Insensed 8...

Last week I went back to watch some old shows while I wait for "Godzilla Minus One" to come to streaming- Which I am really looking forward to. In the mean whiles, I decided to take a break from my murder porn (investigation ID true crime shows) as I am pretty sure the F.B.I. has me on some sort of watch-list by now. 

So what else is there to watch when you have watched the good stuff and need a fix?

Old shows, re-runs of course, those shows that are sitting on the back burner waiting for another shot, waiting for a second time to shine. Lonely shows hiding in the backs of our playlists, looking for some more love in their forgotten little slots where they are missing the lime-light. 

I went through my list of favorites, a not too sizable amount. I looked at my usuals- Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, LOTR, Altered Carbon, Stranger Things, 1899, Vikings, and ad nauseum... I wasn't really feeling any of them. Then, there on the bottom of the play list I saw it. A show I haven't since it came out: Sense8.  

I remember really liking this show and being super mad that it was never completed. the show was written for five seasons, three never got made because the show was too "expensive." Netflix didn't like shelling out all that cash for the "Wachowskis" to play around with radical and complex concepts. That's right, Sense8 is from the same people that brought you "The Matrix". So pricey it was canceled, but the fans came at Netflix with teeth bared and fists up, with such fervor that a two hour special was greenlit to give them closure. The special isn't what we all wanted, but the show... wow.

So lets kick this review off and get into the nitty gritty, here we go.

First off, this is one of the most unique shows ever made. The concept in and of it's self is something vastly different than any other show out there. Also, there is a ton of weird exploratory shit in it, which to be honest is most likely the real reason it was canceled. But it's also what we would expect from the Wachowskis. I usually don't spoil things, but this is one that needs context, I will give a quick rundown and then go through the components of the show.

First off, this show is about a species of man called homo sensorium that has been living among the homo sapiens parallel to us and evolving in tandem with us. These humans are born in clusters of eight, who are born all around the world, but at the same time. They are also separate but connected to each other by a psychic network that functions like that of a mycelium (mushrooms). They can use it to visit each other, share their skills and there language, or be drawn in in times of trauma. 

They are hidden from the rest of the humans and only they share the connection. Everything is hunky-dory then right? No! Of course not, they are being hunted because homo sapiens are afraid of everything- especially what they don't understand. 

Okay, that's the brief run down. This is the shows biggest weakness because the concept is explained as the show unfolds. The first four or five episodes are really hard to follow, most people gave up on it. Those that made it through the first few episodes, were in for a treat. 

The writing in this show is great, really. I rarely say that about anything, but this show has some top notch writing. It achieves a balance that most modern shows do not. The writers on this show have done a very good job of showing enough so that they didn't have to use the characters to explain things- like meat puppets with vocab. Sense8 is a dialogue driven show, there isn't a narrative talking over the characters to "help" the audience. You are on your own when you watch this show. Again, because the concept is so far out there, this is where a lot of people dropped out. The other place being the topics addressed, and there are a ton of them- homosexuality, transgenderism, voyeurism, cultural boundaries, AIDS in the third world, social and political stances, ageism, and so on. None of these are explained in the scripts, the dialogue is the only cue to let you in on what is being addressed. This led to some VERY risqué sex scenes, lets just call them "orgies in hot tubs", people had a whole lot of problems with this. I don't feel that it ruined the show at all, but there were a lot of Karens who turned hulk out on this one. 

The cinematography is spectacular in this show. One of the expenses of the show was travel, it was a huge expense. Rather than ad-libbing the locations with greenscreen and CGI, they filmed everything on site. This wound up being the reason that Netflix said made the show too expensive. There was a lot of flying around the world, and then flying back, and then flying sideways, and then bring the film crew and the writers, and the... you get the idea. The upside is that this show is super authentic. Nothing feels jarring or out of place. It feels real, because it is real. Sweeping shots of Icelandic scenery, Overhead views of Nairobi, Scrolling shots of Market places in Seoul, well choregraphed fight scenes in Berlin, they were all real, shot on location. It works so much better that ad-libbing. 

The music, oh my god. I love the music in this show. There is a scene with "What's up?" by "Four non-blonds" which was so good, that I kept watching the show. But overall the sound track to this show is great, especially the ukulele rendition of Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland). The use of music in this show was so well thought out that there are are sections that gave me the feels just because of the sound track. The sound track is epic.  

The acting is wonderful in this show. Each actor was selected, again, for authenticity. And each actor fits the role perfectly except one; Cepheus, who left the show after the first season due creative differences. All the other actors in the show really put everything into it. Especially the bad guy "Whispers", who is one of the most sinister villains of all time. Each line of dialogue is not just crafted for the character played, but the actor as well. This makes for a seamless experience for the viewer. Even the language barriers are address in the scripting. It is fluid, it is poignant, and it makes sense to the action on screen. Actors cry when they should, they fight how they should, they have character clashes as they should, resolutions are mostly not easy or over with quickly. When you see the acting, for the most part, you believe it. 

The action is "bravo" in this show. It is used sparingly, but when it happens it is brilliant. Most of this show is not action, it is character development, so when the action happens, you fuckin' notice it! Especially when it happens in Berlin (one of the characters lives in Berlin), or when it takes place in Kenya... actually, it's good no matter where it happens. This is the Wachowski's we're talking about, much like James Cameron, they invent the shot and the tech to film it. So, yeah, it works out well.

This show is not perfect, there are a number of cons to it. The first is that it was never finished. It was written to be syndicated, so there were five seasons planned. Netflix pulled the plug after two seasons so we never got to see the whole story arc. When the show was terminated, the fans got up in arms, and a closing 2 hour special was filmed to finish the series. The problem is, the last episode is clearly 3 seasons packed into two hours. It does not match the show. In fact it is kind of garbage. It gives closure, "kind-of" but just lacks the soul of the main episodes. Sure things get tied off, but it does not retain the authenticity of the main episodes. So, "it's poop", in other words, not rough enough to be shit, but pretty close. The other problem this show has is that if you don't have a very open mind, and you aren't of the tolerant type, the sex in this show can be overwhelming. Sometimes, I don't think it's necessary, but it is stylized and well thought out. The love interests in this show are well paired and if sex interests you, this show has plenty of it. All of it is done very well, however not all of it is necessary. The last thing that bothered me about this show was that some of the scenes were a little over the top. Some of the acting was a little too much. I will leave it at that, because anything more would be spoiling the show.    

The overall rating I give this show is excellent, if I consider the last episode as something other than the show. I really wish certain story lines had been developed and completed. I would even give it a 90% for the concept alone. I think 90% is actually where it belongs overall. To anyone out there who likes off the beaten path science fiction drama shows, this is for you. I recommend it, stick with it past the first three episodes, after that, you will not be disappointed (until the last episode). 

Until next time...

Cheers!