Sense8: Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes

"Van Damme always comes back."

For a show as complicated and experimental as Sense8 I expected nothing less than the banger of a penultimate episode. This one was not a disappointment.

Let’s start off with Riley (again) as she lies in a hospital and we discover that she isn’t alone. Both Will and Nomi are actively visiting and trying to protect her with Nomi doing some hacking to redirect and obscure Riley’s condition and keep orders from going through. Her father, of course, is also there, playing music and being genuinely sweet and worried.

So what is wrong with her? Physically I’m not sure, because there doesn’t seem to be an actual physical ailment; instead, it seems to be a physical manifestation of extreme psychological turmoil and trauma. We still don’t know the exact events, but Riley was in some kind of car accident with her husband Magnus while pregnant with their daughter Luna, at night, in the middle of winter. I assume we’ll learn more in the finale.

But I think the main issue is that Riley was starting to feel joy again, she’s smiling and falling in love with Will. She’s starting a new life, but her survivor's guilt and the trauma she experienced was so great that her mind has shut down due to the conflict. I believe there are documented cases of extreme psychological issues presenting as physical symptoms, plus she isn’t entirely human, so maybe being a sensate can cause more extreme reactions.

Unfortunately both Yrsa and Jonas are convinced she is out of time, with Whispers aware of her condition. It was super creepy watching Whispers telling Jonas what to say. It was a really good scene, complicated and multi level and it really puts into question how much we can trust Jonas. The other bigger question is whether Will and Nomi can get to her first, or will Whispers capture her and turn her into another Bolger, which would be utterly tragic.

Will was kind of busy this episode. He shows up in India to intervene with Kala’s moment at the temple, which switched to Kala visiting Riley in Iceland, which was another cool scene. Then Will also joins Capheus during the shoot out in Nairobi (more on that later). They are really leaning into Will being one of the physical combatants, specializing in tactics and weapons. Which is one of the foundational reasons why their cluster seems so dangerous.

Kala’s relationship with both Rajan and Wolfgang has also moved forward a bit. She finally tells Rajan the truth about his father’s wishes regarding their upcoming marriage. But apparently he already knew and was fine with going through with it despite the objections. Kala even made points with Rajan because she was honest. This all makes Rajan seem like a better person, but there is something that keeps bothering me about him. I can’t put my finger on what it is.

Kala’s confrontation with the people at the temple was tense. It’s awful that they are making her their hero for bringing Manendra (the "defiler") to them, calling her one of "Us." I did love when Will backed her up, telling them to get out or he'll show them what violence looks like. Kala is opposed to violence, but given what she witnessed I can imagine she was considering violating that inner code.

Wolfgang has a very different code, and while Kala cannot fully understand it, she cannot deny her feelings for him. When she appears in the car with him as he approaches his uncle’s house, it’s because Wolfgang has no illusions that he is going to survive the encounter. Their visits almost seem like reflex now; when certain emotions arise, it is almost like they can’t help it. Kala pleads with Wolfgang not to do it, but they both know he has to go and finish what he started. The math is simple, Wolfgang killed Steiner, so there’s nowhere he can hide that would be safe.

I really liked that Kala turned to Sun but I’m not sure how comforting it was to tell her that he would never be safe as long as that man is alive. I hated that we left there without getting to what happens next with Wolfgang, but we already had a pretty jam packed episode, so it’s probably for the best.

Speaking of Sun, she has some major drama involving her brother. Lee Ki-chan, who plays Joong-Ki, did a great job in his scene; you can actually see the character "acting" upset about their father’s death. That’s just so selfish and evil! Trying to say that they still had each other after having his own father murdered was just chilling.

Thankfully, she didn’t buy it for a minute, and with absolutely no hesitation she went right over the table to attack him. You could feel her anger and grief, because she had just gotten her father back, and he took that from her. Poor Sun, she has really had a string of crap luck since she joined the pod, but at least she got a chance to let out her anger and frustration (more on that in a moment).

Nomi did get a bit to do in this episode after being relegated to the token sex scene last episode. I really loved that Nomi and Will worked behind the scenes to save Riley from BPO with nothing but her computer. That entire conversation with Will in front of Amanita was just wonderful, and I love that "Neets" is totally accepting what is happening to her girlfriend at this point.

Bug coming to the rescue with Nomi's stuff was fun, and a chance to drop a character learning moment for him. Lana Wachowski would not have put a dead name drop for a sympathetic character a second time unless it was a learning moment. While Bug calling her Mike was a slip up and essentially an innocent slip up, I loved Amanita’s reaction.

Alright! On to Capheus, who had the meatiest section of the episode. I liked that Capheus trusted Jela enough to leave Amondi with him. But Capheus was either very brave, perhaps a little stupid and a tiny bit fatalistic, going to face off against an entire gang in their ugly den. But being who he is, he couldn’t just give Amondi to them. Because what would they have done to that little girl?

I did like the way Superpower reacted to Capheus saying they should settle their debts like men. Capheus flinched but he didn't back down. He expected to die in that moment when Superpower swung that machete. I wonder if that was the reason Superpower didn’t just kill him, a man outnumbered and surrounded meeting his death without flinching. It wasn’t as if Capheus was not showing fear, just courage and a strength of will.

I was actually surprised when they brought out Silas. I expected him to have more security and be better protected. Does Superpower just have the numbers? Either way that scene was super intense, then the tables turned when Sun jumped into the fight, finally letting go and acting out all her rage and need for violence. Maybe he shouldn't have given her that machete.

The fight itself was quick, brutal, bloody, and honestly? Satisfying. Neither Capheus or Kabaka expected to survive that moment, but Capheus is the Van Damme, who at this point has built up an almost mythical number of impossible saves.

Things progress into a slightly absurd car chase through the congested streets and highways, devolving into shoot outs where Will jumps in to help again. It was almost comical when Superpower rolled up in a pickup truck with a shitload of guys and guns guns guns in the middle of a major traffic jam. Because a gunfight is totally reasonable, with Uzis and handguns and intense music.

Somehow Capheus manages to maneuver the bus to the other side of the highway, and Superpower follows on a motorcycle chasing and shooting at the Van Damme bus. Which ends in the most lopsided game of chicken I’ve ever seen... what was Superpower thinking? A motorcycle (with a gun) versus a bus? It was framed well and managed to feel epic, if a bit silly in retrospect.

In the end both Capheus and Silas survived and returned home, Kabaka reunited with his daughter, and that look of gratitude he gave Capheus spoke volumes even if it remained unspoken. You didn't give up my daughter and you saved my life. If that doesn’t give him a new lease on life and the inspiration to do something other than run drugs, then nothing will.

Bits:

I loved that Wolfgang goes and takes Felix out of the hospital *first* while quoting Conan the Barbarian.

The actor who plays Superpower has an interesting face. Not traditionally handsome, but unique.

The editing cuts are a lot more frenetic, but they do fit the episode which was massive and chaotic.

Quotes:

Sun: “Call me bitch one more time…”
Capheus: “And I will kill you.”

Rajan: "The doctors are saying it's a miracle he's still alive. I'm not sure which would upset my father more; the idea of fanatics trying to kill him, or a god getting credit for saving him."

Wolfgang: “As long as that man is alive, no one I care about will ever be safe."

Will: "They'll be back."
Kala: "So will I."
Will: "Well, so will I."

Orderly: "How long will it be?"
Wolfgang: "What I have to do now shouldn't take long."
Orderly: "What name should I use?"
Wolfgang: (smiles) "Conan."
Orderly: "Is that a first name? Last name?"
Wolfgang: "Yes."

Sun: "Crying won't help him. I can feel what you're feeling. This is what life is: fear, rage, desire... love. To stop feeling emotions, to stop wanting to feel them... is to feel death."
Kala: "What do you suggest I do?"
Sun: "I take everything I am feeling, everything that matters to me, I push all of it... into my fist, and I fight for it."

While this episode was jam-packed with action, violence and plot, it was also very much an emotional payoff for things building up throughout the season with a few ends starting to tie up while others are unraveling in completely unexpected ways.

3.5 out of 4 wrapped up storylines.

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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