The Netflix original series Sense8 was released last summer. The series showcases a diverse cast of lesser known actors. This article contains a few spoilers, but nothing that will ruin the series for you.
The story centers around eight complete strangers from different parts of the world. These strangers are suddenly connected mentally and emotionally due to a small genetic mutation. They are called “sensates” and can communicate with other sensates in their cluster telepathically, no matter the distance. Additionally, they are able to use the unique abilities of their sensate “siblings”. All of their special abilities come in handy as they go through their everyday life and are hunted by a rogue sensate that wants to experiment on them.
The main sensates—Kala, Will, Riley, Sun, Capheus, Lito, Wolfgang, and Nomi—are all in one cluster, meaning that they can communicate with each other and use each other’s skills telepathically. While this concept seems a little farfetched, the series adds believability by explaining that it is a genetic mutation. While this explanation does not make it one hundred percent believable, it is good enough for the purposes of the series.
Each of the sensates is from a different area of the world. Scenes take place in India, Germany, England, the United States, Kenya, and South Korea. It is interesting to watch how the different cultures affect each character and contribute to each of their unique skills. Having such a diverse cast allows all viewers to identify with at least one of the characters.
My personal favorite sensate in the cluster, Sun, is from South Korea and she seems to be the most useful of the group. She is a skilled fighter and manages to take down an entire group of mobsters that is attacking one of her sensate siblings. Her efforts to help her family in South Korea often go unnoticed but she is very family oriented and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself for them.
As far as villains go, Whispers is pretty great character. He tracks the sensates down for the sole purpose of experimenting on them. He is particularly interesting because he is a sensate himself, but he has killed his entire cluster. As his story unfolds I am eager to find out what drives his desire to hunt and experiment on his own kind.
This is one of the most inclusive shows that I’ve ever watched. There is strong representation of the LGBTQ community, with one of the main characters being a transgender woman and another being a gay man. Although these characters are very important to the story, I like that their personas are not centered on the fact that they are transgender and gay. While the series gives some background on how their sexual orientations have affected their lives, the story mainly focuses on their skills and relationships with other characters.
This series really has something for everyone. While it’s classified as a sci-fi fantasy, it also has a lot of drama and romance that is sure to appeal to any crowd. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a new binge-worthy series. You can watch the trailer below.