Sense8
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Is anyone else watching?
I got very excited when I heard the Wachowskis were doing TV and toss in Freema Agyeman I thought it would be a done deal. I hate to have report it is boring me. I've watched the first 3 episodes and have fallen asleep during each one. To the point where I think I have to go back and watch again to be able to follow the story and doubt I will.
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I've just read the Wikipedia entry and I am thoroughly confused
![😕](https://community.gaytorrent.ru/assets/plugins/nodebb-plugin-emoji/emoji/apple/1f615.png?v=hvqg2qn0nb4 ":-\")
It hasn't reached here yet but I think I will probably give it a miss
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Before I watched any of it I mentioned it to a friend. Today he told me he loves it and is at episode 7. He also seemed shocked at my indifference. Told me there is an orgy coming up I have to see but when I want porn I watch porn. I'm funny that way.
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You might want to think twice before writing off this 12-hour epic, which has just been released by NetFlix all at once in a way that facilitates binge watching. Shot in multiple cities in eight countries and packed with star power, this intimate epic from the Wachowski brothers who soared in Matrix and connected characters across space and time in Cloud Atlas got at least some exciting early reviews after the first three hours were released to critics, including the two excerpted here, neither of whom I have ever heard of.
Although the above references the Wachowski "brothers," one of them, as you probably know, has since transitioned to female. Sounds like that is at least part of the reason this whole venture may be transformative and worth taking the time to become immersed in the stories.
Here, for example, is Michael Ahr:
Netflix delivers an epic tale of eight strangers from around the world inexplicably linked in their thoughts, emotions, and memories.
“If I were to tell someone in a sentence why they should watch,” says Sense8 executive producer J. Michael Straczynski, “the answer would be, ‘Because you will see things in this show you have never, ever seen before.’”
Truer words were never spoken. It should come as no surprise that this partnership between Straczynski, perhaps best known for Babylon 5, and the Wachowskis of The Matrix and Cloud Atlas fame is a unique, cinematic, and sometimes philosophical series of massive scope. The 12-episode nominally science fiction series new on Netflix is without a doubt one of the most artistic, cerebral, and well-written offerings this year.
The most impressive aspect of this story is the manner in which it’s told. Eight separate tales of very different lives in vastly disparate cultures are woven together by depicting telepathic conversations happening simultaneously across widespread geographical locations. Scenes were shot on location in San Francisco, Chicago, London, Reykjavik, Seoul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Berlin, and Mexico City. A psychically-linked dialogue between characters could happen anywhere, seamlessly unfolding, say, both in the savanna of Kenya and a bar in Germany, not one bit of it in a closed studio.
This technique is awe-inspiringly complex and is used in action-driven scenes as well as those with deep emotion. The characters can be present in scenes far away from their homeland or even inhabit each other’s bodies. Sex scenes become orgiastic and cross gender boundaries. Cultural differences are broken down as well since the mental bond is strongly embraced by all eight members of the “cluster,” as it’s called.
In the cluster are Nomi, a transgender hacker; Will, a Chicago gangland cop; Wolfgang, a safecracking thief; Kala, a Bollywood bride-to-be; Capheus, a Kenyan bus driver; Riley, an Icelandic deejay; Sun, a Korean exec with fighting skills; and Lito, a closeted action film star. The Wachowskis notoriously like to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and evolution, and this diverse group portrayed by actors recruited from their native countries bridges its members’ obvious differences in seemingly impossible but ultimately believable ways.http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/sense8/246678/netflixs-sense8-season-1-review
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Naturally, the complete review tells much more about the storylines and the ways the characters interact inside their mind-meld "cluster" as well as with outsiders. So does the review by Bryan Bishop, as hinted perhaps in these selections:
Nobody has ever accused the Wachowskis of being short on ideas. The filmmaking team behind movies like Cloud Atlas and the Matrix trilogy have built a career on creating worlds you’ve never seen and spelunking deep into the depths of a million navel-gazing questions about the nature of existence and our place in the universe. What they’ve struggled with — particularly over the past 10 years — have been characters worth caring about.
Wolfgang’s tale takes on the vibe of a gritty crime thriller, while the story of a closeted Mexican movie star and the actress who’s obsessed with him plays like a tongue-in-cheek comedy of errors. The show shot in eight different countries, and the Wachowskis are stretching their legs here, clearly having fun with the expanded canvas they’re able to work with, while never sacrificing their signature attention to detail or style. Whether it’s ponderous slow-motion or a dancehall rave, there’s no question: they’re going Full Wachowski.
While there are crimes, unjust incarcerations, and chases, over the first three episodes, the bombastic plot twists are relatively rare and there’s no fantastic sci-fi to be seen. Instead, the show takes its time, building its world moment by methodical moment. It’s not as heavy on plot as many binge-hungry viewers are going to want, but the approach lends a sense of intimacy to the show that I've never seen the Wachowskis pull off before. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the story of Nomi (Jamie Clayton), a transgender writer living in San Francisco.http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/28/8673391/sense8-review-matrix-wachowskis-netflix
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Will be interested to learn what more persistent viewers make of all this hubbub and how well the hive sense of the eight Sense8 characters works out in terms of emotion, character, and a satisfactory level of action whizbang. Meanwhile, I hope to have completed my part in the adventure within the week.
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Alternatively Independent newspaper UK
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Yup, that sealed it for me. Let others waddle through the junk and report back on it. There is far too much quality telly out there for me to waste time on nonsense( 8 ).
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Can anyone (other than the uploader, please) who has watched this series, please give me an idea if this series is of significant enough LGBT interest / theme to remain on the site, please?
Thank you,
Pawpcorn
GTRU Staff -
Yes to significant LGBT interest as it covers all the bases with LGBT characters. You got your gay male characters, you have your lesbian characters, you have your trans lesbian character & apparently a pretty graphic orgy between them all. I just haven't made it to the orgy yet. Also one of the creators/directors is Lana Wachowski (previously Larry).
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cannonmc – thanks for that link. Talk about harsh!
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I got very excited when I heard the Wachowskis were doing TV and toss in Freema Agyeman I thought it would be a done deal. I hate to have report it is boring me. I've watched the first 3 episodes and have fallen asleep during each one. To the point where I think I have to go back and watch again to be able to follow the story and doubt I will.
I got very excited when I learned that J. Michael Straczynski was very much involved of this. He is the creator and was very often the writer of the award-winning science fiction series BABYLON 5. He is also a novelist and a non-fiction author. He has been nominated for an Academy Award.
Let me also add here briefly that I am the founder of the oldest-existing GLBT science fiction groups in the world, now nearing 30 years old.
SENSE8 is solid science fiction. It is something that is complex, involved, thoughtful. It is going to be dealing with a lot of political, social, psychological, and philosophical issues as it tells its story about this 8 characters becoming one.
SENSE8 is about the sense of wonder.
This is a story about the formation of a group mind. This is NOT a hive mind like that of STAR TREK's the Borg. It is a mind where each person individually become part a greater whole. The best science fiction novel version of this is the classic MORE THAN HUMAN by Theodore Sturgeon.
The story can be confusing because it does have 8 major characters, each one important so it is telling their stories – as they become one. So this will change as the story develops.
One of the reviews here commented that there was nothing science fictional happening. On the contrary, this is great science fiction. SF does not need futuristic props or special effects or CGI to make it science fiction. One of the best episodes in the newer version of the "Twilight Zone" which came out 20 years ago was based on the concept of "What if people KNEW reincarnation was real and could remember there past lives?" The result was a nightmare society. Straczynski was involved in the production of that series as well.
SENSE8 can be fairly easy to understand when you watch it if you remember this: There are 8 characters who, as the series progresses, literally become part of each others lives. What you are watching at the start is the start of this. They start hearing and seeing what the others do. As this bonding grows, they start to see each other, what each other is doing and experience this together. AND they start to be able to become each other, to be each other wherever they are.
I'll be blunt and say this: SENSE8 is not for everyone. It is for people who can understand and enjoy well-written and deeply thoughtful psychological drama. It is complex as it is telling 8 different stories that will become one story. It is not shallow TV. It isn't "reality" TV. It is not for people who give up when a series or a show is difficult for them to understand. It is for people who want to push ahead, to challenge themselves to learn and to understand and grow to be better themselves. SENSE8 is everything that is NOT what STAR TREK has become.
SENSE8 is classic Science Fiction television that will become a classic.
. . .
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Yup, that sealed it for me. Let others waddle through the junk and report back on it. There is far too much quality telly out there for me to waste time on nonsense( 8 ).
So you changed your mind, and decided to watch this afterall?
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Yup, that sealed it for me. Let others waddle through the junk and report back on it. There is far too much quality telly out there for me to waste time on nonsense( 8 ).
So you changed your mind, and decided to watch this afterall?
I watched the first 3 episodes last weekend but drifted off during each episode. Some shows lend themselves to the binge experience, some do not and also my own frame of mind can play a part in whether I am engaged or not. I watched the first episode of Game of Thrones when it first aired (or again parts of it due to nodding) and wrote that series off. Tried again when with the first episode during the second season because of hype & again nothing. Third season hype seemed omnipresent so tried a third time, something clicked and I watched the series to that point in 3 days.
I have not returned to Sense8 BUT I will be. A few of the strains in it struck a chord slowly because I found myself wondering about it a couple times, was going to put the first episode on again but became otherwise engaged (got to love the random drop-in who fills the void television cannot). I can run hot or cold pretty easy and black or white seems to be my on or off.
Unfortunately I am unable to go back and edit thoughts expressed earlier like 'twaddle'. I am going back to Sense8 if for no other reason than I enjoy Miss Agyeman gracing the small screen. She certainly was a highlight in The Carrie Diaries which really was trash and yet I saw every episode of it…
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I'll be blunt and say this: SENSE8 is not for everyone. It is for people who can understand and enjoy well-written and deeply thoughtful psychological drama. It is complex as it is telling 8 different stories that will become one story. It is not shallow TV. It isn't "reality" TV. It is not for people who give up when a series or a show is difficult for them to understand. It is for people who want to push ahead, to challenge themselves to learn and to understand and grow to be better themselves. SENSE8 is everything that is NOT what STAR TREK has become.
No one 'story' can be for everyone, we are all unique little snowflakes. Let's remember it is 'just television' (friends of mine just felt a little weird because of me typing out 'just television' - twice now) and people who want to challenge themselves, learn, understand & better themselves are (or shouldn't be) relying on television to push ahead. Aargh I feel dirty expressing this and I think the TV is watching, waiting, about to blink out to punish me.
I learned my lesson expecting too much from television when Little House on the Prairie & Highway to Heaven had that cross over reunion special. Everyone was all like (retrozombieliketheverynextday) it was always a character study. Ya well the only character I was interested was The Island and I still to this day mutter "I hope your happy Jacob" every time I push through revolving doors. Oh Lost, we have to go back…
Sometimes I do let my fingers do the thinking and bla bla bla. I am going back to Sense8 (not tonight Hannibal as something special cooked up for me).
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I'm in LOVE with this show. I had to binge watch it and I just… It was so lovely. The actors are so diverse and the cast is awesome and I seriously think that Lito is my babyangel
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Is there any English subtitle?
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BOSTON POLAR: I stand corrected re: the hive mind. Had not watched it and was basing my words on second-hand impressions.
It is never a bad day to mention Theodore Sturgeon, one of the greatest writers in the science fiction field, but someone so good and so far outside the genre norms of his day that as a major literary talent he was absolutely robbed of the glowing reputation he deserved.
Especially in stories like "Thunder and Roses" and "Slow Sculpture," among others, the stories were s-f pretty much only because fans claimed him and mundanes did not. To call them s-f is a courtesy more flattering to fandom than to him, in the same way that Harlan would be considered a great writer if he had never written in the genre. Ask Dorothy Parker, who knew a thing or two.
Sturgeon is also the author of one of the first mass market stories about gay love– "The World Well Lost." When a friend conveyed to him how much the story meant to me, he was reportedly both pleased and moved.
Speaking of fandom, btw, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts (probably on some other thread) about the attempt coup attempt against this year's Hugo awards from conspiring reactivists. Ask not for whom the knuckle drags: it drags for thee.
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Speaking of fandom, btw, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts (probably on some other thread) about the attempt coup attempt against this year's Hugo awards from conspiring reactivists. Ask not for whom the knuckle drags: it drags for thee.
I like threads which are loosey goosey and not confined. I just read up on the Hugo awards and like one would think $40 would be a deterrent, it would be for me but then I am not promoting backwards thinking.
Update: I have not returned to Sense8 & did not see Hannibal, instead woke up this morning to porn. Oh the shame.
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I'll watch the final episode tonight, maybe.
Overall, Sense8 is not a great show. It just about crosses the line to being good, however. Maybe. Tossing a coin might help.
The writing is subpar, and the acting suffers, too, in a lot of places. What really drags this show down is that there are far, far too many characters. Mind you, now that I'm on the last episode I have some favourites, some I kind of like and others I wish would just die. Because there are so many characters the pace of the show slows to a crawl; their individual stories are spun out through the episodes, and if that wasn't bad enough then the frustration is compounded by the fact that many of the eight story lines do not touch on the overarching sensate mystery (OSM) (that is, the puzzle of Angelica/Jonas/Whispers). I'm sorry, the Indian woman is quite pretty, and I like her character, but god-fucking-damn, her life, her story, her issues, do not make for compelling viewing. It might have, if this were a different show, with a different focus; as it stands her issues pale to the troubles of some other characters, and moreso when compared to the OSM.
It's probably easier to say the characters I enjoy: Will, because not only is he a cutie but he's right there with Jonas, he's working to untangle the OSM; Nomi, although I find her acting to be cringy at parts, and her dialogue makes me want to roll my eyes into the back of my head, but she's also right there in the thick of it so far as OSM is concerned; Sun, though not involved in the OSM, is still a fucking badass, bless this woman, and her skills come into play time and again, the group would be totally lost without her; Lito, but moreso that ridiculously attractive partner of his, Hernando (like, goddamn, Hernando commands all my attention when he's onscreen, it's not fair how distracting he is), and I enjoyed their relationship, although it didn't touch on the OSM, it was a nice (if predictable) treat; and Capheus I like, if only because the actor imbues such unadulterated joy in his character, it's infectious (but his storyline does not touch on OSM, so it's unimpressive, it's plain fare).
Everyone else can fuck off.
If push came to shove, I'd be fine with Will, Sun and Nomi's storylines being the only ones kept alive (with Hernando kept on, because like I said, this guyyyyyyy
). Anytime the show touches on the OSM, that's when things become interesting; in every other instance, the show suffers, because what's being offered isn't worth the hype, the attention, it's not strong enough on its own, not particularly well done (jewel heist; marriage trouble; bus shuttle woes; DJ woes, or whatever the absolute fuck it is Riley is even doing on this show, god, how I loathe her story). Hopefully next season the writers, the directors, whoever's in control, they'll sharpen the writing, increase the pacing and trim it all of unnecessary padding.Sense8 offers a fascinating opportunity to make creative use of story and style. This first season has focused too much on style, IMO, with forgettable substance.
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BBbanditz 2 questions for you:
1. Do you think spacing out episodes in a more traditional television viewing manner would alter your opinion? I was initially very disappointed but now I am blocking out time to return because I think when left to mull my curiosity is up again.2. Next question, for the record, what are some of your great shows? Maybe some mediocre ones as well?
Tell me what a man watches on TV and it makes the spit or swallow debate much easier for me
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BBbanditz 2 questions for you:
1. Do you think spacing out episodes in a more traditional television viewing manner would alter your opinion? I was initially very disappointed but now I am blocking out time to return because I think when left to mull my curiosity is up again.2. Next question, for the record, what are some of your great shows? Maybe some mediocre ones as well?
1. Nah, had they spaced out the episodes my reaction would be even worse, actually. The thought that I'd have to wait six weeks in order to get through the mediocre first six episodes… I would have been extremely frustrated and unimpressed. After the sixth episode I recall my attitude towards the show warming up, although there's still a lot of unnecessary baggage. (Besides, I love to binge. I binged the first two seasons of Hannibal and hooooooly hell, it felt glorious. I'm also now permanently terrified of/in love with Mads Mikkelsen.)
2. Great shows I've watched, in no particular order: The Wire; Hannibal; Mad Men; Utopia (C4); Deadwood; True Detective; Peaky Blinders; Breaking Bad; Justified; Orphan Black; House of Cards; Les Revenants; Vikings; The Good Wife; Avatar: The Last Airbender; The Boondocks; Bob's Burgers; Parks and Recreation. It's entirely possible I'm forgetting some other shows.
Shows that started off great but either turned to shit or failed to capitalize on their awesomeness or I just lost interest in: Battlestar Galactica; Boardwalk Empire; Lost; Continuum; The Fall; True Blood; Dexter; The Legend of Korra. Again, probably forgetting more.
Shows that aren't top notch/excellent quality but are still guilty pleasures: The Originals; The Vampire Diaries.
