Sense8 (Netflix, Season 2)
Aug. 8th, 2017 09:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chuckroWe continue to explore the psychic connection of eight people from around the globe, as they're hunted by the agents of BPO and the evil Whispers and also deal with their personal problems.
The first official episode is the “Christmas special” which actually chronicles the events of the year between seasons one and two. The most crucial plot development is revealing that Will and Riley have been in hiding, and as Whispers probes for them, Will is probing right back, hoping for an opening. In the first real episode of the season, he finds it.
But despite virtually all of the first season's problems seeming resolved, it becomes clear that a year later they very much aren't. Their genre distinctiveness starts to bleed out a bit—Will, Riley and Nomi get pretty much entirely wrapped up in the “main” plot against BPO and Whispers; Wolfgang's gang intrigue gets forgotten in favor of his sexytimes with a new sensate; and Sun switches from a K-drama to K-action film. That leaves three basically within their original genres: Lito's career telenovella and Kala's Bollywood romantic triangle continue apace and Capheus switches gears in his rags-to-riches story, but keeps it moving along.
Complaints: They still really should be trimming down the episodes. We don't need five minutes of Sun standing on a roof enjoying the sun on her face. Apparently the writers ran out of time when trying to come up with Amanita's backstory, and just wholly cribbed the plot of Mamma Mia! instead. Kala's plotline seemed to veer very suddenly from being about her father-in-law's political dealings to her husband's corporate corruption. It just seemed like, all of a sudden, they had bodyguards standing around for a completely different reason and no one acknowledged it.
Commentary: I think the strongest bits are when they go full Eigen Plot (ie, when the problems end up being suited to each of the characters' particular skills). As JMS has been writing superheroes almost as long as I've been alive, it shouldn't be surprising he can handle that well. They also do a great job of foreshadowing skills that come up later, like Lito's ability to do flair bartending.
This is the queerest show I think I've ever seen, and so well-rounded in its queerness. Multiple gay couples, a functional and reasonably well-adjusted trans character, multiple explicitly bi characters, and enough cheesecake and beefcake for anyone's needs. (I actually called that either Will or Wolfgang would be the ones most likely to die / get tortured by BPO—as the two white guys, they're expendable. They've been very good about avoiding the “woman dies to further a man's plot” trope, and I doubt they'd start now. Also, Nomi is invulnerable.)
They leave a lot of hanging threads that I hope they'll address in the finale movie. Sun's brother was rescued by a corrupt politician, Kala's husband is neck-deep in something, Capheus might or might not get elected, and then there's the whole “main plot” thing.
Overall: Though this series has its flaws, I think it's had some really cool ideas and some fun moments, too. I suspect it's for the best that they're wrapping it up, because I suspect a lot of the gimmicks are already getting a little old. But I'm excited for the finale movie.
The first official episode is the “Christmas special” which actually chronicles the events of the year between seasons one and two. The most crucial plot development is revealing that Will and Riley have been in hiding, and as Whispers probes for them, Will is probing right back, hoping for an opening. In the first real episode of the season, he finds it.
But despite virtually all of the first season's problems seeming resolved, it becomes clear that a year later they very much aren't. Their genre distinctiveness starts to bleed out a bit—Will, Riley and Nomi get pretty much entirely wrapped up in the “main” plot against BPO and Whispers; Wolfgang's gang intrigue gets forgotten in favor of his sexytimes with a new sensate; and Sun switches from a K-drama to K-action film. That leaves three basically within their original genres: Lito's career telenovella and Kala's Bollywood romantic triangle continue apace and Capheus switches gears in his rags-to-riches story, but keeps it moving along.
Complaints: They still really should be trimming down the episodes. We don't need five minutes of Sun standing on a roof enjoying the sun on her face. Apparently the writers ran out of time when trying to come up with Amanita's backstory, and just wholly cribbed the plot of Mamma Mia! instead. Kala's plotline seemed to veer very suddenly from being about her father-in-law's political dealings to her husband's corporate corruption. It just seemed like, all of a sudden, they had bodyguards standing around for a completely different reason and no one acknowledged it.
Commentary: I think the strongest bits are when they go full Eigen Plot (ie, when the problems end up being suited to each of the characters' particular skills). As JMS has been writing superheroes almost as long as I've been alive, it shouldn't be surprising he can handle that well. They also do a great job of foreshadowing skills that come up later, like Lito's ability to do flair bartending.
This is the queerest show I think I've ever seen, and so well-rounded in its queerness. Multiple gay couples, a functional and reasonably well-adjusted trans character, multiple explicitly bi characters, and enough cheesecake and beefcake for anyone's needs. (I actually called that either Will or Wolfgang would be the ones most likely to die / get tortured by BPO—as the two white guys, they're expendable. They've been very good about avoiding the “woman dies to further a man's plot” trope, and I doubt they'd start now. Also, Nomi is invulnerable.)
They leave a lot of hanging threads that I hope they'll address in the finale movie. Sun's brother was rescued by a corrupt politician, Kala's husband is neck-deep in something, Capheus might or might not get elected, and then there's the whole “main plot” thing.
Overall: Though this series has its flaws, I think it's had some really cool ideas and some fun moments, too. I suspect it's for the best that they're wrapping it up, because I suspect a lot of the gimmicks are already getting a little old. But I'm excited for the finale movie.
