When it comes to producing original series, Netflix hardly ever slacks. "Orange is the New Black," "House of Cards" and "Marco Polo" have become all the rage since they were released. So it is no surprise that Netflix’s newest original series, "Sense8," is a hit just like the rest.
"Sense8" does not have your typical plot. Although it embraces typical genres such as action, romance, drama and the supernatural, it is not quite as predictable as many movies seem to be and has encompassed more of a sci-fi vibe than any similar Netflix series before it.
"Sense8" tells the story of eight attractive people from around the world that are suddenly linked mentally after being activated by the vision of a woman’s death.Each person was born on the same day, are telepathically linked into each other lives and are able to communicate through their minds. They can share memories, experiences and thoughts with each other.They are also able to speak each other’s language, even if they have never had any previous lessons in it before and know each other’s knowledge and education.
Throughout the show, they discover that they can manifest into each other’s physical lives and are most likely to connect with each other in person during a heightened or threatening situation.
Many of the characters spend the entire season trying to live their own lives and find out what is happening to them while some of them live in the dark until the very end. A man named Jonas, who possesses similar abilities, tries to help the eight and protect them from another gifted stranger named Whispers, who is hunting them to reach into their psychic link and capture them.
Although the show starts off a little slow, the plot is alluring and uses its beautiful cast members to keep the audience entertained.
"Sense8" has used its unique but familiar character base to touch on issues that are prominent in our society such as gender, sexuality and power."Sense8" has a gay character that lives a second life outside of his acting career and also a translesbian who faces the daily challenges of dealing with family and friends who don’t understand her transition.The show also uses an Indian character to bring to light cultures that are absorbed with religion and God as well as how they interact with modern cultures that are anti-theistic. In this aspect, it also shows power through corruption, drugs and the caste system that still exist in many countries.
"Sense8" serves as a portal to describe the human experience. It uses these characters from many different walks of life to show the hardships that appear in everyone’s lives. Even though each character goes through their own struggle, we see a strong connection of empathy despite each of their heartbreaking situations.
Netflix really draws us in with "Sense8" by building connections to the characters and allowing us to make comparisons to our own lives despite the telepathic link viewers so jealously want. But, of course, Netflix loves to leave its viewers hanging on in the very last episodes, wondering what is going to happen next. At least we know another season of "Sense8" is right around the corner.
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