• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Sense8 |OT| First there was One, now there are Eight - Netflix - *S1 spoilers*

Status
Not open for further replies.
theres just some extremely lazy writing in the first two episodes.
gay couple? of course they are in SF at the pride
german character? of course he is in berlin, the capital
korean character? of course she is in soul, the capital
kenyan character? of course he is in nairobi, the capital
and if it's not a capital, then its just the most well known city like mumbai

which is why the show really got me when it started breaking some of those tropes. like the gay actor who had a girlfriend as a cover up. you expected her to become his problem, but she was actually cool with it and became another super likeable character.

the orgy scene is not really LGTB propaganda for me, I think it was just hot. and let's be completely honest here, if it feels good, does it really matter if it was done by a man or a woman?
He's russian I thought, and the kenyan character migrates to Nairobi
 

Razmos

Member
I've never had a workout or sauna where I would be comfortable being magically transported to a gay orgy where I would be making out with men. Neither of those two characters have shown any homosexual tendencies so I don't get why there were so open to it.
Read above. It's not hard to figure out.

Her sitting around for one scene wondering if there's a cure or if she's losing her mind isn't really what I would call a plot line, but ok.
From what I've seen, the trans character are completely one dimensional and defined by their sexuality.
Because her plotline is
that she almost got forcibly lobotomized by a shady organization, the disease she was told she has doesn't actually exist and is merely staged as a reason to lobotomize sensates so that Whispers can take control of their bodies and use them as weapons.
If you'd have kept watching you would know that.

Towards the end of the series she gives moral support to Lito and uses her hacking skills a LOT.

What what is the closet gay actor other than a closeted gay actor? I'm comparing this to an Indian girl struggling with her customs and culture vs what she really wants, someone getting involved with crime to save his dying mother, or a thief with daddy issues.
Because Lito is struggling with the issues of masculinity, whether his career is worth telling lies for and denying his love, and later is also about blackmail, abusive relationships and homophobia, internalized and otherwise. He also uses his acting and lying abilities a lot towards the end of the series.

It's not the shows fault that you are just focusing on Nomi and Lito as "that trans character" and "that gay character" respectively.
 

Van Owen

Banned
I skipped Speed Racer and Jupiter Ascending, so I must've lucked out. And I kinda see what you mean in the sense that they're clearly going all out on a pro LGBT message. There's a thin line between sweet and corny or enlightening and preachy but I felt they managed to stay on the good side of it this time. It's just so nice to get a humane, optimistic show.

I don't even care if it's pro LGBT if it wasn't otherwise boring show.

I mean, this show has gotten middling to poor reviews pretty much everywhere but people are trying paint me as a bigot here because I think the gay and trans character are one dimensional people in a too slow show full of dull characters.
 
I don't even care if it's pro LGBT if it wasn't otherwise boring show.

I mean, this show has gotten middling to poor reviews pretty much everywhere but people are trying paint me as a bigot here because I think the gay and trans character are one dimensional people in a too slow show full of dull characters.

That's not what you said. You said it was trying to shove LGBT stuff down peoples throat
 

Carcetti

Member
I don't even care if it's pro LGBT if it wasn't otherwise boring show.

I mean, this show has gotten middling to poor reviews pretty much everywhere but people are trying paint me as a bigot here because I think the gay and trans character are one dimensional people in a too slow show full of dull characters.

It's slow burn, dialoguey stuff, I don't doubt some people would find it boring. For what it's worth, I'm not insinuating you're a bigot. I'm just not quite seeing why you're focusing on those characters that much either. Lito's story especially is one of the stronger parts of the show anyway. Would the show have been better for you somehow if those characters were not trans or gay? Is LGBT only allowed in sufficiently good shows because it somehow brings the quality down?
 

KarmaCow

Member
I've never had a workout or sauna where I would be comfortable being magically transported to a gay orgy where I would be making out with men. Neither of those two characters have shown any homosexual tendencies so I don't get why there were so open to it.

This is sorta addressed later on but the short of it is that it was just a whirlwind of pure sexual arousal instead anyone specifically lusting after someone else in the cluster.
 

Van Owen

Banned
I figured as much about the Nomi stuff but the organization seemed to have more overarching aspects as opposed to just being about Nomi.

Because Lito is struggling with the issues of masculinity, whether his career is worth telling lies for and denying his love, and later is also about blackmail, abusive relationships and homophobia, internalized and otherwise. He also uses his acting and lying abilities a lot towards the end of the series.

So basically the majority of his plot hinges on him being homosexual...

That's not what you said. You said it was trying to shove LGBT stuff down peoples throat

And? Pretty much every Wachowski project rams it's message down your throat. The Matrix did it with it's whole "FIGHT THE POWER" thing but it did it in an entertaining movie. Sense8 isn't nearly as entertaining.
 

Moff

Member
He's russian I thought, and the kenyan character migrates to Nairobi

to be honest, I didn't quite get the beginning with wolfgang, I thought they were russians as well. but in the end they all seemed to be germans? wolfgang is a very german name, just like steiner.

and nairobi is kenyas capital or what do you mean? capheus isnt originally from nairobi?

well it doesnt matter anyway, I just thought it was lazy how so many stories took place in the capital of it's country.
 

Carcetti

Member
to be honest, I didn't quite get the beginning with wolfgang, I thought they were russians as well. but in the end they all seemed to be germans? wolfgang is a very german name, just like steiner.

His family was from DDR, so it's German/Soviet roots for him.
 

Van Owen

Banned
Is LGBT only allowed in sufficiently good shows because it somehow brings the quality down?

I'm not sure where you even got this idea from?

Omar was a gay character in The Wire and his sexuality made him more interesting but he wasn't defined by it, and no one in the show questioned his masculinity because of it. Russell was a gay vampire in True Blood that was both menacing and humorous in a show that was otherwise pretty poor.

Sense8 has a gay character and trans character that don't do much in the 7 or whatever episodes I've seen other than struggle with being gay and trans, not that the other characters are much more interesting either.
 

Moff

Member
His family was from DDR, so it's German/Soviet roots for him.

I doubt people from the DDR would say they have half soviet roots

I agree that he is a bad ass, one of my favourites of the bunch, but I was a bit confused at the funeral in the beginning
 

Zalasta

Member
I've never had a workout or sauna where I would be comfortable being magically transported to a gay orgy where I would be making out with men. Neither of those two characters have shown any homosexual tendencies so I don't get why there were so open to it.

But the point of the scene isn't so much who they are having sex with, it's that once they have opened that connection, they can get swept away by it. You have to realize it wasn't just one person's emotion they are feeling it's 4 other people, can you imagine being 4x as horny? Regardless, Will was shocked at first, so he wasn't exactly comfortable with it. As for Wolfgang, I think it was already implied he's very sexually open, he's actually very nonchalant about the whole experience as you can see by the end where he just lay there in the bath like nothing was out of the ordinary. They even threw in a little funny aside where Capheus looked down and laughed, which I interpreted it to be his hard on (he wasn't involved, but it certainly had an affect on him).

Anyway, I think your critique of the scene is just simply wrong. Was it over the top? Yes. But it definitely had context.
 

shadowkat

Unconfirmed Member
I doubt people from the DDR would say they have half soviet roots

I agree that he is a bad ass, one of my favourites of the bunch, but I was a bit confused at the funeral in the beginning

I think the funeral was for his grandfather.
 

TheChaos

Member
Sense8 has a gay character and trans character that don't do much in the 7 or whatever episodes I've seen other than struggle with being gay and trans, not that the other characters are much more interesting either.

Thankfully, once Nomi
escapes from the hospital
, she actually gets to do things.
 

Van Owen

Banned
Anyway, I think your critique of the scene is just simply wrong. Was it over the top? Yes. But it definitely had context.

I guess we just see it differently.

Just keep in mind these are the same writers/directors that crammed an orgy into the Matrix movies as well as other BDSM stuff, so part of it just might be that they're into freaky shit.
 

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
Based on the reactions in this thread, I'm guessing we aren't getting a second season?

Such a shame people aren't digging this as much as I did.
 

Carcetti

Member
I doubt people from the DDR would say they have half soviet roots

I agree that he is a bad ass, one of my favourites of the bunch, but I was a bit confused at the funeral in the beginning

No but it would explain why they look like russians instead of germans in first ep.
 

El Topo

Member
They renewed fucking Between. I'd be quite disappointed if Sense8 didn't get a second season. Would be a first for Netflix, no?
 

LaNaranja

Member
Sense8 has a gay character and trans character that don't do much in the 7 or whatever episodes I've seen other than struggle with being gay and trans, not that the other characters are much more interesting either.

Either you aren't paying attention or you really haven't seen even seven episodes. Nomi and Will are the main characters driving forward the main plot. Nomi doesn't even really struggle with anything with regards to who she is. She is who she is and outside of her mother everyone else is fine with her. The seventh episode, W.W.N. Double D (What Would Nancy Drew Do?), is where her plot/ the main plot really takes off and you find out what she can do.
 

Van Owen

Banned
Either you aren't paying attention or you really haven't seen even seven episodes. Nomi and Will are the main characters driving forward the main plot. Nomi doesn't even really struggle with anything with regards to who she is. She is who she is and outside of her mother everyone else is fine with her. The seventh episode, W.W.N. Double D (What Would Nancy Drew Do?), is where her plot/ the main plot really takes off and you find out what she can do.

Maybe I've only seen 6 episodes then.

Will hasn't done much other than help Nomi that one scene and find the spot where Angelica was killed.

I feel like I gave the show more than enough of a chance to get going.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I'd be quite disappointed if Sense8 didn't get a second season. Would be a first for Netflix, no?

They've never cancelled a show before, right. Netflix's model sort of hinges on having complete series for binging, so even if the show's viewership figures were extremely low, I'd imagine we'd at least get a, possibly shortened, final season to close up the remaining plot threads.
 

KarmaCow

Member
Maybe I've only seen 6 episodes then.

Will hasn't done much other than help Nomi that one scene and find the spot where Angelica was killed.

I feel like I gave the show more than enough of a chance to get going.

It's fair to drop the show after watching half the episodes if it hasn't grabbed you. The characters starting points are very tropey/simple and it takes a while to get going. It's probably a consequence of juggling 8 characters on top of the sensate bond. The cinematography of the sensate bond kept me going though and I think by the end it's worth it even if it isn't executed cleanly. I think to a lot of people the appeal of season 2 is the potential it brings to refine the concepts rather than the quality of season 1.
 

Van Owen

Banned
They've never cancelled a show before, right. Netflix's model sort of hinges on having complete series for binging, so even if the show's viewership figures were extremely low, I'd imagine we'd at least get a, possibly shortened, final season to close up the remaining plot threads.

They also want shows that are either highly rated/watched by viewers or high rated by critics to attract new costumers. Critically Sense8 has been a dud.

It's fair to drop the show after watching half the episodes if it hasn't grabbed you. The characters starting points are very tropey/simple and it takes a while to get going. It's probably a consequence of juggling 8 characters on top of the sensate bond. The cinematography of the sensate bond kept me going though and I think by the end it's worth it even if it isn't executed cleanly.

I'll try to give it another episode or two.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
They also want shows that are either highly rated/watched by viewers or high rated by critics to attract new costumers. Critically Sense8 has been a dud.

Are you talking about the pre-release reviews that were only based on the first 3 episodes? Those are the worst of the series, it gets better as it goes. Most people seem to really like show, it has an 8.5 user rating on IMDB.
 

KarmaCow

Member
I'll try to give it another episode or two.

For what it's worth, if the idea of the show or rather the sensate bond hasn't grabbed you by now I don't think two more episodes will change your mind. It diverges from what you might expect in some interesting ways, mostly in how positive and accepting (mostly) everyone in the show is to one another but the characters don't dramatically change by the end, even if they do improve from the awful first episode. I just love the tone of the show, especially the sensate idea and how they present it.
 

Clegg

Member
Struggled through the opening episodes and was about to give it up. Got to the end of ep 4 and the sing along bit and the show sort of clicked for me. Enjoying the proceeding episodes a lot more.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
They also want shows that are either highly rated/watched by viewers or high rated by critics to attract new costumers. Critically Sense8 has been a dud.

In terms of user scores, Sense8 has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.5/10 on IMDB, and an 8.2 on Metacritc. Most people in this thread also like the show.

The early critical consensus, based only on the first 3-4 episodes, was more mixed - 63 on metacritic and 69 on Rotten Tomatoes - but I've seen a lot of more positive reviews of the show as a whole, since then. AVClub, Entertainment Weekly, Alan Sepinwall, and several others all gave the season - as a whole - positive reviews. Even the critics who didn't like it said that they hoped Netflix would invest in another season / more ambitious shows like Sense8.

We have no idea how well the show did for Netflix, numbers wise, but in terms of reactions from fans and critics, it's certainly not a dud.
 

Van Owen

Banned
For what it's worth, if the idea of the show or rather the sensate bond hasn't grabbed you by now I don't think two more episodes will change your mind. It diverges from what you might expect in some interesting ways, mostly in how positive and accepting (mostly) everyone in the show is to one another but the characters don't dramatically change by the end, even if they do improve from the awful first episode. I just love the tone of the show, especially the sensate idea and how they present it.

I like the idea of them drawing on others' skills and there has been a bit of that like one fight or the lock picking, but most of them visiting each other is just blank stares accompanied by meandering conversation. Ehhhh....
 
Huh, TIL. That's been inaccurate a lot of times for me then

Are you the only one rating shows on your account? The more shows that is rated by you the better it is at "guessing" what you would rate other shows.

I find that it has been really accurate for me and actually I'm pretty confident picking shows based on that.

As a matter of fact it's the only reason why I watched Sense8 since I hadn't seen or heard anything of the show prior.
 
I thought the show was a bit slow at first but by episode 3 it got really good. Though there are quite a few scenes I could have done without. Especially the
child birth scenes....ugh
I'm definitely on board for season 2.
 

Dalek

Member
]I thought the show was a bit slow at first but by episode 3 it got really good. [/B] Though there are quite a few scenes I could have done without. Especially the
child birth scenes....ugh
I'm definitely on board for season 2.

This should be in the OP. It's very true. The show doesn't really pick up until then.
 

War Peaceman

You're a big guy.
I like the idea of them drawing on others' skills and there has been a bit of that like one fight or the lock picking, but most of them visiting each other is just blank stares accompanied by meandering conversation. Ehhhh....

"Where am I?"

"London/Seoul/Iceland."

"WOW that's so cool I've always wanted to go to London/Seoul/Iceland."

is how most of the early conversa8ions go. It is hilarious. But they do the skill stuff very well in a couple of the later episodes. No spoilers, but it is pretty cool.
 

Dany

Banned

You seem upset that Lito's storyline is about him becoming comfortable with his sexuality. What's wrong with that?
 

Karu

Member
Sepinwall commented on the fact that it was quite stupid to only sent the first three episodes, when the one after, episode 4, has one of the defining moments of the entire season, that often times seems to be a make it or break it-moment for the audience.

And I have to agree. I didn't like the pilot, but although the show isn't amazing-amazing, it offers definitely something unique in the television space, which became apparant only over time.

You have to have a certain ability to ignore stuff on a critical level, similar to later LOST-season where in fact the emotions go above all else.
 
So basically the majority of his plot hinges on him being homosexual...

Yes. That's where his conflict of personal life vs. career comes from and that's the central aspect of his life at this time. I thought Lito was the best character, I found his personal plot the most interesting and I thought Dani and Hernando were the best side characters too.

Thankfully, once Nomi
escapes from the hospital
, she actually gets to do things.

Yeah, she's a lot more useful and interesting in the second half of the series.

Maybe I've only seen 6 episodes then.

Will hasn't done much other than help Nomi that one scene and find the spot where Angelica was killed.

I feel like I gave the show more than enough of a chance to get going.

If you can stick with it, it gets much better in the second half, but I understand why you gave up. It's very slow to get moving and they don't do a lot with the shared consciousness premise until towards the end. Hopefully if it gets renewed it will be much better next time around as everything is already established.
 

Korey

Member
I've never had a workout or sauna where I would be comfortable being magically transported to a gay orgy where I would be making out with men. Neither of those two characters have shown any homosexual tendencies so I don't get why there were so open to it.



Her sitting around for one scene wondering if there's a cure or if she's losing her mind isn't really what I would call a plot line, but ok.

From what I've seen, the trans character are completely one dimensional and defined by their sexuality. What what is the closet gay actor other than a closeted gay actor? I'm comparing this to an Indian girl struggling with her customs and culture vs what she really wants, someone getting involved with crime to save his dying mother, or a thief with daddy issues.

Again, I've only seen a little over half the series, but I'm not sure where it's supposed to grab me. Look at someone like Omar in The Wire who is gay but isn't defined by who he is sexually attracted to and compare it to Lito and tell me who is a more interesting and well written character.

How about you watch the whole season first then?
 

wildfire

Banned
MMLKF7z.png


Might be interesting.

So this will be happening in a 5 hours. I'm sure it will be fun.
 

shadowkat

Unconfirmed Member
Just finished. It was pretty good and the cast seems to get along very well.

First thing that Brian J Smith said was that there was no news for S2 yet.
 

KingKong

Member
5 episodes in and Kala's storyline better pay off because it's putting me to sleep. everything else is fun, though I can't help but feel that a show just about Capheus or Lito would be much more enjoyable
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom