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Sense8: I Have No Room In My Heart For Hate

“We cannot escape hope. The only hope we have of making this country a better place is if we do it ourselves.”

This was a different episode for me because (1) it was the first one I watched after the cancellation news and (2) I watched with a friend, which was a fun experience. I also thought it was the funniest episode of the series thus far, it made me laugh out loud several times.

The individual stories advanced significantly and were written with confidence, specially Kala’s and Capheus’. Their paths intertwined in an interesting way when Kala confronted Rajan about the company’s falsified reports. More often than not, people in positions of power don’t think of the ramifications of their choices and actions. Rajan can shake any ethical compromise off his shoulders by saying “oh, some of the drugs might work, that’s how we roll, we all do it”, unaware of how close to him the people who depend on the drugs are. Capheus is right there and Rajan can’t see him, and there is more to this scene than the rules that guide the show. Rajan lost his empathy, his humanity is compromised by distorted values. He can’t see Capheus, he can’t see anyone affected by his choices. But he should. Because all of us are close. Because what we do matters and can have an impact in someone else’s life. It is convenient to be the smart one and take the easier path, but that is not the way to social justice. Can Rajan reform? Can he change his values? Perhaps, but it needs to outgrow his love for Kala. He needs to learn to love those he has overlooked through his entire life. I’m happy that Kala stood by her beliefs and didn’t take any of his excuses, you know she would have done it even before meeting Capheus.

Capheus himself is taking a stand and has decided to enter the world of politics. I’m happy with this development too, regardless of any clumsiness that came along the way. Politics needs more men and women like Capheus, someone that comes from the people and who will truly work for them. His mom wasn’t having any of it, though, because being a good politician amidst corrupt and evil men can get you killed, as it did with Capheus’ dad. But she has in her the need to help the others and so she gave him her blessing. Shiro, don’t worry, your boy has seven other people helping him at all times.


There was a major group therapy session when Sun visited her parents’ tombstone and apologized to them for how wrong things have gone. Definitely not your fault, honey, and I’m glad your cluster was there to tell you that. Sun’s confession that she felt lost was heartbreaking and the flashback to the afternoon her mother cheered her up after she lost a match was lovely. And what a beautiful graveyard, wasn’t it? I would totally hang out there to read, write, take a nap, have a picnic, fight... Oh, no, wait, I’ll leave that last one to Sun and Mun. I’ll be honest, I’m glad they have toned down the raw violence this season and that was a fight scene I actually enjoyed. Mun is such a fun character, a great balance to Sun’s stoicism. Take his help, Sun, he is a valuable ally who is totally into you.

I was so mad at Daniela’s parents for trying to control her life the way they did. That scene rang true and reminded me of several similar situations I either saw happening or heard of. My aunt was taken out of her friends’ house by my uncles shortly after my family learned she was a lesbian. I was only a kid when it happened and I didn’t know what was going on and why she was so depressed afterwards. That was over twenty years ago and she is fine and empowered today, but it’s unfortunate that situations like that – and worse – still happen. I’m glad Lito wouldn’t let them take her, and his relief when Wolfgang popped up to help him was hilarious. Now Daniela will have to live without her parents’ money, and good for her, first because she will learn that she can take charge of her life and because no good money comes from oppression. But I’m guessing they will have to move out of that apartment.

Salvation has arrived.
I’m not sure what Nomi’s arc is this season. Is it about how she is struggling to maintain a normal relationship with Amanita in the midst of all the BPO insanity? I love Amanita’s dads, they are so fun and progressive. What’s not to love? They don’t care about finding out who is the biological father because they share Amanita as a daughter in their hearts. Man, why can’t the world have more people like these characters? Their conversation on violence and gender was on point. There were anvils flying everywhere, but they told no lies and I’ve discussed that topic with friends of mine several times. Violence has a gender, it’s male and people deny all the evidence. Good that Sense8 talked about that, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed.


Riley went off to Chicago and Will’s resistance to her exposing herself was both cute and fun. I particularly enjoyed Riley asking Nomi for help. I like that Riley has taken the leadership in the hunt of Whispers, it’s a nice contrast to when she was the damsel in distress last season. That she went through and took the blocker pill shows how brave and determined she is. There have been a lot of conversations about BPO this season, each one adding new bits of information, and they could become repetitive, but Wachowski and Straczynski always manage to make them interesting or personal, or both. Riley’s informant, who works with Professor Kolovi and helped Angelica escape and give birth to the August 8 cluster, was clearly afraid as she told her tale. But she went with it anyway. There is a pattern to every good person on Sense8, that no matter how scared they are and how much the cards are stacked up against them, their willingness to serve the greater good will pull them through. These are characters whose stories I want to follow.

Bits and Pieces

- Jonas is alive! Or isn’t he? Cliffhanger!

- There was a mass shooting inside a Mosque during a peace congregation. The shooter was... Todd! Under Whispers’ thrall. But Todd didn’t get to kill himself right afterwards and was imprisoned, so Whispers was kind of stuck with him until he hanged himself in jail. That’s interesting... while Whispers is controlling a lobotomized sensate he can’t “leave” that mind?

- Neuro graft is what Whispers does to lobotomized sensates: overwrite his consciousness over theirs.

- I’m confused again regarding the cluster that is referred to as “Angelica’s”. Is it her original one or the first she gave birth to?

- There is a fragility to Brian J. Smith’s performance that captures all the hurt and loss Will went through in the past year.

- Lito’s former agent was terrible. Telling Lito he supported him when he clearly didn’t, calling his sexuality a lifestyle. Ugh. Go find yourself a better agency, Lito.

- That random guy – a closeted actor? – hugging Lito in the elevator was lovely, though.

- It is a delight to see Shiro healthy and joyful.

- It has become annoying how Ajay brings up Kala’s beauty every time they meet.

- Riley visited the place where she kissed Will for the first time. And her meeting with the informant was at the church where the sensates were born.

- Nomi makes new IDs for trans people who have a hard time getting them from the government.

- The monk visited Riley but didn’t allow Riley to visit her. How did she do that? It’s such a cool mythology ramification, that she learned how to control the visiting “gate”.

- The friend who watched the episode with me is a Sansei, and I asked her “are the graveyards always so beautiful there?”, which she replied with “you know that South Korea and Japan are not the same thing, right? And that I’m actually Brazilian and have never been to Japan?” We laughed and I apologized. She did tell me that Asian people tend to cremate the bodies of those who have passed away.

Breathtaking.

Quotes

Amanita: “At this point, aren’t mass shooting just business as usual in America?”
There is a similar line in Buffy’s “Earshot” and it’s saddening that almost twenty years have passed and the situation remains the same.

Joaquin: “Wanna go again, faggot?”
Lito: “Only if you want your ass kicked by a faggot.”
Wolfgang: “Again.”

Daniela’s mom: “Come home with us.”
Daniela: “Sorry, mom, I am home."

Zakia: “My future is my country.”
Zakia’s willingness to make a difference is awesome.

Kala: “Feelings and emotions can overwhelm our logic, and at the same time, logic can ruin the emotions that make life worth living.”

Sun: “I think I’m more confused than I was before.”
LOL.

Sun: “I’ve seen your legal system from inside and out, and the last thing I would expect from it is justice.”

Mun: “I have thought about our fight at Mrs. Cho’s apartment. A lot.”
Sun: “I haven’t thought about it at all.”
Sun was on fire!

Nomi: “What happened to the killer?”
Amanita: “He tries to shoot himself.”
Nomi: “How much better would the world be if these guys would just start with themselves?”

Riley’s informant: “If it’s within our power to keep something that terrible from happening, shouldn’t we?”

Beautiful episode, and I really enjoyed writing this review. Maybe I’m more appreciative of this show now that it’s gone. Damn it. Four out of four stars or very close. Only four episodes to go. :(
--
Lamounier

1 comment:

  1. I loved this one, too. My favorite scenes were the multiple visits when Sun was at her parents' incredibly beautiful gravesite. And the guy who hugged Lito in the elevator in what had to be one of the worst moments in Lito's life, almost like a confirmation that yes, this sucks, but you did the right thing. And Amanita's family visit with her mom and three dads. :) I find it difficult to believe in Kala's husband's change of heart, but then again I want her out of that marriage, so maybe I'm biased.

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