S02.E06: Isolated Above, Connected Below

[Athena]

Quote

While Capheus enjoys a welcome surprise, Lito makes a splash at a high-profile event. Riley works to gain the trust of a Sensate she saw at the rave.

[Helena Dax]

Kala and Wolfie together make me happy. And I loved when her husband started kissing Wolfgang, heh. But well, it seems that the husband is hiding something about the drugs they're creating. I don't remember if we saw something about that last season... Are those the same drugs Capheus's mom is taking? 

I like Capheus's girlfriend.

The football scene was shot by someone who was thinking of basketball.

That manor at Scotland was house porn at its best. What a gorgeous place to live! And well, we got some answers. Even if I'm starting to get tired of Angelica and her dirty shirt. 

[NeenerNeener]

Are the occasional drops in film quality intentional, or did they run out of money during the filming of this season and have to finish filming with whatever they could get? 

Or maybe my ISP is randomly throttling down my bandwidth, but only while I'm watching this show...

Edited May 6, 2017 by NeenerNeener

[Mindthinkr]

@NeenerNeener  Got a laugh over your bandwidth comment! 

Question about Sun. I thought that when she left the disco that her head was shaved and that she had some kind of war paint or tattoo going on. I might have mis-seen this, as maybe it was just another party goer moving in the same direction as Riley when she was scuttled out  

Favorite was when Riley commented (after that lick on her face by the horny other cluster member) "I think that I just picked up the equivalent of a sensate STD". 

Also "I'm slowly dying of survival" by Old Man Hoy. He tickled me pink as I used to live in Scotland.  I think he was drinking an Irn-Bru on the train when he took his blocker. Oh the scenery in that country (sigh). 

I'm never going to look at people daydreaming the same way after watching this series.

P.S. Figured out the hair thing with Sun in the next episode. 

Edited May 6, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Added the P.S.

[Enero]

Kala and Wolfe were hot! As was Caphues and his girlfriend. It didn't think I would but I'm warming up to Caphues. I'm really enjoying his story this season. 

I knew Rajan was too good to be true. 

The place in Scotland was absolutely gorgeous. 

I'm happy to see more sensates. 

So far this season has been pretty good. 

[Mindthinkr]

I agree with you @Enero  The way that they intertwined those lovers was spellbinding. 

[molshoop]

9 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Old Man Hoy

The show was only missing one thing....Doctor Who!  Welcome Sylvester McCoy.

[Enigma X]

8 minutes ago, molshoop said:

The show was only missing one thing....Doctor Who!  Welcome Sylvester McCoy.

I knew that he was familiar.

[tennisgurl]

Oh shit, now they've got The Doctor involved! Now we know its gotten real! Sylvester McCoy was delightful, and that Scottish castle was amazing! Talk about architecture porn.

I love Wolfgang and Kala so much! If head sex is wrong I don't want to be right! And I really liked Caphues and his girlfriend, and how they were intercut with Wolfgang and Kala. I also loved Kala watching Wolfie playing soccer while shirtless. You got a little droll there, Kala.

I like that Caphues`s world is being expanded beyond the poor section he lives in. I know some people complained that they were showing Nairobi as just a bunch of crappy slums, but his plot this year shows there are also nice office buildings, politicians, and people living a more middle or upperclass lifestyle as well.

Teagan seems like a super sweet girl. Its pretty impressive that two asshole parents raised two decent kids.

I just love everyone in this show such much, its honestly really impressive. I cant think of many shows where I really love every main character, as well as the supporting characters.

[Chaos Theory]

I am really enjoying all the character growth this season.  How everyone in the cluster is coming into their own in their own storylines.  I am also enjoying more scenes where they are all working together for a common goal.

The big story arc also works fir me.  BPO and it's internal struggle.  Angelica may not have been a good person and the source of everything going wrong.  I like the introduction of the other clusters and not all of the people in them are particularly good people.  Some of them are outright assholes and vilans.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[MizStaken]

Love seeing the whole group together and joyous. Was hoping for a proposal by Lido. 

I still don't understand Angelica's role in all of this. I keep getting distracted by all the work DH has had done to her face.

[Ravenya003]

I have to admit I'm struggling to follow the BPO storyline, though I always get excited when we get glimpses of the bigger picture at work beyond our own cluster. When Old Man Hoy sent his message around the world, or when Lila started talking to someone in her own cluster, it sent shivers down my spine. This show is great at making the world seem really big AND really small at the same time. 

Wolfgang/Kala - whew, I think I need a cold shower. Does it count as cheating if it's all in your head? Also, Rajan seemed pretty happy the next morning, so was he somehow experiencing it too? I think he said something about how "last night was amazing." Awkward.

That said, I'm kinda disappointed that they're starting to signal that Rajan might be a villain. It gives Kala an easy out when her infidelity and psychological questions about being a good person is what makes her story interesting. 

I'm trying really hard to like Dani, but for fuck's sake girl STOP TAKING PICTURES OF GAY MEN WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION. It's really gross that she still has no concept of boundaries or privacy, especially after the hell she put Lito through in the first season.

[Chaos Theory]

I know people like Dani.  They have serious boundary issues but they are also the first people there when you are falling in a deep well of dispare.  I think Dani is an awesome character because she is very real.  Yes she should most definitely stop taking pictures of men having sex but she is such a good and loving friend to both Lito and Hernando.  I am almost tempted to call them a thruple.

I so want Lito to tell BOTH Hernando and Dani about the cluster. 

[Mindthinkr]

13 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

 

I so want Lito to tell BOTH Hernando and Dani about the cluster. 

It's interesting how some choose to share their idiosyncrasies (? Differences? Real selves?) with their significant others and some don't. I think by now they all know that they a part of a separate reality and not just having hallucinations or psychotic breaks. 

As witnessed by the distrust of The Old Man of Hoy, telling anyone can have dire consequences and the black blockers may not be available to all sensates. There are both good and evil in the H. Sensoriums. 

[MizStaken]

It would make sense to tell Hernando, but i think it's best if Dani never finds out. She has obvious boundary issues and could be a risk at some point. Hernando i know, would keep his mouth shut. He would spend a lot of his time analyzing the whole thing. 

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, MizStaken said:

It would make sense to tell Hernando, but i think it's best if Dani never finds out. She has obvious boundary issues and could be a risk at some point. Hernando i know, would keep his mouth shut. He would spend a lot of his time analyzing the whole thing. 

Ayup. She'd get all jittery and spill the beans to Whispers without any 'tactics' needing to be used. She'd be reciting what Lito said like one of his scripts. 

[justmythoughts]

As a brazilian I was quite disappointed of how little used São Paulo and the Pride Parade were. When the actors were here it was a fan fantastic moment, so many videos and pictures... It was a beautiful scene for Lito, and all the Sensates seemed to be having fun but I had higher expectations.

Overall, loving the stories, if it only depended on me, I would marathon it till my eyes bleed! lol but my husband watches with me and he is like "one ir two episodes at the end of the day, it is enough". He is clearly not as attached as I am (to any tv show).

And I am, too, quite tired of Angelica. She seems quite shady or at least poor on her judgment decisions. Also, Kala and Wolfie (mostly the latter)are my sweeties, specially because her fears are very real and controversial, so making her husband a bad guy seems like an easy way out for her life. And I would like to see other Sensates telling their significant others about their... "Powers"(?). I asked my husband "If I told you I were a Sensate, you would think I was crazy". He replied: "no, sure I would believe you". Sweet hubbie, I know he wouldn't believe. 

[Chaos Theory]

I think this might be my least favorite of the episodes.   Maybe because I have the least to say about it.

I did like the interconnecting of the Kala/Wolfgang and Capheus and his girlfriend (who's name keeps escaping me).  I thought it was done very well and that Capheus's girlfriends seems like a genuinely good person who comes from a wealthy world.  I guess it does match Kala and Wolfgang's two people from different worlds.

I like that Teagan is being shown as a nice person who is trying with Nomi and that Nomi may have played a part in the disintegration of the family unit as well.  The fact is Nomi is a bit of a Narcissist who does make everything about her transition but then I guess when her parents didn't accept her that was a serious blow so everything was about that to her.   

 

I did like the line by Mr. Hoy "I am not about to be out trusted by a DJ from Iceland.   With the hair the color of a Smurf."  

Archipeligo Sensate google.  I thought this was probably the only part of the episode I thought was truly awesome.  

[Spaceman Spiff]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 5:30 AM, Ravenya003 said:

I have to admit I'm struggling to follow the BPO storyline, though I always get excited when we get glimpses of the bigger picture at work beyond our own cluster. When Old Man Hoy sent his message around the world, or when Lila started talking to someone in her own cluster, it sent shivers down my spine. This show is great at making the world seem really big AND really small at the same time. 

I loved this, and his comment about how the sensates had google before it was a thing.

[Clanstarling]

On 5/5/2017 at 7:19 PM, Helena Dax said:

Kala and Wolfie together make me happy. And I loved when her husband started kissing Wolfgang, heh. But well, it seems that the husband is hiding something about the drugs they're creating. I don't remember if we saw something about that last season... Are those the same drugs Capheus's mom is taking?

The football scene was shot by someone who was thinking of basketball.

I believe Kala's husband was shown to be somewhat sketchy about the drugs last season, and that they are, indeed, the same drugs Capheus's mom is taking.

What do you mean about the football scene? I'm curious. Do they not do shirts and skins in pick up football games?

On 5/6/2017 at 10:21 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Question about Sun. I thought that when she left the disco that her head was shaved and that she had some kind of war paint or tattoo going on. I might have mis-seen this, as maybe it was just another party goer moving in the same direction as Riley when she was scuttled out 

P.S. Figured out the hair thing with Sun in the next episode. 

I thought that was someone else entirely. A sensate from a different cluster (haven't seen the next episode yet). And it seemed s/he was wearing Buddhist monk robes.

[Helena Dax]

7 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

 

What do you mean about the football scene? I'm curious. Do they not do shirts and skins in pick up football games?

 

They do, sometimes, I guess. That's not the problem. It was all wrong.

1.-What that guy did to Felix was foul so they were supposed to kick the ball from there, but Felix throws it away and in the next scene, the ball is coming from the opposite side. 

2-It's shot almost as if Wolfgang and Felix were the only ones playing. 

3.-When Felix scores, Wolfgang is the only one congratulating him, which isn't common. (Unless the rest of the team is sick of Felix's awful behaviour). 

4.-When the scene begins, they have just scored; two plays later, they score again. It can happen, of course, but it isn't common either. 

5.- And where are the goalkeepers? You can see some guy near the goal in a couple of shots, but he isn't wearing gloves and believe me, if they're wearing football t-shirts and football boots, the goalkeepers should be wearing gloves.  Also, when Felix scores, the goal is completely empty, which doesn't make sense.

But if you think they're two friends playing basketball against two other guys, it all makes more sense. I've seen this scene in movies and TV shows hundreds of times: two friends against a couple of aggresive guys, they score, the game gets rough, our two friends score again anyway because they're good like that and they hug manly (and of course, there are no goalkeepers in basketball). 

Edited May 12, 2017 by Helena Dax

[Clanstarling]

Thanks, @Helena Dax, don't know much about football. That explains a lot.

[kieyra]

On 5/7/2017 at 7:39 PM, MizStaken said:

Love seeing the whole group together and joyous. Was hoping for a proposal by Lido. 

I still don't understand Angelica's role in all of this. I keep getting distracted by all the work DH has had done to her face.

Sorry if this is obvious, but they are clearly running CG anti-aging effects on Daryl Hannah (and Jonas, and Sun, and I think Milton) for flashback scenes. But I think the dissonance comes in because they have to do a lot more to de-age DH because of the work she's had done, which in turn makes both her present day and flashback/CG scenes even more distracting. (Or at least for me--every scene she's in, I'm either thinking "it's sad that so many actress have to do that to keep working, and/or that some of them don't have the right bone structure for fillers" ... or ... "this CG de-aging is getting pretty good but it's still giving me a dose of uncanny valley". Either way I'm paying less attention to the actual scene, and God knows her scenes are pretty damned cryptic right now.)

I liked this episode a lot better than the previous one, but I'm sad Puck turned out to be a gross lecher. We already have Leila/Lila for that. (In my mind, they're doing approximately the same thing despite the gender swap. A bit of mental sexual assault, charming.) Still, it flowed much better, and after I complained about Capheus last episode, I'm more engaged now.

Kala can't keep running hot and cold with Wolfgang. I need more sex scenes with those two. In all the locales. Underwater, nightclub bathroom, back of a car, middle of gay pride parade, you know, whatever's convenient.

I'm glad we have Riley/Will for the romance, and Kala/Wolf for the smoking hot chemistry.

Edited May 13, 2017 by kieyra

[shrewd.buddha]

I was left with the impression that Kala had sex with her husband (because he was so happy the next morning), but she imagined it was Wolfgang. For Wolfgang to be Kala's sex partner, he would have had to be in the husband's head and not Kala's. It would be very interesting to see it portrayed as it actually would have happened : Wolfgang having sex with Kala's husband.

The head-sex stuff between the Sense8's doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's sexy and there's nudity, so I can pretend that's what being telepathically linked would be like.  But sometimes it's annoying that the Sense8's are portrayed as being something like imaginary friends who don't know things about one another until they talk - and at other times they are sharing the same thoughts and sensations as if they were one person (like looking the mirror and seeing the other person).

As someone else said, I was disappointed with the short amount of time at the gay pride event with Lito. A lot of things feel as if they are blink-and-you-miss-it with eight stories going on, including side stories with BPO, and stories about Kala's parents and in-laws.

I appreciated the scene where Nomi talked to her partner about how much attention she has needed for a while now. But I didn't see the need for them to rush away from Nomi's sister just to end up having a leisurely walk in the woods to find a cabin - - must everything be dramatic? 
It makes you wonder if having a Sense8 significant other would be exhausting, or maybe leave you feeling like the 9-th wheel in the relationship. 

Edited May 13, 2017 by shrewd.buddha

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

It would be very interesting to see it portrayed as it actually would have happened : Wolfgang having sex with Kala's husband.

It makes you wonder if having a Sense8 significant other would be exhausting, or maybe leave you feeling like the 9-th wheel in the relationship. 

I thought at one point they showed Wolfie and Raj together.

Let's ask Neets: "What's it like being Nomi's girlfriend?" "Well, it's kind of exhausting, but that's largely due to BPO and Whispers -- even if she wasn't a Sensate, it would still be exhausting.  And, yeah, I do feel a little left out when she goes off to visit her friends, but it gives me a little "me time", too!"  Hernando and Dani agree.

[Clanstarling]

39 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

I thought at one point they showed Wolfie and Raj together.

I don't remember, but they certainly made a big deal of him kissing Wolfie in the morning (even though Kala's head was not in that position) - not once, but twice. That confused me a smidge, even though it was amusing.

[Chaos Theory]

2 hours ago, jhlipton said:

I thought at one point they showed Wolfie and Raj together.

Let's ask Neets: "What's it like being Nomi's girlfriend?" "Well, it's kind of exhausting, but that's largely due to BPO and Whispers -- even if she wasn't a Sensate, it would still be exhausting.  And, yeah, I do feel a little left out when she goes off to visit her friends, but it gives me a little "me time", too!"  Hernando and Dani agree.

On one hand Amanita has always had full knowledge of everything going on in Nomi's pretty much since day one.  Whatever weirdness there is it's possible she likes it.   Nomi has never lied to her.  

It will be interesting When Hernando (and to a certain extent Dani)  finds out the truth.   That certain details about the legend of them are not quite what they think they are.  

[Enigma X]

I wonder if one of the remaining friends who doesn't know will feel that it is "unnatural" to be a Homo Sensorium upon finding out.

[jhlipton]

5 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I wonder if one of the remaining friends who doesn't know will feel that it is "unnatural" to be a Homo Sensorium upon finding out.

Kala: Almost certainly Rajan would feel that it is "unnatural"

Wolfgang: Felix possibly

Sun: Her Deputy/boyfriend might have a hard time, but there are weirder things in Korean mythology

Cephus: Jela would be OK (I think) but Mom and her boyfriend might have a hard time

Lito: I think Hernando and Dani will think it's super-cool. 

Will: Diego seems to be dealing with "ghost cop" pretty well

Riley: Her dad seems like the "roll with anything" typeNomi: Hard to say how Teagan would react

[madam magpie]

On 5/12/2017 at 7:48 PM, kieyra said:

Kala can't keep running hot and cold with Wolfgang. I need more sex scenes with those two. In all the locales. Underwater, nightclub bathroom, back of a car, middle of gay pride parade, you know, whatever's convenient.

Haha...amen.

I don't think Nomi is narcissistic at all. Most people do think their problems are the most pressing and get wrapped up in them, especially when those problems are truly huge. Nomi being trans and stuck with those shitty parents is a pretty huge problem. She clearly suffered a lot as a result. Not to mention that now, a shady organization is trying to kill her. Being preoccupied with or focused on those things isn't narcissistic; it's survival. A wedding doesn't compare at all to someone trying to kill you, so I don't think bridal gown shopping, etc. trumps sleuthing.

I didn't understand what was going on with Angelica at the end either...

I'm way behind the times, per usual, and have been binging this show. I find the writing and logic to be sloppy sometimes and the dialogue can be inconsistently beautiful and cliched, but damn if the main characters aren't among the most charming I've come across. They (and the actors who play them) make this so compelling.

Edited May 19, 2017 by madam magpie

[Danny Franks]

God damn! That Kala/Wolfgang sex scene was hot. Like, incandescently hot. Capheus and Zakia were hot as well, but nothing compared to the first two. If the Wachowskis always intended Kala and Wolfgang to be their 'will they, won't they' style couple, then they lucked into actors with amazing chemistry. That scene has been a long time coming.

The morning after, with Wolfgang smugly accepting a kiss from Rajan was the perfect cap to the weirdness that is sensate relationships. And the later scene, with Wolfgang playing football and Kala getting overheated both from watching him run around all sweaty, and from feeling him run around all sweaty, really emphasises how awkward life can be as a sensate. At least when feelings bleed over, like they do with these two.

Felix was coming across like a massive arsehole in that scene though. I'm starting to think, more and more, that he's a real liability for Wolfgang. Especially when he's the one who wanted to get involved with Fuchs in the first place. But honestly, I think Lila is enough of a problem on her own. Clearly working her own agenda to take over the city. She's ruthless, and if she decides that Wolfgang isn't on her side, then he's going to need to start running.

Capheus seriously considering running for office is intriguing. Corruption is terrible, in a lot of African countries, and the show focusing on that is a cool way of widening the scope to something not often seen on Western television. The apparent transformation of Silas Kabaka from intimidating and influential businessman into lovesick goof was unexpected, but I really enjoyed that beat. The actor has a lot of warmth, and showing a person with HIV dating is another pretty positive and beneficial addition to the show.

Loved Lito, Hernando and Daniela going to the Pride Parade, and Lito's rush of bravery and honesty in front of the crowd. I sometimes forget, because Lito was closeted, that he's not self-hating, or trying to be macho. He loves all the rainbow, pride stuff, he loves showing off Hernando. He's finally able to be himself. Daniela needs a boyfriend, though. Or at least to get laid, so she'll stop perving over gay couples quite as much.

I like Nomi's sister, and how she's not only willing to accept Nomi, but is actively pushing to include her. Nomi is a little narcissistic, I think. Not in a negative way, but in a way that she's had to be, to figure out who she is and find the life she wants.

Riley being bothered by the new sensates she's contacted was a nice thread of fun, running through the episode. Skeevy Puck, the sensate equivalent of an STD, and Riley cleaning up what he was saying, for Will's benefit, was a laugh. "He's not being very helpful". Sylvester McCoy as the Old Man of Hoy (nice soubriquet, by the way, Scotty McScottishson, with your Irn Bru and deep fried Mars bars) was enjoyable. You could feel his melancholy, his acceptance of isolation, but still his sense of humour and his desire for more.

I'm not sure quite what's going on with Will and Whispers bleeding into one another, but it's interesting. Perhaps this is what happens when two sensates from different clusters spend too much time in each other's heads. 

I loved Will's half-finished point about the ubiquity of immigrant foods. Because it's true. We are all different than we used to be. More accepting, more open to new things, culturally meshed in ways that we simply weren't fifty years ago. Not everyone wants to accept or tolerate it, but it's true.

[myril]

On 12/05/2017 at 3:40 AM, Helena Dax said:

They do, sometimes, I guess. That's not the problem. It was all wrong.

1.-What that guy did to Felix was foul so they were supposed to kick the ball from there, but Felix throws it away and in the next scene, the ball is coming from the opposite side. 

2-It's shot almost as if Wolfgang and Felix were the only ones playing. 

3.-When Felix scores, Wolfgang is the only one congratulating him, which isn't common. (Unless the rest of the team is sick of Felix's awful behaviour). 

4.-When the scene begins, they have just scored; two plays later, they score again. It can happen, of course, but it isn't common either. 

5.- And where are the goalkeepers? You can see some guy near the goal in a couple of shots, but he isn't wearing gloves and believe me, if they're wearing football t-shirts and football boots, the goalkeepers should be wearing gloves.  Also, when Felix scores, the goal is completely empty, which doesn't make sense.

But if you think they're two friends playing basketball against two other guys, it all makes more sense. I've seen this scene in movies and TV shows hundreds of times: two friends against a couple of aggresive guys, they score, the game gets rough, our two friends score again anyway because they're good like that and they hug manly (and of course, there are no goalkeepers in basketball). 

I beg to differ. Professional played basketball would look very much different as well, nothing like those two friends fun or rival matches so often shown on US TV shows or street basketball.  It was street football or street soccer they played here, very much comparable with those backyard or public ground basketball matches but not so much comparable with official league football matches. That was no DFB club match, not even on  Kreisliga level, it was some fun leisure time match. Germany is a football crazy nation, and after work company or other kind of football hobby teams are not unusal.

1. Felix did not just throw the ball away, he threw it to kick it. Not quite properly done, the ball should be stationary before kicked, but a quick free kick is something you can see even in league matches fairly often in midfield Quickly done to keep things going. In this case more wasted, they had no momentum to keep, but it's not a professional match

2. Of course the focus was on Wolfgang and Felix, mostly Wolfgang even, Kala marveling at his sweaty, muscular body, pretty much turned on by the sporty raw nature on display ;-) Made me grin, because, yep, that is exactly what happens when women watch football. Not. But sometimes. lol

3. Not sure who the other guys in their team were, though could have been some of Fuchs's guys I think, it's always mostly Felix and Wolfgang, with some casual people around maybe at a club, but they always seem to be on their own, and I was not surprised that it was just them celebrating

4. We don't get to see 2 minutes of the match straight, we see a cut of the match, scenes minutes apart, so think we shouldn't conclude that score happened right after the other

5. There are goalkeepers; it was not just Felix and Wolfgang playing in their team, though of course camera focus was on them, but in wide angle shots could see that there were maybe 4+1 players on each team, which would be a common player number in a street football team.  Fuchs' team had proper shirts, which tells something about his character, likely has his own bar team or so, but Wolfi's team was playing topless, not because it was so warm but to differentiate the two teams. While shirts and even shoes are not that hard to afford, goalie gloves are a bit of a different thing. People playing football just for recreation and fun seldom have them, as they often don't have shin guards.

The German word for kicking around the ball like that is "bolzen" and that was a "Bolzplatz" they were on. Some place, some empty site turned into a neighborhood football ground for kids and leisure teams to use. That place by the way has no grass in real, it's a tarmac one. Did anyone notice the elephant mural there? Nice beat in connection with Kala, who has a special relation with Ganesha, the Indian elephant god. But as well it tells were in Berlin that place is ;-) The mural is by a Berlin artist, Jadore Tong aka S.Y.R.U.S. As well it's a nice wink to the murals from season 1, notably in San Fransisco.

[Danny Franks]

Looked like a five-a-side match to me. Shirts vs skins, as is the easiest way to play when you're not in an organised tournament. 'Keepers are usually fly, which means they can come out of goal and play as outfield players if they want. They were probably playing on a tarmac, multipurpose court. I think the Wachowskis' understanding of the game was fine.

But I will say that I've never seen any movie or TV show depict a game of football truly realistically, and I doubt I will any time soon. It isnt a sport that lends itself to the screen at all well.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Danny Franks

[ahisma]

I totally understood why Wolfgang asked Kala "Are you sure?" before their sensate sex. She said yes, but still said it was a mistake the next day. :-( How well he knows her. Agree that making Rajan a shady businessman is taking the easy way out of a difficult issue. 

It is true that Nomi has had to be self-focused (not narcissistic) to survive first her transition and second an international cabal trying to hunt her down to lobotomize her. However in this ep, Neets was a drama enabler, grabbing her to run out of the fitting room right when Teagan was going to ask her for just one favor. :-/

I'd been wondering where Capheus's mother was. It looks like the drugs are working fabulously and she is getting some, to boot. Go girl! Like mother like son. :D I like Capheus with Zakia. And I like the idealism of him being a non-corrupt politician. But in 2017 USA, I'm not so wild about the reality of someone with no political experience suddenly jumping in. Maybe start out lobbying your local representative, organizing some community resistance, going to a few legislative sessions? I can't say how that works in Kenya, but get some kind of political savvy.

Ew, Puck is as gross as Lila, though not as homocidal.

I love Riley at Hoy's place—he is delightful. How expensive must it have been to shoot all the split-second Archipelago scenes, with so many more than just the eight main sensates? But it was fabulous. 

Yay for Lito's coming out!

[jhlipton]

12 minutes ago, ahisma said:

But in 2017 USA, I'm not so wild about the reality of someone with no political experience suddenly jumping in. Maybe start out lobbying your local representative, organizing some community resistance, going to a few legislative sessions? I can't say how that works in Kenya, but get some kind of political savvy.

If he's running for mayor of Nairobi, I can see him doing so with little political expertise.  He's widely known and trusted, with his matutu running all over the city,

[ahisma]

Nairobi is a major world city; I don't think he could possibly run for mayor. Even as a representative, you have to truly understand business, economy, taxes, police, fire, roads, sewer and water, utilities, schooling.... and that's just for the basics. You also have to know how government works, how laws gotten written, passed, and implemented, both the formal side and the sausage factory side. And you have to know all the players—the politicians, their aides, the press, the campaign donors—and as a crusader, know who's going to come against you and how. Capheus right now would pretty much be a lamb in the lions' den. He'd be very reliant on advice and aides from the party who wants to run him, and have to hope they are both very smart and honest.

[Chaos Theory]

16 minutes ago, ahisma said:

Nairobi is a major world city; I don't think he could possibly run for mayor. Even as a representative, you have to truly understand business, economy, taxes, police, fire, roads, sewer and water, utilities, schooling.... and that's just for the basics. You also have to know how government works, how laws gotten written, passed, and implemented, both the formal side and the sausage factory side. And you have to know all the players—the politicians, their aides, the press, the campaign donors—and as a crusader, know who's going to come against you and how. Capheus right now would pretty much be a lamb in the lions' den. He'd be very reliant on advice and aides from the party who wants to run him, and have to hope they are both very smart and honest.

Recent events prove otherwise.  I don't need this show to be ultra realistic.  I mean we are dealing with people who communicate with each other telepathically so the idea of a guy who gains in popularity by standing up to a gang and is convinced to run for public office looks like a good story and plays out like one.  I don't really care how unrealistic it actually is.  Just like I don't particularly mind that Nomi's hacking device thing is probably not very realistic either.  I am someone with the right kind of basic internet/government paranoia so the idea of such a device at least sounds like it could exist which is enough for me. 

Very few tv shows have ever done sports exactly correct unless they are about the sport to begin with.  This was a two minute scene that was more about Kala seeing Wolfgang sweaty, violentish  and shirtless then an actual sport.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[myril]

13 hours ago, ahisma said:

I love Riley at Hoy's place—he is delightful. How expensive must it have been to shoot all the split-second Archipelago scenes, with so many more than just the eight main sensates? But it was fabulous. 

1

And might be worth to pay attention to it. Interesting who shows up in the end and the conversation there. One of the reasons I love to watch this show more than once.

[Helena Dax]

18 hours ago, myril said:

I beg to differ. Professional played basketball would look very much different as well, nothing like those two friends fun or rival matches so often shown on US TV shows or street basketball.  It was street football or street soccer they played here, very much comparable with those backyard or public ground basketball matches but not so much comparable with official league football matches. That was no DFB club match, not even on  Kreisliga level, it was some fun leisure time match. Germany is a football crazy nation, and after work company or other kind of football hobby teams are not unusal.

1. Felix did not just throw the ball away, he threw it to kick it. Not quite properly done, the ball should be stationary before kicked, but a quick free kick is something you can see even in league matches fairly often in midfield Quickly done to keep things going. In this case more wasted, they had no momentum to keep, but it's not a professional match

2. Of course the focus was on Wolfgang and Felix, mostly Wolfgang even, Kala marveling at his sweaty, muscular body, pretty much turned on by the sporty raw nature on display ;-) Made me grin, because, yep, that is exactly what happens when women watch football. Not. But sometimes. lol

3. Not sure who the other guys in their team were, though could have been some of Fuchs's guys I think, it's always mostly Felix and Wolfgang, with some casual people around maybe at a club, but they always seem to be on their own, and I was not surprised that it was just them celebrating

4. We don't get to see 2 minutes of the match straight, we see a cut of the match, scenes minutes apart, so think we shouldn't conclude that score happened right after the other

5. There are goalkeepers; it was not just Felix and Wolfgang playing in their team, though of course camera focus was on them, but in wide angle shots could see that there were maybe 4+1 players on each team, which would be a common player number in a street football team.  Fuchs' team had proper shirts, which tells something about his character, likely has his own bar team or so, but Wolfi's team was playing topless, not because it was so warm but to differentiate the two teams. While shirts and even shoes are not that hard to afford, goalie gloves are a bit of a different thing. People playing football just for recreation and fun seldom have them, as they often don't have shin guards.

The German word for kicking around the ball like that is "bolzen" and that was a "Bolzplatz" they were on. Some place, some empty site turned into a neighborhood football ground for kids and leisure teams to use. That place by the way has no grass in real, it's a tarmac one. Did anyone notice the elephant mural there? Nice beat in connection with Kala, who has a special relation with Ganesha, the Indian elephant god. But as well it tells were in Berlin that place is ;-) The mural is by a Berlin artist, Jadore Tong aka S.Y.R.U.S. As well it's a nice wink to the murals from season 1, notably in San Fransisco.

You might be completely right, yet I still have the feeling that the the narrative and the structure of that scene are the same that we can see in every street basketball scene. Football has a completely different rhythm.

(If Fuchs' team had proper uniforms, including shin guards, why would the one playing as goalie be without gloves?)

Edited May 21, 2017 by Helena Dax

[myril]

On 21/05/2017 at 1:27 PM, Helena Dax said:

You might be completely right, yet I still have the feeling that the the narrative and the structure of that scene are the same that we can see in every street basketball scene. Football has a completely different rhythm.

Street football not so much, it's fast, it's dirty, it's a lot of fun. Indeed, the narrative and structure was quite comparable to how street basketball scenes are played out on US shows. But street football matches can have some similar function in neighborhoods in football crazy places. Basketball might be it for US neighborhoods and gang masculine sporty showdowns there, football (or for the US folks soccer) is the thing for pretty much the rest of the world.

[darkestboy]

Good episode, especially with the last few minutes upping the ante.

I loved the Pride scene with Lito, Hernando and the rest of the Cluster watching on. It was a beautiful character moment for me along with Riley's scenes with the Hoy guy. The less I see of Puck, the better though.

Wolfgang/Kala/Rajan and Capheus/Zakia also had their moments in this one too. Lila is still shady as fuck though. Her other Cluster member was a bit of an asshole though.

Nice conversation with Sun and Riley and the Will/Whispers moment creeped me out.

Nice that Nomi has a supporrtive sister and I liked her and Amanita finding Angelica's burned out cabin too, 8/10

[Holmbo]

I just binged up to this episode today with a friend. So far I don't like this season nearly as much as the last one. Most of the characters have less of a story than last season and the BPO stuff is more in the center which is the last interesting part of the story for me. I did like it when Will finally got to whispers though, too bad it was a short victory.

I'm very excited for where Capheus story line seem to be going. At first when that group talked to him about going into politics I thought That is a terrible idea! But then I realized that he'd have all the knowledge of his other cluster members to help him. It would be great if we could see the clusters talents being used in something non destructive. And since Capheus is among the sensate with less broadly usefull skills (like Will or Nomi) he really should have a good plot of his own. Of course it's still a sort of terrible idea as the post below describes

On 2017-05-20 at 10:28 PM, ahisma said:

Nairobi is a major world city; I don't think he could possibly run for mayor. Even as a representative, you have to truly understand business, economy, taxes, police, fire, roads, sewer and water, utilities, schooling.... and that's just for the basics. You also have to know how government works, how laws gotten written, passed, and implemented, both the formal side and the sausage factory side. And you have to know all the players—the politicians, their aides, the press, the campaign donors—and as a crusader, know who's going to come against you and how. Capheus right now would pretty much be a lamb in the lions' den. He'd be very reliant on advice and aides from the party who wants to run him, and have to hope they are both very smart and honest.

I took it that they wanted him to run as some kind of representative for his district (or however the political system is built up) not the mayor.

On 2017-05-20 at 6:32 PM, Danny Franks said:

Capheus seriously considering running for office is intriguing. Corruption is terrible, in a lot of African countries, and the show focusing on that is a cool way of widening the scope to something not often seen on Western television. The apparent transformation of Silas Kabaka from intimidating and influential businessman into lovesick goof was unexpected, but I really enjoyed that beat. The actor has a lot of warmth, and showing a person with HIV dating is another pretty positive and beneficial addition to the show.

I liked that the character is still around. I still think he's very dangerous though. If Capheus gets into politics his going to promote him and expect favors in return.

I have missed the old actor for Capheus, this new one is very different, but I really liked him this episode and I think he will be very good in this storyline he seems to be getting. If he was being threatened by gangsters I might not feel as frightened as for old Capheus, but now he's going into politics so physical strength wont matter (hopefully).

Edited May 25, 2017 by Holmbo

[Holmbo]

I'm surprised there's not more discussion about how terrible it must be to be a sensate. There was one thing when there was just a few of them around, but now we find out there are potentially thousands. And if you ever make eye contact with one they will be able to just pop up and lick your face whenever. There doesn't seem to be any way for you to block yourself from them (except with chemicals which just blocks out all of them). So you could have thousands of people just popping up whenever and starting to talk to you. It would be like living in a unmoderated chat forum.

Actually this episode made me think about sensates as an analogy for the internet. So far we've seen most of the positive parts, like how you can connect with different people and share experiences or find acceptance and love, but also some of the negative stuff like the government being able to track you. And now comes the face lickers. At least no one can lick our faces through the net.

[madam magpie]

1 hour ago, Holmbo said:

I'm surprised there's not more discussion about how terrible it must be to be a sensate. There was one thing when there was just a few of them around, but now we find out there are potentially thousands. And if you ever make eye contact with one they will be able to just pop up and lick your face whenever. There doesn't seem to be any way for you to block yourself from them (except with chemicals which just blocks out all of them). So you could have thousands of people just popping up whenever and starting to talk to you. It would be like living in a unmoderated chat forum.

Actually this episode made me think about sensates as an analogy for the internet. So far we've seen most of the positive parts, like how you can connect with different people and share experiences or find acceptance and love, but also some of the negative stuff like the government being able to track you. And now comes the face lickers. At least no one can lick our faces through the net.

I totally agree with this! I've wondered about it myself. There's basically no autonomy or privacy at all. Your own mind/imagination/fantasies aren't even safe. I think it would be awful! 

Edited May 25, 2017 by madam magpie

[tennisgurl]

I think there would be upsides and downsides. On the one hand, you get to connect with 7 other people who totally get you on a deep and meaningful level (hopefully no one in your cluster is an asshole), experience new and exciting places and experiences you would have never gotten to see or do in your regular life, you always have people to hang out with, and you have access to cool new skills and languages. And orgies, if your into that. On the other hand, you lose your sense of privacy, even within your thoughts, you feel others peoples pain and have to deal with their problems, your sense of autonomy is screwed up, if you make eye contact with another one of your kind they can show up and be creepy all over you (looking at you two Puck and Lila), and there's a massive evil conspiracy chasing you for the purpose of torture and lobotomy's.

You take the good you take the bad I guess.

[madam magpie]

The travel would be awesome! But I actually feel more emotional bonding/connection with Nomi/Amanita and Lito/Hernando/Dani than among the sensates as a group. I find that super interesting too, actually, because it speaks to the "family you choose" theme. The sensates didn't choose each other. They're stuck with each other like biological families. But the chosen families on this show are super intimate. (I'd even go so far as to put Amanita, her mom, and her dads in that latter group.)

It would be interesting to see how the show addresses autonomy. Are we to believe all eight of them are inherently exhibitionist or polyamorous (sort of), for example? Maybe...I don't know. But I do think it's odd that no one has objected to the unknowing group sex...on behalf of the partners  even. I mean, really, Amanita is the only one who can consent to that...well, and Will/Riley.

Edited May 26, 2017 by madam magpie

[possibilities]

I'm loving this season. I'll be so disappointed if they don't renew it a few more times.

It's fun, it's emotionally intense, it raises philosophical questions, and it's seriously gorgeous.

I hate Angelica. Other than Whispers, she's the only one I've found intolerable since day 1. Some of the other characters have been villainous, but not unwatchable as characters, but those two are just unbearable in every way.

I have nothing new to say; all y'all have already said everything. I did want to say that right or wrong, I also thought Capheus was being asked to run for the equivalent of a local rep-- like a place on city council, repping his particular district. Maybe I just don't understand Nairobi politics or I missed some of the dialogue. I do find things go by very quickly and I'm often visually distracted by how rich the scenery is.

I loved Hoy's analysis of homo sapiens: they can be the nicest people you'll ever meet, but if they get scared, they are the worst.

[jhlipton]

On 5/25/2017 at 4:24 PM, Holmbo said:

Actually this episode made me think about sensates as an analogy for the internet. So far we've seen most of the positive parts, like how you can connect with different people and share experiences or find acceptance and love, but also some of the negative stuff like the government being able to track you. And now comes the face lickers. At least no one can lick our faces through the net.

Maybe our gang (which seems to be the most integrated) can discover ways of selectively allowing and blocking contact.  I think keeping channels open for your own cluster is a Good Thing, as you never know when you're going to be needed. 

As for the sex, you're in the mind of your partners, so you see the attraction they feel.  Will is not gay, but he was more bemused than anything by Lito taking over (at the gym, I think).

18 hours ago, possibilities said:

I hate Angelica. Other than Whispers, she's the only one I've found intolerable since day 1. Some of the other characters have been villainous, but not unwatchable as characters, but those two are just unbearable in every way.

I like the way Milton has been played.  Quiet and calm on the outside, and full of sadistic evil on the inside -- that kind of sociopathic character is more fun than the psychopathic one.

[Reishe]

On 5/11/2017 at 8:34 PM, Clanstarling said:

And it seemed s/he was wearing Buddhist monk robes.

Hee--when I saw that person, I thought for a minute they were bringing in Ang from The Last Airbender (the animated series).

On 5/6/2017 at 9:00 AM, NeenerNeener said:

Are the occasional drops in film quality intentional, or did they run out of money during the filming of this season and have to finish filming with whatever they could get? 

 

Do you by chance have TiVo? I do, and the Netflix streaming quality has been terrible since the spring update. Vacillates between HD and HorribleD constantly; other users have been reporting same issues at tivocommunity.com (not a plug, I have no connection, just citing my source). It's apparently something about the TiVo Netflix streaming app.

On 5/5/2017 at 10:19 PM, Helena Dax said:

That manor at Scotland was house porn at its best. What a gorgeous place to live!

Last night I decided I could just watch the show as geography porn and be happy. All of these places are beautiful in their own way and full of life, except Berlin, which is ironic for me b/c I used to live there and it is one of my favorite cities, but the Berlin action is mostly mob underworld stuff, so no surprise it doesn't call to me the way the other places do. The team also excels in making moments that are just so special it almost hurts not to be part of it, like the glitter scene at the disco or the pride parade.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Reishe
clarification

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwwww, why are the scenes with Sun and her dog always the sweetest? When her teacher said that he often finds the dog staring at the gate waiting for her to come back, my heart broke a little. Seeing Sun cry and hug her teacher was a rare moment of vulnerability.

Loved everyone on the bus just hanging out of the windows watching Capheus and Zakia talk. I'll be honest - whenever I go to a new friend's house, I love looking around but I try to be low key about it, which is why I loved that Capheus didn't even try to hide his curiosity about her books and all the artwork. I also loved his joyful silent fist pump the next morning.

I thought it was very unfair of Kala to go to Wolfgang, tell him that she wanted to have sex, and then the very next day tell him that it was wrong and that she needs him to keep it from happening again.

I loved the army of Litos on the screen behind him at the parade. I think everyone needs an epic kiss complete with confetti and balloons!

I really love that in truly happy moments, all of the sensates are drawn together. And I will never complain about seeing another group dance party! Even when things are totally fucked up, there's always time for a dance party - in fact, the more fucked up things become, the more they need those brief moments of happiness together.

Hee, confirmation that Lila is a bad guy - she threw her cigarette in the street. Litterbug!

Why did Nomi have to run off as soon as Neets got that text about the cabin? I know that finding the cabin was important, but seriously, she could have waited until the wedding dress fitting was over. There was no need for her to strip down to her underwear and run out of the dress shop at that very second. Waiting another hour was not going to make or break the ongoing investigation into WTF is going on.

Just how many pills were in the bottle that Croome gave to Will? How long does each pill block out Milton? How often does he take these pills? At the very least we know that he has a finite supply and no other source to get more, so hopefully he's stretching them as long as possible. I don't really trust Puck or Lila so I was hoping that Riley would ask Hoy where he got his so that she could restock Will's supply.

I was laughing at Will's comment about immigrant food like General Tso's chicken and pepperoni pizza, both of which are extremely Americanized versions of Chinese and Italian food. According to the documentary The Search for General Tso, that chicken dish was invented by a Taiwanese chef when he opened a restaurant in New York in the 1970s). The kind of pepperoni pizza that is seen today is nothing like Neapolitan/Italian pizza (which traditionally had less cheese and usually no meat).

In addition to the lack of privacy, the thing I have thought about since the beginning is how lucky this cluster is to get along so well. I thought we might see some disagreements when they were discussing how to deal with Whispers/BPO in previous episodes, even during S1, but they have managed to work together and agree about the important stuff. I hope they can keep that up, but just imagine how frustrating and even dangerous it would be if they had a huge fight about how to fight Whispers/evade BPO and they couldn't agree. If even one person ended up turning against the others, it could turn dangerous. It would only take one of them to go to BPO and reveal all kinds of information about the rest of the cluster.