r/Sense8

Greetings! Been a few months and the fanfiction is going surprisingly well. At 24 chapters and I'm proud of how it's turned out. I know I've posted a link before but figured it was worth posting again now that enough time has passed and I've made considerable progress in the story.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83244466/chapters/219251346

Is it just me? I’ve just gotten to S2 ep 4 and I feel like I’ve fallen into a parallel dimension. All the characters look different. Kala does not look like herself, neither does Sun. Something about the lighting, the makeup, the clothes. Mimi looks different and so does Wolfgang. They look like people trying to look like the original cast.

They don’t even sound like they used to.

Help because I feel like I’m going crazy.

Note: I can’t edit the title but I mean ep 4.

As an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), when I’m felling low or down Sense8 brings me hope and a reminder of the love & inner joy that is life, for me.

I binged the show (twice!) last week. I know a very late watch but eh. What irritated me a bit about the show was how some stereotypes were handled. Like, I know every main character was some kind of stereotype but some were handled a little weirdly? I went through posts here about this and found some extremely regressive posts so I'll try to keep away from that.

Considering I'm Indian, let's go ahead with Kala first. She's a scientist? Ok, many Indians are. It's a very well known smart Indian stereotype but doesn't hurt anyone so, why not. She's also a faithful woman. Coming from Mumbai, she can surely be because many people in Maharashtra (the actual state) are impacted and united by the Ganesha festival. However, Mumbai is a bit different from the whole state. Her liberal family is the point of that. Mumbai is extremely metropolitan and such staunch believers are generally not from there. They are very much the ambitious party people trying to further their career in this city. So, even as a stereotypical Hindu woman, that didn't fit, I think. The rest of her traits (submissive, confused etc.) are her personal traits imo so I won't comment on that. Also, her story (except the faith part) is inspired from Bollywood too. Falling in a comfortable marriage because it seems good on paper and then growing to love this person even with all the conflicts.

Rajan: first I felt disturbed by how many guys here have said that he was being emasculated just for that dick scene in favour of a white guy? Like, wow, hello insecurities. In my mind, Rajan is definitely a nerd (the actual stereotype) but comfortable (both financially and emotionally). He's quite emotionally secure as compared to actual Indian men. Though I would have definitely loved him and Kala to have a tumultuous marriage considering his wife is emotionally (and some would say actually) cheating on him. His breaking out in a bollywood number was also seen as a stereotype (even by me) but then I remembered it's a wedding function. If you don't dance there, where will you?! (Half naked in a club maybe like wolfie)

Will: ok a Chicago cop with a saviour complex. We all know how US white cops can be. I think that's exactly why they gave him a partner like Diego. To ground him and contain his saviour behavior. His father (and his friends) were the actual bad cop (at least at the start). Some people might have even called it copaganda but I think the presence of Will's dad was exactly why it wasn't. They showed both sides but his saviour complex is what irked me a bit. Like I associate a saviour complex with more bad cops than good, as then it's misplaced. But since they gave him a backstory of why that was there, I was pacified. Maybe in more seasons, he was supposed to grow into taking help rather than trying to orchestrate everything on his own.

Sun: her life is a K-drama to a tee. A competent woman stuck in a patriarchal family that devalues her and is out to imprison/kill her. Her father improves but by then her brother has turned in even more of the Asian villain stereotype. Korean villains are always supposed to be backed by a high profile politician so that was the direction the story was going on as well. The only relief in her story was her mom(again K-drama flashbacks) and her new beau who she again met in K-drama reticent and almost enemy style. And of course she knows martial arts. How could she not. All korean ladies do, right?🤣 I mean give her some depth, writers! She's introverted and speaks very less so we never really know who she is except her work. Like, what is her pop culture influence? What does she like to eat/watch? Her dog is the only personal effect she got.

Wolfie: absolute fav of a character but still a typical reckless bad boy with a heart of gold. That's the only reason Kala falls for him (another fantasy stereotype) too. I don't have a problem with him being the ultimate Berliner who is naked/half naked all the time because how does a stereotype hurt if it's pleasing to the eyes. My problem was with being from a crime family and at the same time devoid of love. Like, gimme some Godfather style crime family where some people do look out for family. Such families have maybe one or two bad apples (like Steiner) but not all as they know rivals can take advantage of vulnerability in the family. The Christmas special scene was actually the one I liked because that's exactly how a mafia operates. No matter how much disagreement, they try to make peace and look out for each other. That's why everyone (his blood at least) being out to get Wolfie didn't sit right for me. It then falls in the trope.

Capheus: I think writers have maxed out the stereotype in this character. Whole African poverty angle, rife with HIV, tribal issues, conflicts with drug lords. Everything in one character. Jela is so one dimensional in all this. I mean give Capheus a good friend and let him take some hardships (if you absolutely want to show all aspects), no?! The political angle might have been good maybe but we have similar tropes in bollywood too where a guy from a poor area rises in the ranks because of goodwill and intentions and then gets stuck due to bad contacts (like Kabaka).

Lito: Not much familiar with mexican people but kind of liked this character even with a typical gay drama queen angle. Though his surroundings are stereotyped a lot. But I know the movie industry is not kind and typecasts actors a lot. I'd have loved to see more of his mum. Dani gets the worst family where Amanita gets the best family?! Dani was just starting to shine when the show got cancelled. Lito was at least an overall rounded character with both good and bad in life. His work is his struggle when he gets support from family. The Hollywood bit was a bit funny. I don't know if I wanted to see much more of it. I'm pretty sure the story was going in the direction of his and Hernando's personal life struggling due to exposure in Hollywood.

Riley: An 'exotic' nationality DJ with an addiction. Because all musicians must be druggies. Her contacts for hideous is understandable because in the music industry, you inevitably make contacts for underground gigs and such. The angle I liked was the reason of her drug addiction as she was suicidal due to losing her family. Otherwise in movies, a woman must be suicidal because she failed in love or must have been assaulted by someone close/trustworthy. Her music is clichéd but still connects so, cool.

Nomi: I didn't know this but I saw here only that she's also a stereotype of a trans woman from SanFran but she's handled beautifully I think. She has a lot of depth. Her support system is good when her own people hurt her badly. Both in family and friends. Her dad is shown growth too. She's a hacker but her work doesn't overshadow her life (like Sun) story that we get to see. She's a narcissist (however much Amanita denies that because she has to). Not in the sister's wedding, but in rehearsal dinner, her speech was more focused on her journey than the support she got from the actual bride! She's almost autobiographical, I think?

Stopping my rant now. I liked the show on a whole though (except the finale for obvious reasons). It was very human with a calculated formula in every episode. Would definitely like to know how people think other seasons were supposed to go because these characters had such conflicted lives that it could be fleshed out a lot! Whole Ajay, Rajan, Sun, Capheus angle of pharmaceutical business corruption was a story I was most interested in!

tell me your story

She had a lot of money, and gave everything to the musician. I get it, she was scared, opening the bag in the street might feel clumsy, the song was emotional and gave her memories, but bro that man was in need.

Anyone else see Disclosure Day and immediately think of Whispers? Straight out of Sense8!

This show deserved so much more recognition than it got!