terrence Mann) appears. He is dismissive of Angelica's suicide threat, noting that she has made such threats before. But this time, she means it. She puts the gun in her mouth (actually not a reliable suicide posture, as Larry McMurtry famously pointed out in Dead Man's Walk) and pulls the trigger.

Eight people in various parts of the world have visions of her suicide: Chicago police officer Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith), San Francisco lesbian Nomi (Jamie Clayton), London DJ Riley Blue (Tuppence Middleton), Mexican actor Lito Rodriguez (Miguel Silvestre), German safecracker Wolfgang Bogdanow (Max Riemelt), Indian woman Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai), Korean businesswoman Sun Bak (Doona Bae), and Kenyan bus driver Capheus Onyango (Aml Ameen). As the eight go about their entirely separate daily lives, they keep seeing flashes of Angelica, and even of each other.

Timing that may prove tricky for a few of them, as Riley's boyfriend pulls her into the orbit of drug dealer Nyx (Joseph Mawle), while Wolfgang and his friend Felix (Maximilian Mauff) prepare to snatch a big score out from under the nose of Wolfgang's insufferable criminal cousin, Steiner (Christian Oliver).

Meanwhile, Will discovers the site of Angelica's shooting, and realizes that his visions are not just dreams after all...


CHARACTERS:

They are all pretty much in sketch form in this episode, which is not surprising since even with extra runtime, the job of establishing eight different characters in eight different settings and situations is daunting. Each character is given some "hook" to earn our empathy. Wolfgang may be a criminal, but he doesn't come across as being as odious as Steiner and we learn enough about his family life to see him as fully human. Will breaks procedure and risks the ire of fellow officers by saving a wounded youth in a gang area. Nomi recalls being deeply touched when her girlfriend, Amanita (Freema Agyeman) stood up for her at a previous Pride event. And so on - We spend more time with some than with others, but we touch long enough on each of them to be able to feel some measure of sympathy. For a first episode tasked with doing so much, that is enough.


THOUGHTS:

I've currently watched the first four episodes of Sense8. I had no intention of doing reviews - It was just a show I'd been interested in that I finally decided to watch. The end of Episode Four made me decide to go further, and actually write reviews of the show as I watch - more on that when I review that episode, but anyone who's seen the show probably knows which scene pushed this series from simply "view it" to "review it."

The series is the brainchild of The Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski. So on the one hand, it's brought to us by the creators of The Matrix and Babylon 5... Though on the other hand, it's also brought to us by the creators of Jupiter Ascending and... well, I can't think of a comparable JMS title, so I'll settle for the competent-but-uninspiring Jeremiah. The series ran for two seasons on Netflix, before finally being canceled due to the extreme expense of the production (around $9 million per episode)... Though fan outcry eventually resulted in a wrap-up movie, so at least I know I'm not going into something that will remain unresolved.

With the best will in the world, this first episode is a difficult one. With not only eight characters, but eight separate settings, I doubt there was a way around that. Episode One was always going to be limited to setting up the characters, building a tiny bit of mystery, and not much else. The opening scenes, with Angelica, are intriguing but also oddly distancing, and for the first half of the episode I will admit to wondering if I would be continuing with this series as I watched in 10 - 15 minute snippets.

The second half of the episode settles into a more comfortable dramatic rhythm, as the script settles on the most immediately accessible characters. Will presents viewers with the comfortably familiar protagonist figure of a police officer, and the script puts him in a sympathetic dramatic position when he insists on running a boy with a gunshot injury to the hospital - violating procedure because it is the only way the boy will get medical attention fast enough to save his life. Wolfgang and Riley spend the last part of the episode in situations that carry an immediate threat of danger, raising tension just as it is badly needed. An end connection between Will and Riley, followed by a bout of sudden violence that leads into the cliffhanger, conclude the episode on a strong note.

The episode presents barriers to viewing, and I would advise any new viewer to stick with it for at least three installments. Limbic Resonance is, on its own, best viewed as a foundation (really, part of a foundation) for what is to come. It is interesting, but not particularly immediately gripping... Though I suspect it plays better on rewatch, once you actually know who these eight characters are.


Rating: 6/10. The foundation is there... But I suspect a lot of viewers of Episode One did not stick around for Episode Two.


Next Episode: I Am Also a We



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