# Sense8 - new show from Joe Straczynski and the Wachowskis **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547 "2013-07-26T01:57:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/61 "2015-06-15T23:15:32Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Well, I am hopeful the second season (if there is one) will have Riley actually doing something substantive and helpful, rather that simply playing the victim. Our D&D party has the following skills that have been used so far: Nomi - Hacker Wolfgang - Killer / Fighter Will - Cop procedurals / Guns Capheus - Driver Sun - Martial Arts Lito - Liar / Actor Kala - Pharma Then we get… Riley - Music? Who the hell brought a bard? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/62 "2015-06-16T09:19:21Z")
I just finished episode 6 and I’ll finish the run. I like gratuitous sex and so in that respect, it doesn’t disappoint. But maybe one has to dig gay porn, too? Which I also do. So. I think it’s kinda funny everyone starts to go “ew” when anything that looks like a dick shows up. The first episode splat made me laugh. I took it as a kind of, “yep, it’s that kind of a show - now’s the time to decide whether you want to stay on this ride.” I’m enjoying everyone’s assessments, I’m gaining some perspectives that I didn’t have so far through episode 6. It helps. I agree that the first two eps were a slog. Since it’s on a platform that allows binging, I think the treatment this story got was more like one really long movie, which made for a really long and hard to engage introduction that was essentially two hours. Even if it were put on regular TV as a miniseries, those first two hours would have to get condensed or even split up somehow with the following two hours if not skipped nearly altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/63 "2015-06-16T12:47:02Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Interesting credit, by the way: “The Wachowskis.” I am pretty sure that’s completely verboten by the DGA, WGA and other Hollywood agencies; there have been some titanic battles over having to use one name, or forbidding the use of such combined names. I suspect that in production terms, this show is outside the Hollywood/industry/union pale. Huh. Was Jupiter Ascending outside all that? They were credited as The Wachowskis on that as well. And before Larry changed into Lana, they were always The Wachowski Brothers. Always combined, never “Andy and Larry” or anything. Is TV different? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/64 "2015-06-16T14:38:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Huh. Was Jupiter Ascending outside all that? They were credited as The Wachowskis on that as well. > > And before Larry changed into Lana, they were always The Wachowski Brothers. Always combined, never “Andy and Larry” or anything. > > Is TV different? I don’t know, to be honest. I am more familiar with the battles over trying to give dual directorial credit and combine names and so forth - always strongly fought by the guilds - than what might be recent changes. (I had completely missed the turn from ‘Brothers’ to ‘The,’ there.) IMDb is not completely helpful since it is muddled about what appears on the screen credits, especially in re-release. I guess things could have changed right around the time of The Matrix, but I have a suspicion that the original film has separate credits, not “Brothers,” even if later media releases had the latter. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/65 "2015-06-16T15:35:06Z")
Watched the first two eps last night. After having read the thread I viewed it fairly critically but was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t the slog I was expecting although they do have a lot of characters to check in on. By the end of the second ep I was hooked. It’s a great idea. The show could be better I guess, but still a great idea and I can’t wait to find out more of what’s going on. My favorite so far is the Mexican film star. Their bedroom scene was really nice and didn’t feel fake gay, and I laughed out loud when his celebrity “girlfriend” barged in. I definitely got both a \*Heroes \*& \*Lost \*vibe. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/66 "2015-06-16T16:03:35Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I just finished episode 6 and I’ll finish the run. I like gratuitous sex and so in that respect, it doesn’t disappoint. But maybe one has to dig gay porn, too? Which I also do. So. I think it’s kinda funny everyone starts to go “ew” when anything that looks like a dick shows up. The first episode splat made me laugh. I took it as a kind of, “yep, it’s that kind of a show - now’s the time to decide whether you want to stay on this ride.” I don’t mind sex scenes; there were simply too many of them. Okay Wachowskis, people have sex, I get it, but most of the sex could have been implied, or dispensed with entirely with no negative impact on the story. Showing the sex didn’t advance anything and didn’t make me feel anything good or bad about the characters, which is what I meant about it being gratuitous. Will and Riley didn’t have sex, unless they did and I missed it, but their mutual attraction was palpable. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/67 "2015-06-16T16:34:31Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > IMDb is not completely helpful since it is muddled about what appears on the screen credits, especially in re-release. I guess things could have changed right around the time of The Matrix, but I have a suspicion that the original film has separate credits, not “Brothers,” even if later media releases had the latter. Nope. I actually saw it in the theater and it was credited as brothers. So was Bound, wasn’t it? That was 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/68 "2015-06-16T17:33:51Z")
I finished the season this morning, and really enjoyed it in spite of its flaws. Yes, it gets pretty silly at times, but I appreciate that in this format they can include some of the more ‘gratuitous’ scenes. But I think those scenes actually do have a purpose. Like the group sex scene or the fireworks scene–they show the cluster bonding and show us the joy and wonder a connection like that could provide. I’ll tune in if there’s a season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/69 "2015-06-16T23:26:24Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Our D&D party has the following skills that have been used so far: > Nomi - Hacker > Wolfgang - Killer / Fighter > Will - Cop procedurals / Guns > Capheus - Driver > Sun - Martial Arts > Lito - Liar / Actor > Kala - Pharma > > Then we get… > Riley - Music? Who the hell brought a bard? I feel like the whole fainting/bloody nose thing is a foreshadow of her power/magic/skill/strength/whatever. She probably holds them all together like the blonde who birthed her. She’ll probably be responsible for birthing more. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/70 "2015-06-17T01:40:39Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > She’ll probably be responsible for birthing more. We don’t know all the rules, but I believe Jonas said that a whole new cluster of 8 sensates is “born” when _any_ sensate dies. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/71 "2015-06-20T17:08:48Z")
Finished watching the whole season at 3 AM. I want to watch the whole thing again. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/72 "2015-06-20T18:56:42Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > We don’t know all the rules, but I believe Jonas said that a whole new cluster of 8 sensates is “born” when _any_ sensate dies. Except Angelica actually birthed them before she killed herself. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/73 "2015-06-20T23:39:20Z")
Finally finished (I don’t binge watch anything; I have too many things to do to commit more than a couple of hours a day to television). I’m not a big fan of the Walchowskis (\* The Matrix\* was mostly a tedious bore and the sequels stunk), but I did love B5, so I gave it a shot. Very impressive. The concept, of course, was used by Theodore Sturgeon in the 1950s, but it’s one that really hasn’t been explored since then. The characters are all interesting and I love the way they went for the unexpected in many of the relationships. I also liked all the characters subplots; much of the show is separate from the overarching story and have little to do with the sense8s at all. I especially liked the romanticism. The unabashed treatment of human life (and not just sex) is rarely seen these days. The relationships show people deeply in love in a way that’s sensual and the sort of relationship people dream of. It’s real and highly erotic and so highly charged that is not surprising people mock it: the sort of pure emotion is easy to be cynical about, since few people experience it. There are a few bits I saw, but overall I’m looking forward to the next series. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/74 "2015-06-21T03:51:08Z")
I’m on episode 5 now, having taken a small break. It has vastly improved since the beginning. I’ve probably said it a few times already, but I’ll say it again: **The show improves after the pilot!** What are the odds on this one getting a second season? I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/75 "2015-06-21T04:09:39Z")
I thought the fifth episode is the best so far, but I do confess to losing some plot threads along the way. Why was the two girls’(Martha from Doctor Who and her girlfriend) house/apartment ransacked at the end of the episode? Are we supposed to understand something about this or is it a total shock? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/76 "2015-06-21T04:41:49Z")
You’ll find out more about that in later episodes, I believe. I watched the whole thing in a few days, so it all runs together for me. I don’t want to give anything away, but you will definitely learn more about why Nomi was being targeted like that. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/77 "2015-06-21T12:14:51Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I thought the fifth episode is the best so far, but I do confess to losing some plot threads along the way. > > Why was the two girls’(Martha from Doctor Who and her girlfriend) house/apartment ransacked at the end of the episode? Are we supposed to understand something about this or is it a total shock? > > 😕 Shouldn’t be a shock. You know the police are looking for Nomi, so they’d go to her apartment. And the bad guys who are after her would do the same. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/78 "2015-06-21T16:29:44Z")
Finished the season last night. Having seen the whole thing, [spoiler]Did they say exactly what Whispers is? Is he a sensate without a cluster? Some other type of person? Can someone send Capheus’ mom some medicine, please? That seems like a problem easily fixable by the others.[/spoiler] Can’t wait for season two if there is one. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/79 "2015-06-21T17:23:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **The show improves after the pilot!** So what, if I gave up 30 minutes into the pilot? I have better things to do than watch an annoying program because it’s supposed to get better, and I’d rather enjoy myself when I’m not doing them. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sense8-new-show-from-joe-straczynski-and-the-wachowskis/664547/80 "2015-06-21T17:26:04Z")
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