Sense8 (2015–)
	Rating: 8.1/10 (5,066 votes) Director: N/A Writer: J. Michael Straczynski, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Stars: Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai Runtime: 60 min Rated: N/A Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi Released: 05 Jun 2015
Plot: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.

On Saturday, Netflix suggested a new show by the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5), and because its premise sounded interesting, I gave it a shot and watched the first 3 episodes in one sitting (which is funny, since that’s exactly what a lot of the early reviewers out there did, too). The premise is interesting, the way these 8 very different people suddenly connect well-depicted (and it sure helped that they’re all very, very pretty *g*). Still, I wasn’t completely hooked, since only a couple of the storylines (most of all Nomi’s) really gripped me, although things definitely picked up towards the end of my first session – at least enough so I kept watching. And boy, am I glad I did, because in episode 4 I properly fell in love.

I’ll try not to spoil too much, but let me share some of the reasons why.

1. The diverse cast: I already mentioned the incredible attractiveness, par for the course for tv land, but other than that we get a nice variety of nationalities, sexualities and classes. There’s even a trans women played by an actual trans actress, which is awesome in and of itself. (Also, Jamie Clayton’s Nomi is in a breathtaking relationship with an absolutely kick-ass black lesbian played by none other than Freema Agyeman, Doctor Who‘s Martha Jones!)
Unfortunately Lana Wachowski has made some racist remarks, but luckily the show doesn’t share her failings.

2. The awesomeness of the characters: Seriously, I fell in love with every one of the eight ‘sensates’, even the ones that I was unsure about at first. They all have very different backgrounds and skill sets, and each one has some major problems going on (although luckily there’s still funny stuff going on, which is highly necessary given some of the subject matter). I can’t possibly give you a ranking, because every time I formed an opinion, someone else would do something so utterly amazing, my heart almost burst with love. 🙂

3. The quotableness: I’ve read some critiques of the dialogue, and yes, sometimes it’s rather cliché. However, that is more than made up for by the vast number of great quotes – either laugh-out-loud funny (“I feel bloated today.”), badass (“Smart money is on the skinny bitch.”) or heartrendingly true (“That locker room might’ve made my father the man he is… but it also made me the woman that I am.”)

4. The way every detail is important: At first I thought the show spent an inordinate amount of time having the characters just go about their lives instead of furthering the plot – but especially now that I’ve started re-watching (what? I said I was in love? *g*) every thing makes sense and pays off later. I’m pretty sure we have JMS to thank for that.

5. The sense of place: It’s the Wachowskis, so needless to say the cinematography is breathtaking. They also filmed on location all around the world, and it shows, anchoring every character in a real place and in the process making them feel more real themselves. (Also, a majority of the main and supporting cast are from their characters’ countries, which is kind of nice.)

6. The unexpected optimism: Yes, the show is dark (I dare you not to be horrified over Nomi’s hospitalisation or Wolfgang’s childhood!), but very often I sat there, waiting for the other shoe to drop (because that’s what tv is like these days – always making the unpleasant choice), and instead, people actually surprised me by behaving like decent human beings. And when bad stuff happened (which it did, frequently, especially in later episodes), it got resolved, usually by the sensates banding together with awesome results. I also thank JMS for this (B5 was similarly good with pay-offs), as the show could easily have gone the Lost route, piling a mystery on top of a secret on top of a conundrum.

7. The pretty and the loving: Have I mentioned how attractive the cast is? And since the whole premise of the show rests on the connection the sensates share, they all get to play off each other – and they all have great chemistry. Each relationship is different (often subtly so, since not everyone shares the same amount of screen time together), but they’re all beautiful, because it’s obvious that those eight people love each other deeply, unconditionally. There are also romantic relationships, both in and outside of the cluster, and the show certainly has no qualms showing us the sexual side of things. Straight, gay, lesbian, heck, there’s even an incredibly sensual orgy (aka a “clusterfuck” – heh!)… Doubtlessly the sex is too explicit for some – but where I’m concerned, if they can show graphic (seriously graphic!) violence, they can also show grown-up people enjoying consensual grown-up sex. Especially when it always means something (see item 4).

Okay, I could go on, but I won’t. Instead, if you like sci-fi type shows that focus on characters and can stomach the darkness (seriously, all sorts of TRIGGER WARNINGS apply!), I recommend you spend the 11 or so hours it takes to watch all 12 episodes. And then you can join me in re-watching – and praying for a second season! 🙂