Sense8

[Drunk Monk]

Very Wachowsky. Starting watching and got sucked 4 episodes deep before S absconded the TV. Best Netflix hallucinations so far. Bollywood. Kickboxing. San Francisco.

If there's a sword fight soon I'll be totally hooked. Don't really have the time to binge it right now but it's tempting

[Drunk Monk]

I've been avoiding getting sucked into a binge show, especially now as my CA summer is in full swing and I don't have the time for the distraction, but dang, this show has me totally addicted. I dosed on 4 more eps last night. I'm not even sure if it's really good or if I'm just in some weird escapist denial that has me possessed by Sense8. I think I know where big story arc is going to go, and I don't think it's going to pay out very well by the finale, but I'm enjoying the ride now.

LIKES: Opening credits, soundtrack is excellent, JCVD, Conan the Barbarian, Luchador, Ganesh Festival, SF, lots of drugs and hallucinations, lots of steamy sex

DISLIKES: I wish the Korean kickboxer Doona Bae was really a martial artist. She's not buff enough, nor does she really have the moves, and that totally invalidates her fight scenes. I'm hoping her story arc goes more Lady Vengeance as there are already clear nods (She was in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and The Host). Also, despite the opening credits, there's not enough Daryl.

AMBIVALENTS: Most of the steamy sex is gay, and there's been one really kinky orgy scene and a full monty close-up, but that reminds dm of his SOMA warehouse party nites with PPFY....oh wait, was that our little secret? oops. :oops

Still hoping for that sword fight. There's been some machete brandishing and a good machete dismemberment.

Must finish this binge soon so I can get back to my life.

[Drunk Monk]

It got armchair philosophical as is the wachowski way. The 11 was the payout. My dream for sense8 manifested. Saving the finale for later

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Ix-nay on the OMA-Say!

[Drunk Monk]

i want to watch it again. yeah, i luved it. i can see where a lot of people will hate it. but it worked for me. good characters, good music, good scenery and some decent ultravi.

i take back what i said about doona bae. she carries the role well enough.

[Drunk Monk]

Of all the shows to do an Xmas special. Season 2 starts next year and this is the bridge episode, a mostly inconsequential bit of filler to remind fans to binge - same strategy used for Marco Polo (which failed miserably). 

Honestly, I forgot how this show ended last season so this bridge episode was helpful to get me back in synch, as it's complicated. It excessively clocks in at nearly 2 hours and has several gratuitous musical interludes. It totally does NOT work as an Xmas special (Cohen's Hallelujah - srsly?) One of the sensates has changed actors which they blame on a haircut (another srsly?) but the cast seems like it gets itself better now. All 8 appear more frequently together as their cluster is now more unfied. The locales aren't as exotic (city lights bookstore cameo is amusing) and the ultravi isn't up to snuff but there's an orgy halfway through. It won't make a lick of sense without season 1.

I have yet to find another follower of this show within any of my circles. I recommend watching it soon before the Trumpogarchy bans it.

I look forward to season 2.

[cranefly]

Lady Cranefly and I were silent and appreciative followers.  I was greatly impressed by the show's diversity in so many ways.

I did feel that the last couple episodes started drifting away from the dramatic areas I was most interested in.  Not that I remember what they were.  A Christmas special, eh?  I'll mention it to the Lady.

One problem is that I'm trying to finish a fucking script for that fucking Hollywood-China Screenwriting Competition.  Yeah, you'd think I would have learned by now.  It's a different group of folks, by the way.  More focused on making money off submitters in every conceivable way.  Vulture land.  Oddly, I feel at home among them.  But they only gave a little over a month's notice, which is insane.  Who writes a novel or movie screenplay in a month?  Not me.

But I'm aiming to do so anyway.  Just to spite the Horror Clown.

[Greg]

In the desert that is TV viewing between Christmas and New Years, where we don't even have any movies to grab, The Queen and I started watching this. We saw the first two episodes last night and really enjoyed them. You really have to pay attention because there is so much going on.

Because I am a Neanderthal I appreciated the Lesbian scene but not the Gay Men, so yeah. (Was that two pairs of socks in his shorts?) My favorite scene so far was the Kenyan-Korean Chicken scene. I am really enjoying those sorts of moments.

My question for the morning was what other movie had the character with the name Nomi?

[Drunk Monk]

Oh you guys are so outed.  All these years, dm has been working to out the Yeti and yet he's just been too cagey.  Suuuuure, 'let's go fence in the window of a gay club,' he says.   'We'll have a few free drinks and make some money,' he says.   Next thing dm knows, they are scooting past a circle jerk to get to the car. Remember the DOOM code - no poofters!!! "Ix-nay on the OMA-Say!" my ass.  Oh wait, that's the wrong vernacular here.  

I thought the lesbian scene was one of the greatest Wachowski mind fux yet.  It's like 'check out this hot lesbian love scene' and then it's 'but wait! Jamie Clayton is trans - FOR REAL!  Caught you looking!'

Actually, I luv Jamie.  She is such a strong character in this show, a real triumph for trans peeps.  

What strikes me about Sense8 is some of the locations and cinematography.  The Ganesh festival scene was awesome.  And the SF stuff is so 'been there! cool!'  And of course, I love the ultravi.  And the Bollywood.  And the telenovela.  And the global perspective.  And the gay butt.  No wait.  No that's you guys.  Please don't kick me outta DOOM.  

[Greg]

Our first thought on the Bollywood number was "Oh, that's why DM likes this show"

Yeah, trans. But it was Lesbian before I knew what was going on. And the wet dildo drop to the ground was sense rattling.

We also have the added Chicago locals bump. I kept thinking I would love to be the second unit director on this film.

[Greg]

Okay, a lot of threads going on, but it's dragging a little. They are doing a lot of scenes with just two characters talking to each other. It works well as they flop and forth between the two characters current locations. And, if I thought about it, it would give me a headache. 

But strangely it works. There are enough shocks and surprises to keep me involved and interested but nowhere near as much as the first couple of episodes. 

I find myself wishing that they would get to the point already. I'm glad to see the villain is making an appearance.

Too much gay sex for my taste, but then I'm a dinosaur.

[Greg]

And we finished. It was good. All the little storylines wrapped up. Lots of threads left dangling for the next season. Still moving really ponderously interrupted by great action sequences. The Queen's favorite character is Sun because she's a bad ass. (DM and The Queen can work this out among themselves). I'm still annoyed by the many 'Dinner with Andre' sequences. With all the creativity on display, you would think they would come up with something better than two people sitting and talking to give out information.

That being said, I really enjoyed this series. There must have been a lot of planning to get all these stories to work together. It wasn't like they could drop in an extraneous episode in the middle. Some of the segments were stronger than others and I'm interested to see where they go from here. I still have to watch the Christmas episode.


Of course watching the three final episodes all in a row led to some freaky dreams.

[Drunk Monk]

I binged it all quickly a year and a half ago so when the Xmas special came, a lot of it was good review because it is such a tangled mess of story arcs. I'll be curious if the Xmas special works after a fresh binge. I was tempted to re-binge season one, but I don't have the time. Moving on. 

I do like Doona Bae as an actress and like what she does with the role here, but she just can't quite sell a fake punch. It reminds me of Buffy (TV show not the movie) where the kick ass fighter just doesn't look that strong when choreographed. She seemed a little better in the Xmas special but maybe that was just me being hopeful.

[cranefly]

If only they had Amanda Nunes as the kick-ass fighter.  I'm pretty sure she could sell a fake punch.  True, the part calls for a Korean, but with enough makeup and tricks with lighting I'm sure Amanda could pass for Tony Randal made up like a Korean woman.

We'll likely catch the Xmas special this Saturday.

[Greg]

How many of you are convinced that the Chicago Cop is also the starting Quarterback for the New England Patriots?

That's probably just me.