Sense8 Neflix Series Review

In every science fiction tale about any form of accelerated human evolution, think Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) or Transcendence (Johnny Depp), the process of accessing that type of knowledge, power and connection in a single human entity has always resulted in death.

Now imagine a more simplistic yet similar concept, except, instead of it occurring within one person, it occurs among groups of eight individuals in a slow shared process of evolution. Now what types of evolution are we seeing here? Powers to be everywhere and anywhere at once? Powers to absorb and retain extensive knowledge? To be super strong, fast, and agile?

It all starts in 2015 when Angelica violently gives birth to her first cluster of eight, before committing suicide. Instantly gripped and confused, we meet the sensates Will, Riley, Lito, Sun, Wolfgang, Kala, Nomi and Capheus. Thereafter, the main plot plays along predictably as the sensates must evade an evil medical organisation, intent on biopsying their brains, in league with the government.

With the vague and disjointed clues provided by Jonas, Angelica’s cluster member, we see the sensates discover their telepathic connection which allows them to share bodily experiences through a phenomenon called limbic resonance. As they evolve, we see the worst of the vastly different character’s chaotic, action-packed dysmorphia, as well as their emotional, and limbic resonance and the things they inevitably share in common as human beings.

Although admittedly, I’m surprised there was any commonality at all, other than how some the sensates have the idealistic skill sets to create a team with a cop, a hacker, a martial artist, a medic, a good liar, an optimist and the slightly crazy one. Think Ocean’s Eleven or A-Team-compatibility.

Will is a cop in Chicago, USA, with the legacy of an injured cop father to live up to at work. In a city plagued with gang violence and police-gang animosity, Will navigates the system as justly as possible despite residual anger from his father, as his injuries were sustained during duty in gang territory.

Riley was born in Iceland but moved to London after a mysterious tragedy struck. She DJs in London clubs and has fallen into crowds with money and drugs, in an attempt to escape her pain. “In Iceland they say: It's not the drugs which make a drug addict, it’s the need to escape reality.”

“We will all be judged by the courage of our hearts”, he declared gallantly as he glided past the numerous pistols aimed at his head to race to his love, before sweeping her into his arms passionate kissing her. Lito is a closet-gay, Mexican actor who’s dashing and masculine roles inspire the nation. He’s good at playing brave characters but scared his sexuality will compromise his career and his characters. Every one of his scenes play out with the dramatic finesse of only the best telenovelas.

Sun is tossed to the sharks when she takes the fall for her brother’s embezzlement at her family company, so it will still have a male heir. She experiences a lot of familial misogyny as her mother died when she was younger, leaving her father bitter.

Wolfgang is part of a German mafia family of locksmiths and safe-crackers. After the death of his abusive father, his revenge plan to crack the safe his father never could, leads him into the underworld of syndicates and politics he never prepared for.

Kala is a driven worker at a pharmaceutical company, who catches the eye of the heir and receives a proposal. Through a Bollywood-worthy musical number we watch them get engaged and face challenges with family politics and different belief systems. However, her adamance in her beliefs and her feeling always remain her priority. “You sent me college to get an education, not a husband! “she scolds her dad.

Capheus immigrated to Nairobi city after experiencing tribal discrimination after his father’s death. He runs a transportation business with his bus ‘Van Damme’. In an effort to receive medication to treat his mother’s AIDS, he begins working for a locally-feared crime boss.

Nomi is a transgender lesbian living in Los Angeles, USA. After years of feeling incomplete and resorting to juvenile hacking, Nomi was born. Despite resistance from her mother, she goes through her transition, finds her partner, Amanita, builds her blog about LGBTQ+ rights and awareness, attends her first Pride and learns how discomfort is also a sign of growth. “I am not just me, I am also a ‘we’.”

So how do they evolve?

If I had to think about the significance of the pronoun ‘we’ before this series, my sci-fi filled brain went straight to a classic hive mind, but after watching this I understand the type of empathy and awareness a ‘we’ entails even if it isn't that extreme. As we learn from all the chaos, and mixed emotions which brings the characters together, “The engine of evolution is variation”.

Despite so many variations in lifestyle, nationality, occupation, gender, sexuality, and beliefs which range from religion, ethnic fables and faith, to facts, evidence, science and technology, this series showed the power of sensational unity.