Sense8 Series Premiere Review: Limbic Resonance (Season 1 Episode 1)
Well, that’s certainly one way to do a pilot episode.
If you’re anything like me, you just finished the first episode of the new Netflix original series, Sense8, and sat staring at your screen for about half an hour like, “…..wait, what?”
With so many players to introduce, and an extremely complicated mythology to break down, it’s no surprise that the first episode in this twisted series turned out a little topsy-turvy.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
We’ve got eight major players to deal with, as the title implies, who all pretty much think they’re going crazy. Plus quite a few more mysterious characters.
- The businesswoman, Sun.
- The cop, Will.
- The DJ, Riley.
- The criminal, Woflgang.
- The trans woman, Nomi.
- The bus driver, Capheus.
- The actor, Lito.
- The pharmacist, Kala.
Each character has a completely unique story and perspective, with a personality all their own. An impressive achievement for a cast that has to share their hour with seven other people and world building to boot.
Most of the focus tonight was on Will, the compassionate police officer patrolling the South side of Chicago, Riley, the druggie DJ who cuts herself off from the world, Nomi, the transgender woman with the greatest girlfriend ever, and Wolfgang, the career criminal with the safe-cracking magic touch.
I’m sure the others’ stories will be highlighted as we go along too, with just as much color and wit.
As for the mysterious characters, well, they don’t have names yet. For now, I’ll be calling them Big Bad, the Woman in White, and Sayid from Lost. Hey, they’re accurate descriptors! We don’t know much about them yet, except that they clearly have a deeper understanding and mastery of their mind reading powers than any of our newbies.
This pilot episode seemed to be all about laying the groundwork for the show. Who are the characters, what are their backgrounds, and where in the world are they? More importantly, the degree to which each of them experiences the connection established between them by the Woman in White. Some only hear faint rumblings of thunder on a sunny day, while others have face to face meetings with their fellow “sensates.”
While the episode started off slow, we did get a genuine sense of who the characters are, which is probably the most important aspect of the story at this point in time.
And that’s not to say that we didn’t end on a high note with Riley and Will making contact just before she was caught in the middle of a drug deal gone robbery gone shoot out. Heavy!
The final word on Sense8? It’s a complicated and confusing series that you probably shouldn’t multitask with. But I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be the summer’s next big hit, so keep watching!
Other Thoughts:
- Will we be seeing more Lost alumni? Locke please!
- That was totally Martha from Doctor Who, right? Killer American accent, girl!
- Anyone else in love with Will yet? Just me? Cool.
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Lindsay MacDonald
Lindsay is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, viewer, and internet addict. Her obsession with TV started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has been going strong ever since; current favorites include Scandal, The 100, The Walking Dead, and Arrow. She considers a perfect Friday night to be a joint-cuddle-session between an adorable puppy dog and her Netflix queue. Follow @lindsayjoane