Sense8 (Netflix Series)
- Thread starter Vivek
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rodneyfaile
Sr Member
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
The Wachowskis have never let me down. I'll tune in.
The Wachowskis have never let me down. I'll tune in.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
thumbsup
^Fixed for me.^
thumbsup
rodneyfaile
Sr Member
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
^Additional fixing for you.^ lol
^Additional fixing for you.^ lol
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Sense8 - Official Trailer - Netflix [HD] - YouTube
Sense8 - Official Trailer - Netflix [HD] - YouTube
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Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Well, you can't fault their global vision but it makes for a bit of a jumbled introduction .Feels a little surreal at times, rather shocked by an old Doctor Who assistants introduction , and I'm not really connecting with it, not like, say Daredevil, which I burned through . They seem to be regurgitating many of the similar kind of stock characters again, with many of their favourite actors . Nice to see Darryl H though, well, if only for brief moments. Production values are stunning though. May be a slow burner, lets wait and see. Don't do drugs seems to be the message though.
Well, you can't fault their global vision but it makes for a bit of a jumbled introduction .Feels a little surreal at times, rather shocked by an old Doctor Who assistants introduction , and I'm not really connecting with it, not like, say Daredevil, which I burned through . They seem to be regurgitating many of the similar kind of stock characters again, with many of their favourite actors . Nice to see Darryl H though, well, if only for brief moments. Production values are stunning though. May be a slow burner, lets wait and see. Don't do drugs seems to be the message though.
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Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
First of all: My bad for not looking further before posting my own thread.
Now, onto my impressions:
I'm four episodes in and I love what I'm seeing so far. Even though the character of Nomi is an obvious expy of Lana Wachowski, every character is being treated with the same kind of respect throughout. They are very much human, with flaws and mistakes, even though they supposedly aren't human. I sense that humanity is the work of JMS.
First of all: My bad for not looking further before posting my own thread.
Now, onto my impressions:
I'm four episodes in and I love what I'm seeing so far. Even though the character of Nomi is an obvious expy of Lana Wachowski, every character is being treated with the same kind of respect throughout. They are very much human, with flaws and mistakes, even though they supposedly aren't human. I sense that humanity is the work of JMS.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
It has been brought to my attention that simply calling Nomi an expy of Lana Wachowski could be considered disingenuous or even demeaning. This was not my intention. To be fair, expy was the only term I could think of at the time. I didn't want to use Mary Sue because of the negative connotations involved. The use of the term was not meant to be degrading at all, nor was I simply "writing her off" as an expy. Did I believe that the Nomi's story was heavily influenced by Lana Wachowski's experiences? Yes. However, I also said that the character was unique and intriguing, which means they're going about it in a good way.
None of that really matters, though.
Upon further research, I have discovered that Jamie Clayton, the actress that plays Nomi Marks, is a trans woman (born biologically male, but self-identifies as female).
Therefore, I hereby officially retract my previous statement about Nomi being a Lana-expy and can only say that I did so because it never would have occurred to me that Ms. Clayton was a trans woman. I fully believed that she was born biologically female and simply had a deeper voice than most (a phenomenon that is not uncommon).
It has been brought to my attention that simply calling Nomi an expy of Lana Wachowski could be considered disingenuous or even demeaning. This was not my intention. To be fair, expy was the only term I could think of at the time. I didn't want to use Mary Sue because of the negative connotations involved. The use of the term was not meant to be degrading at all, nor was I simply "writing her off" as an expy. Did I believe that the Nomi's story was heavily influenced by Lana Wachowski's experiences? Yes. However, I also said that the character was unique and intriguing, which means they're going about it in a good way.
None of that really matters, though.
Upon further research, I have discovered that Jamie Clayton, the actress that plays Nomi Marks, is a trans woman (born biologically male, but self-identifies as female).
Therefore, I hereby officially retract my previous statement about Nomi being a Lana-expy and can only say that I did so because it never would have occurred to me that Ms. Clayton was a trans woman. I fully believed that she was born biologically female and simply had a deeper voice than most (a phenomenon that is not uncommon).
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Okay, I just finished the show.
For reasons I don't fully understand (other than the characters searching for their place in the world), this show really resonated with me. Yes, the show is a slow burner, but that's almost the point. The background story of avoiding the Evil Mad Scientists is honestly not that important to the story. It's practically superfluous other than to bring Will and Riley together for real. The real driving story is the characters and how they deal with this new reality while their own lives are going on as normal.
Yes there were a lot of nude scenes, shots of giving birth, a few sex scenes, and even a sensory-overload mental orgy (yes, you read that correctly). However, I never felt that any of it was gratuitous in nature, which is always a good thing. Everything that happened felt organic to the scene.
All of the cast were terrific in their roles, and I am hard pressed to decide who was my favorite. It's like everyone just completely understood who their characters were right from the start. I would honestly say that the cast falling into place so quickly and seamlessly was very much reminiscent of the cast of Firefly and Leverage.
On characterization, the main characters come from probably the widest spectrum of archetypes I've ever seen, encompassing differing races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual identities, but it was handled well. They didn't throw it in your face unless that was the point of the scene.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do for a second season, especially with so much left open.
Okay, I just finished the show.
For reasons I don't fully understand (other than the characters searching for their place in the world), this show really resonated with me. Yes, the show is a slow burner, but that's almost the point. The background story of avoiding the Evil Mad Scientists is honestly not that important to the story. It's practically superfluous other than to bring Will and Riley together for real. The real driving story is the characters and how they deal with this new reality while their own lives are going on as normal.
Yes there were a lot of nude scenes, shots of giving birth, a few sex scenes, and even a sensory-overload mental orgy (yes, you read that correctly). However, I never felt that any of it was gratuitous in nature, which is always a good thing. Everything that happened felt organic to the scene.
All of the cast were terrific in their roles, and I am hard pressed to decide who was my favorite. It's like everyone just completely understood who their characters were right from the start. I would honestly say that the cast falling into place so quickly and seamlessly was very much reminiscent of the cast of Firefly and Leverage.
On characterization, the main characters come from probably the widest spectrum of archetypes I've ever seen, encompassing differing races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual identities, but it was handled well. They didn't throw it in your face unless that was the point of the scene.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do for a second season, especially with so much left open.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Its difficult to see what exactly new the Wachowskis are trying to bring to the table with this series. Beyond the excruiating and embarrassing amounts of sex scenes that are regularly injected into every episode presumably to try and keep things interesting, the concept seems decades out of date.
The original "Tomorrow People " dealt with the telepathy as an aspect of new human evolution forty years ago, as has the more recent version, but in a sense technology has already exceeded this. Infact I kept wondering if anyone with an up to date mobile phone and a global friends list would have had conversations and experiences that were any different to that of the characters.
I get the W brothers are totally hung up on endlessly repeating the multiple "identies" of human nature in their work. And copying their own stuff endless times over. But this continual self referrential writing is getting dull. In many ways the internet and super fast broadband have already explored the "wondrous" diversity of other peoples experience and existance to death, so I'll be honest, the slow pace of the plot development and the tediously huge amounts of time exploring the characters lives really feels more like an over blown global soap opera and less like a science fiction concept.
I thought things would pick up after episode four which seemed to pull things together but its just wandering around at the moment. At times the extreme nature of the violence and sex makes for uncomfortable viewing (and this from a guy who likes Game of Thrones) but for all that there seems to be very little pay off in the story telling department. The only characters I really like and find interesting are the Korean and Icelandic girls.
There is a line of dialogue Nomi uses.... "You know that feeling when you are sitting in a movie theatre and everybody else is laughing at something and you just don't get it......... this is where I am right now...."
Well I've just got to agree.
Its difficult to see what exactly new the Wachowskis are trying to bring to the table with this series. Beyond the excruiating and embarrassing amounts of sex scenes that are regularly injected into every episode presumably to try and keep things interesting, the concept seems decades out of date.
The original "Tomorrow People " dealt with the telepathy as an aspect of new human evolution forty years ago, as has the more recent version, but in a sense technology has already exceeded this. Infact I kept wondering if anyone with an up to date mobile phone and a global friends list would have had conversations and experiences that were any different to that of the characters.
I get the W brothers are totally hung up on endlessly repeating the multiple "identies" of human nature in their work. And copying their own stuff endless times over. But this continual self referrential writing is getting dull. In many ways the internet and super fast broadband have already explored the "wondrous" diversity of other peoples experience and existance to death, so I'll be honest, the slow pace of the plot development and the tediously huge amounts of time exploring the characters lives really feels more like an over blown global soap opera and less like a science fiction concept.
I thought things would pick up after episode four which seemed to pull things together but its just wandering around at the moment. At times the extreme nature of the violence and sex makes for uncomfortable viewing (and this from a guy who likes Game of Thrones) but for all that there seems to be very little pay off in the story telling department. The only characters I really like and find interesting are the Korean and Icelandic girls.
There is a line of dialogue Nomi uses.... "You know that feeling when you are sitting in a movie theatre and everybody else is laughing at something and you just don't get it......... this is where I am right now...."
Well I've just got to agree.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Siblings. Wachowski Siblings. They aren't brothers anymore. They are brother and sister.
Siblings. Wachowski Siblings. They aren't brothers anymore. They are brother and sister.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Finished the series tonight. Hummmmmmm.
It certainly picked up towards the end and some of the back stories revealed were heartbreaking, particularly Rileys. I would suggest that RPFs DO NOT eat their dinners whilst watching this , I'm quite serious,I actually had to look away because of the viseral and quite horrible moments taking place in the car.
Infact I have rarely watched a TV series where I have actively had to glance at the walls so many times because of whats taking place on the screen. I guess in this internet porn saturated age some are hardend to it but I'm not and some of the explicit nature of the sex and violence portrayed really did make for some very uncomfortable moments. I guess the Wachowskis's just felt they had to up the stakes against the likes of Games Of Thrones, but the contemporay modern day settings made this feel more like deliberate and exploitative shock tactics ,rather than being actually intergral to the story or characters. I just wish there was alot less of it.
And given the troubled lives of all the characters I'm surpised they've not driven eachother telepathically insane, but a few of the individual stories are interesting enough to keep me watching. Some of them seem very soap opera but hey its modern television I guess
Kudos to the Wachoskis's ,the production values are very high and some of the action scenes are outstanding, but like I've said nothing here feels very original (the flash backs seem all very "LOST" like , if only they'd shown some of the tasteful restraint that series had) and the overall concept feels rather pointless in this interconnected age. Okay, I get you can take control of somebody elses body for a while (aren't they lucky they've got some many trained killers and martial artists in their group and they don't seem to sleep that much) but Jason Bourne has done most this all before and with more thrilling authority.
I guess its better than alot of things on TV for the moment, but its no "Daredevil".
Finished the series tonight. Hummmmmmm.
It certainly picked up towards the end and some of the back stories revealed were heartbreaking, particularly Rileys. I would suggest that RPFs DO NOT eat their dinners whilst watching this , I'm quite serious,I actually had to look away because of the viseral and quite horrible moments taking place in the car.
Infact I have rarely watched a TV series where I have actively had to glance at the walls so many times because of whats taking place on the screen. I guess in this internet porn saturated age some are hardend to it but I'm not and some of the explicit nature of the sex and violence portrayed really did make for some very uncomfortable moments. I guess the Wachowskis's just felt they had to up the stakes against the likes of Games Of Thrones, but the contemporay modern day settings made this feel more like deliberate and exploitative shock tactics ,rather than being actually intergral to the story or characters. I just wish there was alot less of it.
And given the troubled lives of all the characters I'm surpised they've not driven eachother telepathically insane, but a few of the individual stories are interesting enough to keep me watching. Some of them seem very soap opera but hey its modern television I guess
Kudos to the Wachoskis's ,the production values are very high and some of the action scenes are outstanding, but like I've said nothing here feels very original (the flash backs seem all very "LOST" like , if only they'd shown some of the tasteful restraint that series had) and the overall concept feels rather pointless in this interconnected age. Okay, I get you can take control of somebody elses body for a while (aren't they lucky they've got some many trained killers and martial artists in their group and they don't seem to sleep that much) but Jason Bourne has done most this all before and with more thrilling authority.
I guess its better than alot of things on TV for the moment, but its no "Daredevil".
Cephus
Master Member
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
That's really where I didn't like it. While I suppose the eight individual stories could have been interesting in a Lifetime horrible-things-happen-and-people-overcome-them kind of way, I can't tell you the last time I turned on any of those emotional rollercoaster channels. I watched it because it said it was about psychics. It really wasn't. That wasn't the core of the story. It was just a way to tie eight other stories together. It was sci-fi light, it was the Wachowski's re-doing The Matrix, it wasn't anything new, it wasn't anything different and it was entirely disappointing end to end. I won't be watching another season.
That's really where I didn't like it. While I suppose the eight individual stories could have been interesting in a Lifetime horrible-things-happen-and-people-overcome-them kind of way, I can't tell you the last time I turned on any of those emotional rollercoaster channels. I watched it because it said it was about psychics. It really wasn't. That wasn't the core of the story. It was just a way to tie eight other stories together. It was sci-fi light, it was the Wachowski's re-doing The Matrix, it wasn't anything new, it wasn't anything different and it was entirely disappointing end to end. I won't be watching another season.
Cephus
Master Member
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
Agreed. There's an unfortunate tendency in a lot of shows that can get away with it to throw gratuitous sex and violence at the screen to be "adult". There's nothing adult about it. The only people to whom that is going to appeal are immature. It's fan service at it's worst. It drives me away from shows. I dropped Penny Dreadful largely for that reason. I don't watch Game of Thrones, partially for that reason. Most things that come on Showtime, I ignore. If it isn't directly necessary to the plot, it's gratuitous. In virtually all cases, you could drop it and never know it was gone. I've got better things to do with my life than watch some childish attempt at soft-core porn. There are much better shows to see.
Agreed. There's an unfortunate tendency in a lot of shows that can get away with it to throw gratuitous sex and violence at the screen to be "adult". There's nothing adult about it. The only people to whom that is going to appeal are immature. It's fan service at it's worst. It drives me away from shows. I dropped Penny Dreadful largely for that reason. I don't watch Game of Thrones, partially for that reason. Most things that come on Showtime, I ignore. If it isn't directly necessary to the plot, it's gratuitous. In virtually all cases, you could drop it and never know it was gone. I've got better things to do with my life than watch some childish attempt at soft-core porn. There are much better shows to see.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
See, I felt that every scene, from the orgy to the babies being born, was set there for a reason. There wasn't really anything that I saw as strictly gratuitous. Even the possibly most gratuitous shot (Wolfgang showing up to Kala's wedding in the buff) was still worked in so that it made sense within the story (the visual of Wolfgang Jr, coupled with the stress of the wedding day, caused Kala to pass out, which furthered the story of the wedding not going forward anymore).
J. Michael Strascynski isn't one to go completely gratuitous. In fact, he balked at one of studio requests for Crusade, which was to have a crew member on board whose entire purpose was to have sex with a member of every alien species they encountered.
No, what I got out the orgy scene in particular was something that tied in well with the 4 Non Blondes scene. Specifically, that if two or more sensates within a cluster are experiencing the same thing at the same moment, it will almost uncontrollably bleed over to the entire cluster.
Remember that when Wolfgang got up onstage to sing "What's Going On" at the karaoke bar, Riley was also listening to it on her music player. This is why the rest of them had the song in their heads and couldn't get it out. Sun was singing it in the shower. Will was singing it on the train in his sleep. Lito was singing it in bed with Hernando and Daneilla. Capheus was singing it while driving his bus. Kala really got into it and wound up Visiting Wolfgang at the karaoke bar. Even Nomi, who was being prepped for an involuntarily lobotomy and scared out of her mind, couldn't help but sing along to the music.
The orgy scene was due to Lito's getting it on with Hernando while Nomi was getting it on with Amanitra. Because of it happening at the same time, there was the same kind of bleed over, but when you're talking about romantic lovemaking (Nomi and Lito are in quite serious and loving relationships, not just meeting someone for a booty call), there are some extremely intense and even primal emotions and thoughts going on. Of course it's going to bleed over to the others with a greater intensity than a song would.
And yes, the show does push boundaries. What I like most is that it pushes those boundaries without yelling "HEY, LOOK AT ALL THE BOUNDARIES I AM PUSHING!!!"
As I stated before, everything feels organic, and the characters are all fully fleshed out and, most importantly, real. There are no "Token X Characters" on the show. They could have gone with baseline stereotypes like "DJ with a drug problem" or "buttoned-up female Korean executive," but they didn't. They took baseline character ideas for each character and molded them into complex characters that we can actually like and even identify with. That, to me, is the greatest success of this show.
See, I felt that every scene, from the orgy to the babies being born, was set there for a reason. There wasn't really anything that I saw as strictly gratuitous. Even the possibly most gratuitous shot (Wolfgang showing up to Kala's wedding in the buff) was still worked in so that it made sense within the story (the visual of Wolfgang Jr, coupled with the stress of the wedding day, caused Kala to pass out, which furthered the story of the wedding not going forward anymore).
J. Michael Strascynski isn't one to go completely gratuitous. In fact, he balked at one of studio requests for Crusade, which was to have a crew member on board whose entire purpose was to have sex with a member of every alien species they encountered.
No, what I got out the orgy scene in particular was something that tied in well with the 4 Non Blondes scene. Specifically, that if two or more sensates within a cluster are experiencing the same thing at the same moment, it will almost uncontrollably bleed over to the entire cluster.
Remember that when Wolfgang got up onstage to sing "What's Going On" at the karaoke bar, Riley was also listening to it on her music player. This is why the rest of them had the song in their heads and couldn't get it out. Sun was singing it in the shower. Will was singing it on the train in his sleep. Lito was singing it in bed with Hernando and Daneilla. Capheus was singing it while driving his bus. Kala really got into it and wound up Visiting Wolfgang at the karaoke bar. Even Nomi, who was being prepped for an involuntarily lobotomy and scared out of her mind, couldn't help but sing along to the music.
The orgy scene was due to Lito's getting it on with Hernando while Nomi was getting it on with Amanitra. Because of it happening at the same time, there was the same kind of bleed over, but when you're talking about romantic lovemaking (Nomi and Lito are in quite serious and loving relationships, not just meeting someone for a booty call), there are some extremely intense and even primal emotions and thoughts going on. Of course it's going to bleed over to the others with a greater intensity than a song would.
And yes, the show does push boundaries. What I like most is that it pushes those boundaries without yelling "HEY, LOOK AT ALL THE BOUNDARIES I AM PUSHING!!!"
As I stated before, everything feels organic, and the characters are all fully fleshed out and, most importantly, real. There are no "Token X Characters" on the show. They could have gone with baseline stereotypes like "DJ with a drug problem" or "buttoned-up female Korean executive," but they didn't. They took baseline character ideas for each character and molded them into complex characters that we can actually like and even identify with. That, to me, is the greatest success of this show.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
I'm still not through the whole series yet but I totally agree with what you're saying so far. I don't think the show is about being connected or even much about telepathy. What I think they're going for, and what I really love, is defining and challenging the concept of self. The idea of having a collective mind, they're no longer individuals, they're a new type of being that experiences life through 8 bodies. It's really exciting and interesting to think about, how would you react if you were no longer just an individual, but a collective. The mind orgy scene (the karaoke scene too) wasn't about being titillating (though it was), but literally "coming together" and experiencing things as one being.
The fact that they feel eachothers emotions, don't seem to fear each other, appear to each other when they need help. They're not acting like intruders or like they're being intruded on, it's like interacting with another part of yourself.
I'm still not through the whole series yet but I totally agree with what you're saying so far. I don't think the show is about being connected or even much about telepathy. What I think they're going for, and what I really love, is defining and challenging the concept of self. The idea of having a collective mind, they're no longer individuals, they're a new type of being that experiences life through 8 bodies. It's really exciting and interesting to think about, how would you react if you were no longer just an individual, but a collective. The mind orgy scene (the karaoke scene too) wasn't about being titillating (though it was), but literally "coming together" and experiencing things as one being.
The fact that they feel eachothers emotions, don't seem to fear each other, appear to each other when they need help. They're not acting like intruders or like they're being intruded on, it's like interacting with another part of yourself.
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
That and it's putting an interesting spin on the idea of what seems normal and commonplace to you can be completely new and exciting to someone else. Capheus is a good example of this, especially when he was Visiting with Riley on her flight back to Iceland. She was worried about the trip home, but Capheus' sheer excitement of being above the clouds (being in an airplane was new to him) was enough to calm her down and cheer her up. Another example was when Sun took over Capheus' body to protect him. Her martial arts skills are commonplace to her, but Capheus revels in them. Or Nomi not knowing how to drive and Capheus steps in ("I do" was probably the biggest cheer I let out during the show).
My point is that whenever one of them is in trouble or needs help, it's like a siren call to the one (or ones) who can help the most, be it physical assistance (as with Sun kicking the collective asses of the Superpower gang) or emotional (Will helping Riley through her issues).
That and it's putting an interesting spin on the idea of what seems normal and commonplace to you can be completely new and exciting to someone else. Capheus is a good example of this, especially when he was Visiting with Riley on her flight back to Iceland. She was worried about the trip home, but Capheus' sheer excitement of being above the clouds (being in an airplane was new to him) was enough to calm her down and cheer her up. Another example was when Sun took over Capheus' body to protect him. Her martial arts skills are commonplace to her, but Capheus revels in them. Or Nomi not knowing how to drive and Capheus steps in ("I do" was probably the biggest cheer I let out during the show).
My point is that whenever one of them is in trouble or needs help, it's like a siren call to the one (or ones) who can help the most, be it physical assistance (as with Sun kicking the collective asses of the Superpower gang) or emotional (Will helping Riley through her issues).
brandomack
Sr Member
Re: Sense8 (Netflix Series) by Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski
thumbsdown
thumbsdown
Netflix's Sense8: The Christmas Special
I was notified via email that a two hour Christmas special of this show was released on Netflix, and because I absolutely LOVED the first season, I felt the need to watch this.
I was very much not disappointed in the slightest. Every scene had me glued to the screen, just watching to see what happens next.
It seems like the creative team finally gelled as a unit because everything was so well done, especially scenes where the Sensates are sharing time with each other.
My only complaint is that they recast Capheus, but from all reports, it was for the best, as there was some tension on the set and some carefully worded statements that hinted that the original actor might have been bigoted toward Lana Wachowski and/or Jamie Clayton (Nomi). After a while, I didn't even notice anymore because it's still Capheus.
All in all, a GREAT episode.
I was notified via email that a two hour Christmas special of this show was released on Netflix, and because I absolutely LOVED the first season, I felt the need to watch this.
I was very much not disappointed in the slightest. Every scene had me glued to the screen, just watching to see what happens next.
It seems like the creative team finally gelled as a unit because everything was so well done, especially scenes where the Sensates are sharing time with each other.
My only complaint is that they recast Capheus, but from all reports, it was for the best, as there was some tension on the set and some carefully worded statements that hinted that the original actor might have been bigoted toward Lana Wachowski and/or Jamie Clayton (Nomi). After a while, I didn't even notice anymore because it's still Capheus.
All in all, a GREAT episode.
