Brilliant concept and superb execution. The theme may seem similar to shows like 'Heroes', but other than the fact that it's about various people from across the world and a person/organization is trying to use/kill them, the show is quite different; it explores the characters with unique and much needed depth, which most sci-fi shows fail to do.
When I first heard that The Wachowskis are making a sci-fi-TV show, I was already intrigued. And Netflix caters to binge-watchers like me who like watching their seasons in one go; I literally finished watching the series in a day. In a bird's eye view, it's about eight people from various parts of the world who are telepathically connected to each other, but the underlying theme is about the universal trait of empathy and brotherhood; I really loved the concept. How we humans, from various places and generations, can help each other by sharing our knowledge and by mutual understanding. I've always loved The Wachowskis' work because they always take sci-fi or larger than life themes to talk about general and universal subjects, and inspire and encourage people in so many ways.
And the way sex and sexuality is portrayed in this show was exquisite; it offers a buffet of characters with various sexualities. This and 'Orphan Black' are the two sci-fi shows who do this most efficiently. All the characters are fascinating and have proper depth, and the actors portraying them are excellent as well, except perhaps Tina Desai's Kala - whether it's her average acting or her weak storyline, it's the least interesting and affecting of the eight. Doona Bae was my favourite, though; every scene she is in just has a captivating touch to it, especially the fight sequences, which are spectacularly choreographed, shot and edited. The sumptuous group sex scene from episode six was sensuous and spectacular; it's one the most erotic and well-shot sex scenes I've seen on TV. It reminded me a little of the crowd sex scene from Tom Tykwer's (who directs few episodes, but not this one) 'Perfume', but this one was much more intimate and passionate. And I loved the sequence from end of episode 10 where the all sensates remember the way they were born; just wow! The various places, the various ways and how the moment had an influence on the passions in each of their lives... just amazing. It was well conceived, mesmerisingly shot and the symphony playing in the background just added to the impact.
The background score throughout the series is quite good. The opening credits sequence is one of the best among TV shows. When the series started, being a world cinema fan, I didn't like that all the characters spoke English, no matter which place they belonged to; it somehow made them seem less convincing. But I can understand why that decision might have been made. Maybe it was easier to direct that way, but to choose a universal language to transcend boundaries seemed like an intelligent choice. Since the sensates understand each other no matter which language they speak, it puts us in their shoes and removes the language barrier. And that way, it can even reach a wider audience, who might find subtitles for half the show quite annoying. So ultimately I was okay with it.
Looking forward to the later seasons.
When I first heard that The Wachowskis are making a sci-fi-TV show, I was already intrigued. And Netflix caters to binge-watchers like me who like watching their seasons in one go; I literally finished watching the series in a day. In a bird's eye view, it's about eight people from various parts of the world who are telepathically connected to each other, but the underlying theme is about the universal trait of empathy and brotherhood; I really loved the concept. How we humans, from various places and generations, can help each other by sharing our knowledge and by mutual understanding. I've always loved The Wachowskis' work because they always take sci-fi or larger than life themes to talk about general and universal subjects, and inspire and encourage people in so many ways.
And the way sex and sexuality is portrayed in this show was exquisite; it offers a buffet of characters with various sexualities. This and 'Orphan Black' are the two sci-fi shows who do this most efficiently. All the characters are fascinating and have proper depth, and the actors portraying them are excellent as well, except perhaps Tina Desai's Kala - whether it's her average acting or her weak storyline, it's the least interesting and affecting of the eight. Doona Bae was my favourite, though; every scene she is in just has a captivating touch to it, especially the fight sequences, which are spectacularly choreographed, shot and edited. The sumptuous group sex scene from episode six was sensuous and spectacular; it's one the most erotic and well-shot sex scenes I've seen on TV. It reminded me a little of the crowd sex scene from Tom Tykwer's (who directs few episodes, but not this one) 'Perfume', but this one was much more intimate and passionate. And I loved the sequence from end of episode 10 where the all sensates remember the way they were born; just wow! The various places, the various ways and how the moment had an influence on the passions in each of their lives... just amazing. It was well conceived, mesmerisingly shot and the symphony playing in the background just added to the impact.
The background score throughout the series is quite good. The opening credits sequence is one of the best among TV shows. When the series started, being a world cinema fan, I didn't like that all the characters spoke English, no matter which place they belonged to; it somehow made them seem less convincing. But I can understand why that decision might have been made. Maybe it was easier to direct that way, but to choose a universal language to transcend boundaries seemed like an intelligent choice. Since the sensates understand each other no matter which language they speak, it puts us in their shoes and removes the language barrier. And that way, it can even reach a wider audience, who might find subtitles for half the show quite annoying. So ultimately I was okay with it.
Looking forward to the later seasons.