Next Friday, a week from now, is the Sense8 finale and I, for one, am sad. But… I’ve seen the finale and I’m much less sad now. Or maybe I’m just sad in a different way. Don’t worry. No spoilers.
It Was Beautiful
Sense8 is the reason I let myself be talked into a Netflix subscription (I regret nothing) and in a lot of ways was a catalyst for this site gaining momentum. I’ve been a fan of the Wachowskis for a long time. Bound is one of my favorite movies, and as a former Chicagoan, I delighted in realizing I knew exactly where they filmed that and how much like my (then) new home they made it sounds. Similarly, I’ve been appreciative of JMS for many years. Babylon 5 was a show I got into with my then girlfriend (now wife) and fell in love with Susan Ivanova. Can you blame me?
And who didn’t fall in love with Sense8? It brought the cinemagraphic artistry I’d come to expect from the Wachowskis and married that to the world building and science in fiction that JMS knew how to weave in so well. Amidst the stunning visuals was a potent combination of characters and plot, with hat tips to the classics as well as to us on the other side of the screen. The chemical reaction gave us a story unexpected and wonderful.
It Was Over
But for all of us wondering how long the beauty could last, it was only two seasons.
To be honest, we don’t know exactly why Sense8 was canceled. We have our theories, like there were issues on set resulting in Capheus being recast. Or maybe it was the money it took to film in such amazing locations. Or maybe it was something else. We just don’t know.
And we were stuck. Because Wolfgang was kidnapped and Nominata got engaged and was Raj going to figure out anything at all, ever!? How the hell was all that going to end!? What was the end? What happened? We raged, we ranted, we made sure all our Clusters knew how we felt. But we knew we were just crying into the void.
Except we weren’t.
We got a finale. We got a wrap up movie. And guess what?
It Is Awesome
Mind. Blown.
We pick up not long after the series ended. Wolfgang is still in peril, the rest of the Cluster is in Paris, Whispers and Jonas are their prisoners, and they’re trying to take down the people who want to kill them and rescue Wolfgang.
If you’re thinking that’s going to be a little messy, you’re right. It’s wildly messy. It’s two and a half hours of twists and turns and mistakes and choices and actions and regret. People come back, people leave, people are heroes, people are villains, and it’s lovely. There’s humour and I certainly laughed a hell of a lot. But I also found myself swearing about as much as they did, cheering when Nomi kicked ass, and gasping.
About an hour in, I realized we had another hour and change to go before it was over, and I was suddenly Bug and just everyone’s stupid fangirl.
It Has Answers
The finale will answer many (if not all) of your burning questions. You will know how many people actually knew about these sensates all along. You’ll see how many people learn (or don’t) and who takes it well (and who doesn’t). While it’s an end, and thus sad because of that, it’s a celebration. The characters take every moment to do so, and you can see the poignance and pathos of every moment.
Much like Sense8 has always done, it brings you in and makes you feel like you are a member of a neighbouring cluster, visiting your friends, and sharing their lives.
Maybe that’s why the show was always so, so powerful.
The underlying story was family. Not just the one we are born to, but the ones we become reborn in and the ones we choose.
Next Friday, watch the finale. It’s an end worthy of the show.
