What I’m Watching: Sense8

Sense8: Season 1, Episode 9 “Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye” (B+)

Now we’re starting to get to the story of what’s actually going on, with Riley and Will given the opportunity to talk about the Sensates and who they are with knowledgeable guides by their side, even if they’re from opposite sides and can’t trust each other. Riley did a lot of soul-searching as she learned the truth about an event that impacted her entire life, and it’s important that she is able to bounce back from a critical moment of devastation. Nomi and Lito meeting with “Mad World” from “Donnie Darko” playing in the background was very effective, as Lito described oral sex with Hernando as a religious experience and Nomi recalled her own horrifying memories of being tormented and brutalized by a group of bullies as a young man. It’s interesting to see how drastically their circumstances have changed, as Lito was depressed enough to pull the trigger and end his own life only to discover that he was using a trick gun, while Nomi has Amanita in her life as her number one supporter. Kala had to deal with the aftermath of her father-in-law’s stabbing and what it means for her, and Capheus also got a flashback of his own to reveal that his younger sister was given away because his mother could not support her. These flashbacks are a new thing since previously we only had characters transported into each other’s present-day lives, but they’re helpful in terms of establishing who these people are and what brought them to this point.