S01.E01: Limbic Resonance

[Athena]

Eight strangers from cities around the globe begin having experiences that defy explanation.

[in2dust]

I'm intrigued. But I'm not 100% sold yet. There were some problems.

 

Number 1: God, some of those character introdcutions were hamfisted. "Hey, apropos of nothing, nobody would fault you for hating gangbangers after what happened to your father." "Hey, honey, remember how I fell in love with you at last pride when you defended me from your TERF "friends"? Just thought I'd  mention it." "Dear Ganesha, please let me tell you all about my life after I've had an awkwardly emotional conversation with my father in the middle of his workday." "Dude, I remember having heard that your father tried to crack the uncrackable safe and got caught. Might you be thinking about cracking that same uncrackable safe? Possibly?"

 

Number 2: It was very slow on the overarching storyline.

 

HOWEVER, there were more redeeming qualities:

 

I like all the actors. Beautifully shot. Nice soundtrack.

And most of all the very interesting and fresh characters:

 

I looooved DJ Lady and Paradoxically-Not-Trigger-Happy-Cop mainly because they seemed to be somewhat used for the storyline.

I was also really into the Blonde Trans Lady and her girlfriend Lesbian Dr. Martha Jones. Their storyline with the deplorable TERFs at pride was interesting (but unfortunately not well woven into the rest of the story.) Could have done without the rainbow strap-on though. ^^
Indian Bride-To-Be and Korean Business Lady seemed to get the short end of the stick this episode but I'm looking forward to learning more.

German Daddy Issue Dude is cool even though his safe cracking while whatching "This is totally not DSDS, no copyright infringed" was a bit much. I like the actor from his movie "Freier Fall" so I'm interested to see where this is going. (Also: Netflix heroes seem to be into urinating on their fathers' graves. Weird.)

No idea what to think about Boned-Up Cheesy Actor and African Bus Boy so far.

 

All in all I'm hoping that the storyline moves forward a bit more and I can chalk up the problems to Pilot-itis. Also: Please more Morpheus!Sayid.

 

On to episode 2.

Edited June 5, 2015 by in2dust

[debi49]

My love for Babylon 5 is as strong today as it was 20 years ago, so the goodwill I have for JMS is high. I'll watch this all the way thru.

 

Martha Jones with a strap on? Did NOT expect that!

Edited June 5, 2015 by debi49

[xander874]

I am totally not a prude, but that dildo splashing to the ground threw me off a bit.

And I do understand but it's just weird that all the characters are speaking English. It would seem more authentic to me if they spoke their native languages and we got subtitles. I wonder when they start interacting with each other if this will be an issue. Of course maybe they all speak English and I just didn't get that.

Daryl Hannah still can't act either I see.

Some nice eye candy and it's intriguing enough that I'll watch it all but I don't feel the urgency to zoom through it like I have with other shows.

[Izeinwinter]

The language bit is part of the central conceit - the power that binds them also seamlessly translates for them, and by extension for the audience. Everyone is speaking their native language except where specifically noted otherwise, and we just hear english to grant us the same transparent translation the characters get. This gets a bit clearer in later episodes, and frankly, it was a good choice, as the alternative would have caused an unacceptable number of viewers to bounce of given that the wast majority of the action takes place in other linguistic areas, and often matches up the sense8's in ways almost noone would be able to follow without it - I understand 4 languages, but Korean and Icelandic are not among them. 

[Eegah]

I've always felt vaguely insulted by Translation Convention, like they're playing directly to the lowest common denominator who refuse to read anything. Though at least they keep it consistent, rather than the weirdness of something like Lost where the Koreans speak Korean and the Iraqis speak English.

[mustbekarma]

I am totally not a prude, but that dildo splashing to the ground threw me off a bit.

 

I laughed hysterically at that one; I couldn't believe it was happening. This show isn't shying away from sex scenes at all. I love those two characters together. They're one of the cutest couples ever.

[Chaos Theory]

I thought it was pretty good for pilot but weirdly enough it actual felt like a pilot with some of the cluncky pilot issues.    This looks to me intriguing enough.  This looks like one of those Netflix shows that I  say I won't bindge but I am a bindgewatcher so there is a better then average chance I will depending on if the show picks up in the next couple episodes.

 

I've always felt vaguely insulted by Translation Convention, like they're playing directly to the lowest common denominator who refuse to read anything. Though at least they keep it consistent, rather than the weirdness of something like Lost where the Koreans speak Korean and the Iraqis speak English.

 

I go either way with this depending on the story.  To be honest I think in this show it may actually come down to logistics.  If I am right and this show is going to be a world event it may just not be possible to have every language and every dialect represented.   Maybe you might want someone to speak  Korean but are there more then one kind of Korean language?  And do Iraqis all speak the same dialect?  It could get complicated.

 

 

Oh and everyone has got to check out some of the reviews on Netflix they are homophobic as hell.  

Edited June 6, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[mompanga]

The language issues threw me off as well. I'll stick with it for the time being, as long as they don't reduce to females to being damsels in distress. 

[90PercentGravity]

The language thing was the main thing that bothered me. If they can all understand each other, then that would actually be cooler if they were speaking their native tongues. I love to hear different languages. This one with all those languages would have been beautiful. 

[Morbs]

"Can I ask you a question, if that boy kills someone or a cop how are you going to feel?"  I mean WTF.  Ambulances won't come, the other cop wants to leave him, the hospital turns him away, the doctor treats him reluctantly, hopefully the kid kills one of them.

 

The psychic cop is cute though.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Morbs

[thuganomics85]

Well, this was certainly an interesting first episode.  I didn't like all of it, but there was enough to keep me watching.  I think it just had a lot of character setup, so I think once we get past that and get into this whole "linked mentally" thing, things will pick up.

 

Hard to get a full sense of the characters, but so far, this is where I'm at:

 

Favorites:

Nomi (and girlfriend/Martha Jones!), DJ Lady, Kenyan Driver, Naveen Andrews.

 

Unsure:

Korean Business Lady (not much of her yet), Mexican Actor (I did love the twist though), Indian woman (like the actress, but her story-lines seems the most cliched)

 

Not a fan of:

Generic Cop, Thief with Daddy Issues, Daryl Hannah

 

Even if there were good reasons mentioned above, count me as someone who was distracted over everyone speaking English.  It just weird seeing these people in places like Korea and India, interacting with family members and whatnot, and speaking in almost perfect English.

 

Man, I hope that stuff in Chicago is an exaggeration, because that's not going to make many rush to visit that city, if there are certain hospitals that are like "Fuck it!  Ain't got time or resources to deal with these gun shots!"  And if you dare to bring someone in, they treat you like a store clerk during a return, two minutes before closing time.

 

Sorry Kenyan Driver, but Bat Van>Van Damm: at least in relevance and what's currently popular at the moment.

 

This being Netflix, I was prepared for some adult content, but I totally wasn't expecting a naked Freema Agyemann, with a strap-on. I'm going to be looking at Martha Jones a lot differently now, whenever I catch a Doctor Who rerun...

 

Cast is pretty good.  Besides Freema, Naveen, and Daryl, only other one I really know is Tuppence Middleton from that Sinbad show, and I believe was in that Wachowski film, Jupiter's Ascending, which I heard wasn't really good. 

Edited June 7, 2015 by thuganomics85

[Latverian Diplomat]

I've always felt vaguely insulted by Translation Convention, like they're playing directly to the lowest common denominator who refuse to read anything. Though at least they keep it consistent, rather than the weirdness of something like Lost where the Koreans speak Korean and the Iraqis speak English.

Well, on Lost the Korean actors were genuinely bilingual, and the "Iraqis" weren't necessarily even Arabs, so you use what you've got, I think.

 

Somewhat selfishly, I love the sound of Indian-accented English. 

Edited June 7, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[random chance]

I am completely fine with everyone speaking English - I hate reading dialogue off a screen, it gives me a headache.

Other than that though, so far I'm not entranced. For anyone who's gotten further into it - does it pick up later? (I'm not asking for spoilers, just yes or no.)

[Morbs]

I don't mind no subtitles at all, because it makes it easier to multi-task or go online especially during a show I'm not 100% sold on yet, and it really does turn off a lot of people.

[random chance]

Reminds me of Switched at Birth - sometimes five minutes would go by and I'd realize OH, they're using sign language -  I have to look at the screen. 

 

Anyway they came up with a perfectly good reason why everything's in English, and honestly I'll buy any bullshit explanation at all if it means I don't have to read the screen. 

[FurryFury]

I read subtitles anyway, so I'd definitely prefer characters speaking in actual languages... if the actors can do it, because otherwise, hearing butchered German or Russian or whatever yet another time would be too much for me. And I don't even know German, I've just heard enough of it to know how it's supposed to sound. 

 

Props for casting for the role of a child of Russian immigrants an actor who actually looks like he could be Slavic.

 

Overall, a very slow start. I've found my attention wandering away especially during the scenes with the cop and the thief. Korean lady looks interesting. Martha Jones and the transwoman made for a surprisingly cute couple. Also, the transwoman actress really reminds me of Caity Lotz (Arrow) look-wise, it's uncanny.

[Asha124]

Props for casting for the role of a child of Russian immigrants an actor who actually looks like he could be Slavic.

 

And how do you think a Slavic person looks like? Because I look nothing like Max Riemelt (who isn't actually Slavic) and I am 100% Slavic myself. It's like saying all Asian people look the same just because they are from Asia. The USA is not the only country where people look different. There are blonde people, dark-haired people as well as gingers. People have blue eyes, green eyes, grey eyes and brown eyes. They have fair skin or dark skin or even freckles. They are tall or short. They are fat or slim. They have high cheekbones or chiseled jaw just like any other person on the planet. Just because someone is Slavic doesn't mean they look certain way.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Asha124

[FurryFury]

Well, I am Russian myself and have lived here all my life. Of course some people look different, but this guy really has a more "classic", i dunno, look.

[Asha124]

Well, I am Russian myself and have lived here all my life. Of course some people look different, but this guy really has a more "classic", i dunno, look.

 

You know, I am dark-haired, green-eyed and fair-skinned while one of my cousins is tall blonde with blue eyes and other is brown-eyed ginger. We are all related yet we look nothing alike. Let's just say I am not a fan of people claiming there is something like "Slavic look" because I don't really believe there is.

[enchantingmonkey]

A camel's never gonna win.  Never.  

[tennisgurl]

I was not quite sure what to expect, but I really liked the pilot. I was confused, but I feel like it wasn't pointless confusion. This seems to have a pretty simple (or, simple in sci fi terms) solution. I expect we will get more later, so I`m alright with being along for the ride. 

 

So far, this seems like a mostly character driven story, and so far I like the characters. Love the amount of diversity among the cast. And I love these kinds of stories, with people from all over linked together. The people comparing it to Cloud Atlas I think have it right. Except this one seems to be less...confusing. 

 

I`m in for the season. 

[mad_typist]

I'm on the fence after the first episode. I will definitely give it a few more episodes to win me over, because there's a lot of promise here. Having said that, it's telling that during the first true speaking scene with the Mexican actor, I had a brief moment where I couldn't tell if he was in a telenovela type movie, or if it was just another example of over-wrought dialogue. For example, even though overall I like the transgender character a lot, the scene where she tells her girlfriend, "I'm crying because no one's ever defended me befooooooore" was... not great. Felt lazy - exposition dropped into the place of us just learning that about their relationship organically, even if it takes more episodes.

 

I did love the soundtrack. Tom Twyker also did Run Lola Run, which is still a favorite soundtrack of mine.

Edited June 12, 2015 by mad_typist

[Captanne]

I find Lito, the Mexican actor, one of the most wonderful characters for a whole, long list of reasons.  

 

One reason is he provides the Warchowskis a metaphysical way to satirize The Matrix which made them famous.  The episode and scene will come along in a few -- be patient.  The "meta" is really amusing.

 

Smrou, of course I refer to the simulated-blood-bath filming scene with the fly-by-wires -- that was absolutely hilarious and I just know the Warchowskis were laughing all the time.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Captanne

[Captanne]

Also, mad_typist, you'll come across strained dialogue again (I think the finale is particularly guilty of this lazy writing, personally) but it's easily overlooked because the rest of the series is so damned compelling.

[blackwing]

Watched the first episode last night, and I guess I will have to give it a few more episodes to grow on me.  Am I the only one who found the show horribly confusing?  There were way too many characters introduced and I had a hard time figuring out what was going on or why people are doing the things they are doing.  I think the concept is interesting, I just found the entire show a little too weird.

[90PercentGravity]

It's confusing in the beginning, but it all starts to make sense (mostly) as the story progresses.

[ganesh]

My love for Babylon 5 is as strong today as it was 20 years ago, so the goodwill I have for JMS is high. I'll watch this all the way thru.

Martha Jones with a strap on? Did NOT expect that!

 

This is basically it for me. I didn't even know it was Martha until the flashback to Pride in the park where she yelled at the other person.

 

I finally have gotten around to this show. I had no idea what it's about, and I heard JMS was involved, so I'll ride out the season. I have no idea what's going on. I really liked the transition between the people in all of the different places. Like, they knew what they were seeing wasn't exactly there, but they knew they were seeing it. And I like how it was shot, so the viewers could pick up on it quickly enough. 

[Misty79]

Just got around to watching this first episode (do they still call them pilots on Netflix?) and I think I'm in. 

 

I did not like the opening sequence, it felt too dark and gritty for my usual tastes (I like my TV light and fluffy with a side of serious normally) and yes Daryl Hannah still can't act. But once we got into exploring the main characters it grew on me. Conceptually I like it, connecting consciousness/perceptions up like that is an appealing and actually not so out there idea. But I don't want the show to become all about the big bad behind it, I'd prefer to just see how the characters handle linking up and maybe give a slow reveal to how it's come about. I feel like shows like this can get so bound up in the why that they stop delivering on the main concept that made them beautiful/interesting in the first place. 

 

I agree about some of the ham-fisted telling rather than showing of backstory, but I was surprised by how quickly I took to some of the characters. The DJ in particular - that scene at the end there was nicely acted and well shot and scored. The use of 'Kettering' was perfect. That was a moment of art that touched me, and will keep me around for a few more episodes at least in the hope of more. 

[myril]

But I don't want the show to become all about the big bad behind it, I'd prefer to just see how the characters handle linking up and maybe give a slow reveal to how it's come about. I feel like shows like this can get so bound up in the why that they stop delivering on the main concept that made them beautiful/interesting in the first place. 

 

You might be watching the right show. It is one that takes time to breath and explore and doesn't rush to give answer. The story telling on this show can be quit dense and complex, and it's easy to miss things on first sight. Not a show to watch casually maybe. But it's a great show. There is a lot in the story and the characters, a great cast, and cinematography and music make it a treat. Hope you will enjoy all of season 1.

[jhlipton]

Definitely agree with myril. This is, perhaps, the most character-driven (as opposed to plot-driven) show I've seen.

[supposebly]

I just started this and liked it. It was a bit slow going but each perspective in this "pilot" kept me watching even though I wasn't sure how this will all hold together despite the mind meld thing.

 

Dialogue was somewhat hamfisted and South-side Chicago looked like a war zone. I heard it's the tough part of town but this seemed a bit overdone.

 

Like others, I certainly will be side-eying Dr Martha Jones on Doctor Who from now on.

 

Also loved the soundtrack, it played a large role in why I stayed engaged.

[Glory]

Dialogue was somewhat hamfisted and South-side Chicago looked like a war zone. I heard it's the tough part of town but this seemed a bit overdone.

 

 

"Can I ask you a question, if that boy kills someone or a cop how are you going to feel?"  I mean WTF.  Ambulances won't come, the other cop wants to leave him, the hospital turns him away, the doctor treats him reluctantly, hopefully the kid kills one of them.

Unfortunately, this is how bad the South Side of Chicago really is. It's sad and terrifying and disgusting and awful and there is no hope on the horizon. 

 

The shootings and shots fired didn't take me out of the story, they personalized it for me. That is how bad Chiraq really is right now. It's not exaggerated. It's not trumped up for the media. What's happening in places like Ferguson and Baltimore is happening EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in Chicago. Think about that. 

 

http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/shootings

[supposebly]

Holy crap. Not to get too off-topic, but I didn't know that it was that bad. And from what I learned from reading Sara Paretsky novels, it's been that way a long time.

[possibilities]

I lived in Chicago in the 1980s and one day I wasn't paying attention and wound up getting off the train in a neighborhood I'd never been to before. I swear to God, I thought I might have been magically transported to Sarajevo. There is no way to exaggerate the situation. If anything, I think the show sanitizes it a bit. I'm sorry to hear it hasn't improved since I was there.

[Blakeston]

I found the stuff with the kid in Chicago to be ridiculous.

I have no trouble believing that Chiraq looks like a war zone. I'm sure there have been regular issues with ambulance service. And I can believe that there are hospitals in Chicago that have stopped taking gunshot victims.

That doesn't mean it wasn't ridiculous for that cop to say, "Why would we call an ambulance? Don't be absurd - obviously we should just let the kid die."

Same with the hospital employee questioning if the cop was morally comfortable with saving the kid's life. I just...what?

Edited August 14, 2015 by Blakeston

[ahisma]

That doesn't mean it wasn't ridiculous for that cop to say, "Why would we call an ambulance? Don't be absurd - obviously we should just let the kid die."

Same with the hospital employee questioning if the cop was morally comfortable with saving the kid's life. I just...what?

This. I know that the violence is horrible IRL, and I know that it's true there are no trauma centers on the south side. However there is a federal law that says a hospital can't turn away a patient in an emergency, and the nurse would damn well know that. She could protest that they don't have a trauma center and he could insist the kid would bleed out before getting to one, but she should not even pretend they would refuse to treat him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was hesitant to watch this show (hence why I'm two years late!) because I thought it would be too scary for me (I'm a wuss). A friend of mine recently assured me that it wasn't scary so I decided to give it a try. Thank goodness she told me that it wasn't super scary because the first scene was kind of freaking me out, but I stuck with it because I knew my friend wouldn't lead me astray and try to give me nightmares by tricking me into watching a scary show!

I was surprised that with as many characters as they introduced, I was able to keep all of their stories straight. I'm really looking forward to seeing their paths intersect more.

And Van Damn! Who wouldn't want to ride on that bus? All you Bat Van people are crazy for passing up the Van Damn!

I'm not sure if I want to find out why Lito was humping the wall in his trailer. Like can't you just jerk off like a normal person?

Naveen Andrews is always welcome on my screen.

I was afraid that Nyx was just trying to sweet talk Riley into taking some drugs so that he could rape her (I may have seen one too many episodes of L&O: SVU), so it was a huge surprise to me when Riley's two friends attacked him for his stash.

Edited December 5, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was hesitant to watch this show (hence why I'm two years late!) because I thought it would be too scary for me (I'm a wuss). A friend of mine recently assured me that it wasn't scary so I decided to give it a try. Thank goodness she told me that it wasn't super scary because the first scene was kind of freaking me out, but I stuck with it because I knew my friend wouldn't lead me astray and try to give me nightmares by tricking me into watching a scary show!

 

Yeah, it's definitely not a scary show. It took me a long while to watch it too, because I just wasn't sure I had room for another weird sci-fi type show. But this one has more warmth and wit than most stuff you find on TV. I too found all the characters immediately vivid and likable, and felt various levels of sympathy for their situations. 

The show manages to do this really cool thing of dropping you into eight worlds simultaneously, and still be clear about who these people are. Or at least give you enough that you want to learn more about who they are.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Yeah, it's definitely not a scary show. It took me a long while to watch it too, because I just wasn't sure I had room for another weird sci-fi type show. But this one has more warmth and wit than most stuff you find on TV. I too found all the characters immediately vivid and likable, and felt various levels of sympathy for their situations. 

The show manages to do this really cool thing of dropping you into eight worlds simultaneously, and still be clear about who these people are. Or at least give you enough that you want to learn more about who they are.

I agree that they somehow managed to introduce multiple characters and storylines in a clear and engaging way in the first episode (some shows can't do that even when they have half as many main characters). The characters and their stories are all very distinct, and I was immediately interested in what was going on with each of them. As much as I love binge watching shows (especially in the summer), I can tell this is a show that I won't want to devour all in two or three sittings because I'm enjoying getting to know all of the characters. As much as I want to know what's going to happen next, I already like that this show is very character driven. Glad I'm not the only one who waited to watch this show! Gotta love the combination of Netflix and forums with separate episode threads for people like us. It's nice to be able to read along with everyone else's posts for each episode two years later. It drives me crazy when there's only one thread for the entire season so I have to wait until I've finished all the episodes to peek in and see what everyone else had to say.