In the seventh episode of the first season of Sense8, THIS IS TOO MUCH. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Sense8.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of domestic abuse, transphobia/transmisogyny, gore, consent, suicide.
HOLY SHIT, THIS WAS SO GOOD.
Sun
It’s very surreal to me to see where Sun’s story has gotten to because I honestly didn’t expect this would happen. But the writers have committed to the fact that Sun has made the choice to take the fall for her brother, which is nicely paralleled with Nomi’s decision from years earlier. I’m interested, then, to see how she’ll play a larger part in the story if she’s the sole character unable to leave her location. She’s in prison, y’all! Life there is not like what I expected, especially since she so quickly receives support from her fellow inmates. I’m also guessing she’s going to stand up to that one prisoner who bullies the one who helps her learn how to sew. But what can Sun do about her own predicament? Will she stick to her decision through the end of this season?
Riley
Of course, as soon as a genuinely nice thing happens, EVERYTHING GOES TO SHIT. Gods, I just adore all the scenes between Riley and her father, and I get now that we were meant to. Riley sought out safety in her father and in Iceland, and she found it, if only for one night. Was that Angelica visiting her? WHY SHOULD SHE HAVE NOT COME BACK?
Will
It’s really goddamn cool that these characters are getting closer to discovering the truth about themselves and their situation. While I’ll devote more time to Nomi’s part in this, I wanted to acknowledge Will’s attempt to decipher the mystery of Angelica’s death. He’s tracking the evidence left behind in a different way than Nomi, but it’s leading him to the massive and powerful organization that’s seeking out and debilitating the sensates. Well… sort of, but more on that later. I admit it’s definitely intriguing to me to see Will navigate this through the challenges of his job, especially since it’s only a matter of time before the Chicago PD turns against him. That’s inevitable, isn’t it? I don’t know if Diego will, too, or if he’ll choose to believe his partner, especially since Will is taking more and more risks as this unfolds.
Capheus
Good things happen, and then REALLY BAD THINGS HAPPEN. I though that Silas brought Capehus to his daughter’s party to share in the celebration as a thanks for what he’d done (and done well). AND THEN HE DEMONSTRATES THE PRICE OF BETRAYAL AND DISLOYALTY AND SOMEONE GETS THEIR HANDS CHOPPED OFF IN FRONT OF CAPHEUS AND I AM NOT OKAY WHAT THE FUCK. That’s the risk Capheus is taking by working for Silas, and Silas didn’t want Capheus to forget that. FUCKED UP, Y’ALL.
Kala and Wolfgang
I feel a little better about their pairing through the cluster because the writers give Kala a chance to defend herself and what she chooses to believe in. It feels like an acknowledgment of the implications of having a white Westerner try to lecture a woman from India about intelligence, faith and sex. Just because Kala is certain that Ganesha has blessed her with the miracle of being a sensate doesn’t mean she’s a fool or that she’s inferior to the very same science that she studies and uses on a day-to-day basis. This whole sequence unfolds as Wolfgang sits on the roof of a building in Bombay, and it’s gorgeous. I loved the story that Kala told about that experience she had at a Holi parade because it showed us that the grandeur of the moment helped her believe in Ganesha.
And there’s no problem with that. If anything, Wolfgang understands Kala better and how she can be both a scientist and religious. Both systems are full of mysteries and the unexplained, so why can’t she have both in her life? But that’s another question the show is inevitably going to have to ask, too. How can she have Rajan in her life if she’s attracted to Wolfgang, too?
Lito
Well, I’m surprised. I admit it! I think this episode does a much better job of defining Daniela’s role within the couple’s life, especially when it comes to her actions during the sex scene in the last episode. Initially, we’re shown how Daniela’s presence can allow Hernando to finally go out in public with his boyfriend: he can pretend to be Lito’s bodyguard. AND HE’S SURPRISINGLY GOOD AT IT. Thus, with Daniela at his side, Lito and Hernando are able to enjoy time together in a capacity they never have before. And it’s wonderful. Is it optimal? Of course not, but that moment where they grasped hands under the table was so goddamn powerful that I understood what it meant for them. They’d literally never gone on a date.
Unfortunately, Joaquin’s obsession with Daniela ruins everything. The guy is such a misogynist creep that he actually justifies his abuse of Daniela by claiming he was raised that way, as if that excuses him hitting Daniela. Of course, until the end of the episode, Joaquin still thinks that Lito stole his woman, and he could not be further from the truth. WHICH IS WHY THE TWIST AT THE END OF THIS EPISODE IS SO AWFUL. So, we have confirmation that Lito and Hernando had no idea that Daniela took photos of them, and I am glad that this is portrayed as a horrible thing. Daniela is instantly apologetic about it and rushes off to try to fix it. Which also scares me! She’s running back to her abusive ex, and that’s a frightening situation. Joaquin is fucking horrible, and I don’t like the thought of Daniela being anywhere near him. But the man knows he’s manipulating all of these people to get precisely what he wants. UGH, SOMEONE DESTROY HIM.
Nomi
I’M JUST SO HAPPY THAT A TRANS WOMAN IS GIVEN SUCH A HUGE AND MEANINGFUL PART OF THIS SHOW. This episode in particular is utterly upstaged by Nomi, Amanita, and Amanita’s mother. Every scene of theirs is the most exciting, the most revealing, and the most thrilling. Even though Nomi kept her life as a hacker as a secret from Amanita, Amanita offers up nothing but support and understanding. Well, she also defends her girlfriend against Bug’s casual transmisogyny. I just adore that we don’t have to go through the familiar and tiring routine of forcing a character to justify themselves every step of the way.
No, Amanita and her mother offer up the space and the means for Nomi to track down the people responsible for trying to ruining her life. That’s a gift, y’all, and I love that it’s happening. It’s also goddamn entertaining, especially if you think of Nomi and Amanita in terms of the Nancy Drew references made here. They’re a lesbian crime-fighting duo, and it’s beautiful. SO BEAUTIFUL. This is also the episode where a sensate makes the biggest leap forward in discovering the people and organization hunting them down. AND IT’S FUCKING UNREAL. We all knew that Dr. Metzger was a terrible person who performed lobotomies on sensates to deprive them of their powers. The introduction of Niles just seemed to confirm that.
NOPE. NO. OH MY GOD. Who the fuck is Whispers??? He’s got to be in charge of this organization, since he seems to appear everywhere. I’m also guessing he is a sensate himself, but this episode reveals something new: HE CAN CONTROL SENSATES. How else do I explain that last scene? He controlled Niles so that Niles would execute Dr. Metzger, and then forced Niles to turn the gun on himself. The whole sequence is one of the scariest things in this whole show, and WE ARE IN A WHOLE NEW PLACE NOW. Oh my god, I’M FRIGHTENED OF THE FUTURE.
The video for “W. W. N. Double D?” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
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– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Kings, season 1 of Sense8, season 1 of Agent Carter, seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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