S01.E04: What's Going On?

[Athena]

Nomi's fate draws nearer, Capheus and Wolfgang's fortunes seem to have turned, but Sun is faced with an impossible choice.

[mustbekarma]

This episode has totally cemented my love of this series. I loved how Nomi was saved, and I can't wait for the Sensate8 to unite. This so reminds me of The Blending Series of books. I won't spoil the books, but the main characters were able to blend their individual physic abilities into a single entity. The people who created this show had to have read these books.

 

However, I'm pissed at Sun's father and brother. They're both willing to let her take the fall. I'm sorry, but the father should be falling on his sword for this one. Sun doesn't deserve to go down for the crime, and little brother needs his ass in jail. I felt no sympathy for him when he begged Sun to save him.

[Starla]

I've watched through this episode, and even though I have no idea what the plot of the story is, I am coming to love the characters. Each one of them is interesting and unique, and I feel invested in their lives. I love it when they break through to each other, and can't wait for them to meet. I think I have a bit of a crush on German guy, I think his name is Wolfgang. I've never seen the actor before but he's a cutie. Also fun to see actors from some of my other favorite scifi shows, Stargate Universe, Dr. Who, and Lost.

 

I am interested to see what the purpose of all this is. I've noticed there is a drug theme in most of their lives, whether pharmaceutical or recreational. Not sure if it's related but I can't see any other link between them, or what their purpose will be going forward. Am excited to see where is goes.

[Chaos Theory]

Good for Van Damme (Which is apparently what I am calling him now) running the safest bus in Nairobi (or Nai-robery)  But also poor Van Damme of course he gets noticed by evil forces of evil.  Van Damme always does.  

 

I liked the story with Sun and her brother and the difference between the two.  It was a really nice scene standing in front of their father.  How the brother was all blubbery and the daughter was all stoic and that one moment the father realized he had chosen the wrong child to love.

 

Will and Jonas is a buddy ghost flick in the making.

 

Free Naomi!!!!!!!!   Yey!  

[justmehere]

I'm enjoying the series so far and really like all the sense8s. I think they're doing a great job on characterizations. But one story element is really bothering me so far. What the heck was that hospital that Nomi was in? So much security? Handcuffs? Being treated against her will? She's obviously not a minor, she didn't commit a crime, and there was no mention of any kind of court order. How can the doctor and her mother sign papers to keep her there? It wasn't a mental health facility -- or else it was the worst one ever since there was no psychiatrist. It seemed like an awfully big place, like a major hospital rather than some private sanitarium... The doctor and the mother certainly seemed in collusion, forcing a lobotomy because the mom is so set on having her son, but I didn't understand how they would legally pull it off. It just didn't make sense; did I miss something?

[debi49]

I'm enjoying the series so far and really like all the sense8s. I think they're doing a great job on characterizations. But one story element is really bothering me so far. What the heck was that hospital that Nomi was in? So much security? Handcuffs? Being treated against her will? She's obviously not a minor, she didn't commit a crime, and there was no mention of any kind of court order. How can the doctor and her mother sign papers to keep her there? It wasn't a mental health facility -- or else it was the worst one ever since there was no psychiatrist. It seemed like an awfully big place, like a major hospital rather than some private sanitarium... The doctor and the mother certainly seemed in collusion, forcing a lobotomy because the mom is so set on having her son, but I didn't understand how they would legally pull it off. It just didn't make sense; did I miss something?

This is bothering me as well. Since I'm sure Nomi didn't sign papers giving her mom power of attorney, this kind of thing has to go thru the hospital ethics committee . And even if the Doctor is in cahoots with mom, the rest of the staff isn't, and IRL someone would drop a dime on the huge ethics violation going on here.

 

THe actor playing Sun's brother isn't even trying to do a Korean accent. I'm liking Sun best. And Van Damme.

 

Also, you cant pick handcuffs with an IV catheter. :)

Edited June 7, 2015 by debi49

[Chaos Theory]

Evil hospital of evil. I am figuring plot device for story sake. It happens. And what I understand (and I might be wrong) Niomi's mother had her declared incompetent.

[rwlevin]

Okay, I'm sorry, but there's no way that anybody could ever pick a lock with an angiocath. Those things are way too flimsy. Other than that, awesome break out.

 

Loved the sing along.

 

As for the accents, I'm reminded of how Tom Stoppard deals with foreign languages in his plays. When the characters are speaking in their "native tongue," they speak perfect Queen's English. However, when they start speaking English, it's broken down and in the accent of wherever their characters are from.

[thuganomics85]

I'm getting better with the names now!  I only knew Nomi and Jonas, but now I've finally figured out that it's Sun (Korean Business Lady), Wolfgang (German Safecracker), Will (Chicago Cop), Riley (Icelandic DJ) and Lito (Mexican Actor.)  I just need to remember Kenyan Bus Driver (although Van Damme might already be the best) and Indian Lady, and I'm set! (oh, and Daryl Hannah, but has she even appeared since the pilot?)

 

Pretty much all my Sun questions from the last episode got answered here.  Basically, her father is a hardass and doesn't respect her, so that's why she had trouble getting a hold of him.  As for the legal stuff, that's because her younger brother is a jackass who is embezzling from their business.  But now it sounds like in order to save the business, she might take the fall instead, since she isn't the face of the company like the son is.  Yikes, Sun!  I get that you promised your mother you'd always look out for him, but this might be going a bit too far.  Neither one of them deserves your help.

 

So, Van Damme (heh) ends up being a bit of a celebrity thanks to the ass-kicking, and the bus is now getting customers.  Bad news is he's now attracted the attention of some shady crimelord, who is making him make deliveries, in order to get the best medicine possible.  I worry for Van Damme.  And his buddy.

 

At least Nomi is finally free, even though there was a lot of stuff that didn't make sense like an angiocath being strong enough to pick a lock, and the girlfriend just happening to show up at the right time.  Was she just waiting in the hallway the entire time, in case Nomi somehow got out?  Whatever: I just hope those two hightail it out of there.  Get new digs too.  That might have been the world's evilest hospital right there.

 

So, it looked like the Indian lady was briefly warming up to her fiancee, but now she's finding out that he and his father might be trying to do away with their religion, which could be a problem with her.  I really like the actress, so I hope this goes somewhere good, because I still find it to be one of the weaker stories.  Although my mind was blown over the idea of a six hour wedding.  Yikes!  Those Indians don't half-ass weddings, I guess.

 

Wolfgang was a bit better, but he's still my least favorite.  I do think all his celebrating tonight means something bad is in-store for him.  I'm guessing his partner in crime is destined for a tragic ending.

 

I was amused over Lito's boyfriend and Daniella (I know her name too!) bonding, and Lito's just like "Well, this is just great!  What about me?!"

 

Jonas is really captured, but his usually the brain powers to get Will more information about what the hell is going on.  So many questions when it comes to that character.

Edited June 8, 2015 by thuganomics85

[AllyB]

When Jonas appeared to Nomi, he more or less told her that the doctor is a bad guy. So from the audience point of view he is most likely one of the men who he and Anjelica discussed being out to hunt down and destroy the 8, and in league with the man Anjelica shot herself to avoid being captured by. Presumably by the way that the Feds have taken over Jonas' arrest these 'hunters' are powerful people with control of many government organisations and had the ability to make it look to the legitimate hospital staff like what they were doing to Nomi was all above board. What happened to Nomi was just an example of how powerful and ruthless the enemies of the 8 are rather than a plot device for drama.

 

The one thing that I did have a problem with during this episode was the way time was displayed during the song. I took it to mean that it was all happening at the same time. That at the exact same moment as Wolfgang chose that song to sing, Riley chose to listen to it and everyone else ended up having it as an earworm. The thing that threw me out of it was that the rotation of the earth seemed to have been going backwards if that was the case. It was night-time in Mumbai and Berlin, yet dawn in London and seemingly the middle of the day in all scenes in the Americas. I'm not sure what time it was inside the Van Damme but presumably it was no later than the early part of the night as Capheus hadn't delivered the crimelord's backpack. So either the Wachowski's have never heard of how timezones work (or how to google correct time zones) or my assumption that all the singing was happening at the same time was wrong. That was either a confusing or annoying scene to me.

 

Also it's the end of June, while London won't be as hot as Nairobi, it does have a micro-climate that can make it very hot and humid during the summer months and it's worse at night as the concrete acts like a storage heater. I have a friend from Mumbai who can't bear the close heat of a London summer, so Capheus immediate declaration of how cold he was in Riley's side of their vision felt like a really lazy trope about British weather.

Edited June 8, 2015 by AllyB

[SoothingDave]

The one thing that I did have a problem with during this episode was the way time was displayed during the song. I took it to mean that it was all happening at the same time. That at the exact same moment as Wolfgang chose that song to sing, Riley chose to listen to it and everyone else ended up having it as an earworm. The thing that threw me out of it was that the rotation of the earth seemed to have been going backwards if that was the case. It was night-time in Mumbai and Berlin, yet dawn in London and seemingly the middle of the day in all scenes in the Americas. I'm not sure what time it was inside the Van Damme but presumably it was no later than the early part of the night as Capheus hadn't delivered the crimelord's backpack. So either the Wachowski's have never heard of how timezones work (or how to google correct time zones) or my assumption that all the singing was happening at the same time was wrong. That was either a confusing or annoying scene to me.

 

Maybe our conceptions of time are too rigid.  Maybe the sense8's can transcend time in a way that we can't really understand.

 

Or maybe just enjoy the song.  I thought it was a well-chosen song and a good way to express their connection.  Music stirs the soul in a way that conscious thought can not.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Or maybe just enjoy the song.  I thought it was a well-chosen song and a good way to express their connection.  Music stirs the soul in a way that conscious thought can not.

 

Loved the sing along.  Great choice of song.  I liked when the lyrics were "I'm feeling a little peculiar" as it cuts to Lito, Hernando and Daniela all snuggling in bed, because that's definitely what Lito was thinking. I also liked how Wolfgang was singing the same song at the karaoke bar as Riley was playing on her iPod at the same time -- kind of double reinforced the group's connection. 

 

Amanita: "4 Non-Blondes.  Perfect soundtrack for a lobotomy."

 

Does Sun not have any blinds on her windows ?  Because the neighbors were getting a free show.

[Arynm]

I'm sure 4 non blondes are thrilled. I downloaded the song and I'm sure others did as well. Its a great song, and was so well used in this episode. I like the scenes where they are all together.

[Boundary]

Nomi said the song was stuck in her head all day. And Kala started singing the song nighttime and was still singing the following morning. So my take is that either that Wolfgang's karaoke stuck it in everyone's mind or Riley ipod choice did it. I'm leaning towards Wolfie.

[DrLar]

hahaha 4-non blondes where 4 of the 8 are exactly non-blondes, I like the techno version of this song more than the acoustic, hehe.

 

Wouldn't the german LOCKPICKER would be the appropriate one to be setting Moni free? oh well I guess they want the cop to be paired with her, and it seems it's not only pairs, I think all of them will interact with each other soon.

[ahisma]

A safecracker and a lock picker are two different skill sets. I imagine that Wolfgang knows how to pick handcuffs, too, but the show made a point of mentioning that young Will hung out at the station, bored, a lot while his father was at work, so LOTS of time to practice!

[DrLar]

Indeed but if you missed it Wolf owns a locksmith store.. LOL I'm sure he knows how to pick a handcuff lock .

[jhlipton]

Indeed but if you missed it Wolf owns a locksmith store.. LOL I'm sure he knows how to pick a handcuff lock .

 

Wolf's friend owns the locksmith store -- and they showed Will picking a handcuff, saying that he learned how when he went to visit his dad at the station.  Will was the right one for that.

[ahisma]

Agreed. Several of the sensates have fighting skills, but you don't know which one is going to show up at any time. Maybe Wolfgang could pick the lock but Will has more awareness of his sensate abilities thanks to Jonas's in-person and other visits, so he is going to be better at navigating the handcuffs and getting Nomi's drugged body out of the hospital.

[blackwing]

There is a YouTube clip of the song, I've watched it many times.  I love how the song represents different things to each of the eight.  The hesitation and uncertainty of Wolfgang.  The determination and inquisitiveness of Will in trying to locate Nomi.  The reflectiveness of Riley as she decides what to do about going home.  The cathartic cleansing of Sun in the shower.  The strangeness of Lito's situation with Daniela.  The pure unadulterated joy of Van Damme as he exuberantly sings.  The hope of Kala as she faces a loveless marriage.  And lastly, the fear of Nomi.  This sequence was just fantastic, wonderfully filmed.

[SanLynn]

I too had some problems with the hospital stuff and have been since Nomi was admitted.

 

I think they must have used some sort of twist on the 5150 Psych hold which could get around the thorny problem of having Nomi declared incompetent or giving her Mom power of attorney.... California State Law says a qualified clinician can do it and with Nomi's family it wouldn't take much convincing.

 

So I think in theory that could be how it started. Then if this Metzger guy has the right connections and money he probably can get his own team in place and spin the story his way to the hospital... If I remember correctly it looked like the nurse who was there when Nomi woke up wasn't the same nurse who watched over her later so maybe that's how they kept her there and were able to get her into surgery at least twice (thank goodness neither of them got going).

 

What I can't fanwank out is how they found out about Nomi. They don't seem to know the identity of anyone in the cluster and Jonas is still free in episode 2 (speaking of Jonas how does he know who the cluster members are? Did Angelica send him mind pictures or something while she was appearing to all of them?)

 

It makes me wonder exactly how long Nomi was unconscious? Did the hospital do some routine brain scans and someone connected with Metzger called him because of the anomaly in her brain? Someone had to be connected with him for him to find out I'm thinking.... Maybe Nomi was out days? I don't know, that's the part I can't wrap my mind around.

Edited July 4, 2015 by SanLynn

[Humbugged]

Lykke Li on writing Get Some

 

"A lot of people think it's about sex. [...] But it's about power. I was reading the Murakami book The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, where she goes into this guy's mind by making him fantasize about her, so it's kind of like powerplay. As soon as a woman does anything, they seem to hit a nerve and it's back to sex. At least men seem to think that."

 

 

 

 

Sun is a badass

[Clanstarling]

Although my mind was blown over the idea of a six hour wedding.  Yikes!  Those Indians don't half-ass weddings, I guess.

And that's just the wedding itself. I had Indian friends who went home to get married - the wedding events lasted for 3 full days!

 

I was saying to my husband that for me to enjoy the show, I just have to let it wash over me and accept it on its terms. I'm liking it more and more as it goes on - but I didn't watch Episode 2 for weeks after watching the pilot.

 

I got the feeling from Sun's flashbacks that their father and mother had been divorced (or at least not living together). He referred to her strangely, and talking about losing her love years before she died. Which, btw, is a weird conversation to have with a little girl the day of her mother's funeral.

 

Though Germany's the home of my childhood, I find that story the least compelling. But - as it washes over me, I'm sure I'll appreciate it more.

[supposebly]

This is the episode when I fell in love with this show and especially the characters.

[RachelKM]

This is the episode when I fell in love with this show and especially the characters.

I agree.  Each time I described this show to anyone, I've started with "It takes about 3 episode to really gel (Smart Money is on the Skinny Bitch) and then every episode after the third I finished it saying 'This is my favorite episode.'" By the end of this episode I was in love with the show and all of the core characters.

Edited September 26, 2015 by RachelKM

[Paloma]

On 9/26/2015 at 11:39 AM, RachelKM said:

On 9/26/2015 at 10:16 AM, supposebly said:

This is the episode when I fell in love with this show and especially the characters.

I agree.  Each time I described this show to anyone, I've started with "It takes about 3 episode to really gel (Smart Money is on the Skinny Bitch) and then every episode after the third I finished it saying 'This is my favorite episode.'" By the end of this episode I was in love with the show and all of the core characters.

My husband and I started watching this series a few days ago. Found it interesting but not "must watch" until this episode--now I want to binge the season. It helps that "What's Going On" is one of my favorite songs ever (and that's saying a lot because I am old--came of musical age in the 1960s). 

Edited June 26, 2017 by Paloma
Typos (on vs. one and missing "of")

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Watching up until this point was totally worth it just for the group karaoke scene - that was so fun! And perfect song choice - What's Up is definitely one of those songs that everyone knows the words to.

The entire episode I was yelling at Sun not to take the fall for her brother. I find it so sad that she spent her whole life trying to keep her promise to her mom by protecting her douchebag of a brother. He and their father don't deserve her sacrifice.

Even though blowing huge amounts of money on fancy new shoes (those glittery silver ones were crazy!) and expensive wine is going to be a huge tip off to anyone who knows them that they stole those diamonds, part of me loved how exuberant Felix was about it and how he insisted on Wolfgang doing it too.

I'm glad that Jonas used his few moments with Will to try to teach him a little bit about being a sensate. He didn't even try to convince Will to help him escape, which I thought was nice. He was completely focused on teaching him the difference between visiting and sharing, helping Nomi, etc. Stay alive, Sayid!

And we have another connection now - the guy who bought some of the diamonds mentioned they were from India!

Poor Kala - she thought she had agreed to marry a guy she doesn't love which is bad enough, but now she knows that the Ganesh people hate him and are actively praying for his death. I am glad that my wedding didn't require a six hour religious ceremony because fuck that!

Many of the characters started this episode so happy (Sun for winning her match, Capheus for taking down the bad guys and getting lots of new customers, Wolfgang for getting those diamonds before his dick cousin stole them) so I was worried that it was all going to go to shit for them by the end of the episode.

And because everyone needs choices:

The original version of What's Up:

DJ Miko/Brian Scheuble remix aka the techno version that everyone who went clubbing in the 90s remembers:

Sense8 scene:

 

And just because it's ridiculous, the He-Man version:

[Loandbehold]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And just because it's ridiculous, the He-Man version

I may be scarred for life.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

I may be scarred for life.

You can never unsee it!

[paramitch]

I tried watching this show when it came out and just couldn't connect with it. But I've been trying to binge it again and this time I've really been engaged, and this episode made me fall in love with every one of the characters.