{"id":7380,"date":"2019-08-23T13:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T20:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7380"},"modified":"2019-08-19T12:51:05","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T19:51:05","slug":"mark-watches-sense8-s02e12-amor-vincit-omnia-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/08\/mark-watches-sense8-s02e12-amor-vincit-omnia-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Sense8’: S02E12 – Amor Vincit Omnia, Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first part of the Sense8<\/i> series finale, this is already too much, and I still have so much more to go. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Sense8<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of torture, nonconsensual medical procedures<\/b>.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all coming together, friends! Look, I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even watched the entirety of this finale, and I already know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thankful that the special is as long as it is. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much ground that this finale needs to cover, and in just these brief 51 minutes, the show JETTISONS FORWARD. Oh, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so very exciting!!!<\/p>\n

Paris<\/b><\/p>\n

The cluster\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first meeting happened so fast at the end of the last episode, though I understand why. It was part of the trick pulled on Whispers and the audience, since we were so used to seeing them \u00e2\u20ac\u0153visit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d one another. Realizing they were physically in the same location was powerful to watch, and that energy carries over into this special. I just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get over the fact that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all in the same home! That most of the time, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not visiting anyone (though that does still happen), but actually<\/i> interacting with them in person. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s magical. Thrilling. SO DAMN EXCITING. And what a great place to set the beginning of this story. (I say that because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m anticipating they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to travel elsewhere to find Wolfgang, since I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that facility is in Paris.) Paris feels big and strange and exciting, and then it has a wonderful personal meaning for Amanita, which allows for her and Nomi to bond further over their love for one another with the Eiffel Tower in view. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Into the Fold<\/b><\/p>\n

Three separate sets of people are finally, FINALLY added into the fold of the group, and the script for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Amor Vincit Omnia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d handles them each in various ways. Early in the special, we get a scene of Lito describing the basic features of the cluster to Daniela and Hernando, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear this wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the first conversation. Since the group is plotting out what they know of BPO and the mysterious Chairman, Lito has to help them understand how Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s conversation works when the other sensates aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in the room. Later, Bug, who already knew the truth, gets to experience seven of the cluster in person and<\/i> together for the first time, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a touching moment. Especially the line between him and Lito! The only one we get to see more or less live is Rajan, but more on that in a second.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite things about how this is done is that the group just readily accepts these people in to their inner circle without any grief. Neets is right in the midst of the action, but then again, she always has<\/i> been, hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t she? She was one of the first (actually, probably the<\/i> first) non-sensate to learn about this cluster, right? Maybe my memory is off, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I recall. ANYWAY. Yes. YES. I love big group dynamics like this.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two Prisoners<\/b><\/p>\n

Lord, do I love some good visual storytelling. You can tell a whole lot about how the cluster feels towards Jonas and Whispers based entirely on how they are kept. Honestly! Strip out all the dialogue, and just give me the sets, the design of the rooms, the wardrobe\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all there. Whispers is kept in a room that seems to be falling apart; his glasses are still shattered; shadows lurk in the corners. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s treated with no respect, no kindness, no consideration, and most importantly: Kala developed liquid blockers to inject in him to keep him from connecting with anyone else. He still manages to be terrifying and intimidating, even when stuck in such a powerless situation, so THERE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S THAT.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast to this, Jonas is in a room that is well-lit. Well-stocked. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still chained up, yes, but at least he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on a bed and not in\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. A shadow basement from Hell? The dialogue is a sign of this as well; Will taunts Whispers, but, through Nomi, will interrogates Jonas. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a different kind of forceful, and it speaks to how Jonas is viewed.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Angelica<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always interesting to have a major character appear in a story when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not alive. Since the first scene of the show, Angelica has been a specter of sorts, an image from the past, but still very much a part of the present. Her mysterious intentions have also comprised a great deal of the conflict at the heart of the show, too. Why<\/i> did she work with Whispers? Why did she seem to hand her cluster to BPO, and how was the cluster she birthed supposed to reckon with this?<\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious as to why Jonas finally opened up. Exhaustion? Perhaps this was yet another chance for him to demonstrate to the cluster that he was<\/i> on their side, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m choosing to believe what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s said before, that we may not understand him, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing the right thing. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an echo of what we learn of Angelica, who used some of Whispers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s research to discover a means of locating her cluster. And what a profound statement in doing so: We are bonded to one another by pain more than anything else. Because of course<\/i> we are! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just that Whispers has now taken this technology and Angelica\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discovery, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used it to hunt sensates as the Cannibal. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used it to develop a drone program that can commit any act that is desired of them, and do so without fear of repercussion. The plan is flawed<\/i>, though, since Whispers is the only person able to control the drones, and the cluster\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possession of Whispers has granted them some actual leverage.<\/p>\n

But what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the endgame here? To have more people like Whispers controlling the drones? WHO IS THE CHAIRMAN?<\/p>\n

Cooped Up<\/b><\/p>\n

From a more realistic standpoint, I appreciated that this script openly acknowledged how challenging it was for these characters to discard their lives to be in Paris. Yes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wonderful that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all together, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m loving every second of it, but also: Lito just got cast in an incredibly important role. Capheus has a campaign to run. Kala left behind a husband and a job. The remaining characters are used<\/i> to being on the run! So it felt real<\/i> to see Lito, Kala, and Capheus trying to cope with having to put their lives on hold. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stray from the core reason they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re there, though, and Will helps remind them of that. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to save Wolfgang. But it does bring up an interesting question: Can these people ever have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153normal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d life again?<\/p>\n

Rajan<\/b><\/p>\n

Can I just first state that nothing is funnier in this episode than Rajan walking past the kitchen to the sight of Sun holding a knife? IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO DAMN HILARIOUS. And while Rajan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arrival is mostly played for humor at first, the show doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deny how intense and important this moment is. One thing that makes it clear how much Rajan loves Kala is how quickly he comes to accept and believe what she has told him, despite that it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make much sense to him. Well, sort of<\/i>, since he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s able to remember moments where Kala was behaving strangely. Unfortunately, Kala doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell him the whole truth, but in hindsight, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure that it was the right time. Like, she just<\/i> told him about being a different species, that she and the others are being hunted, and that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to rescue another friend. Maybe not the best time to admit that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in love with the guy you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to save? But I also imagine that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to happen REAL SOON, since there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not much left in this special?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sometimes challenging to deal with splits, since I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m only analyzing part<\/i> of the story, not the whole thing. I know there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much more to come, and I can see the set-up for it. The cluster is ever closer to the Chairman, to finding out how all these pieces fit together. And then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jonas, who ESCAPED. What the hell is he gonna do??? WHERE IS HE GONNA GO???<\/p>\n

The first part of the finale can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now OUT!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"