Sense8 Episode 2: I Am Also a We

Welcome to our second look at Sense8. Our second episode opens with Nomi telling Neets about seeing the image of Angelica during the play. Before we go any further, because I neglected to mention it last time, I want to give major props to the show for casting an actual transgendered woman to play Nomi. I’d imagine that the Wachowskis, who are themselves transgendered women, were very particular on this point. Jamie Clayton, who plays Nomi, is not only a phenomenal actress in her own right, but also brings a credibility to the role that might be lacking otherwise. Anywho, Nomi feels like she knows the mysterious woman from her vision, causing Neets to sugest it might be someone from her days as a hacker. Nomi thinks she’s going crazy, prompting Neets to remark that if she had Nomi’s parents she’d be more than a little crazy.

In Chicago, Will is sitting at the bedside of the kid he brought to the hospital last episode. The kid clearly doesn’t like cops, but he’s grateful for the company nonetheless and inquires about Will’s childhood or “gangsta days” as he puts it. We get a flashback of Will getting handcuffed in the back of a car by his father and figuring out how to pick the lock. As Will leaves, the kid says that he doesn’t owe Will for what he did, but he won’t forget it either.

Back with Nomi, she’s recording for her blog. Her words are about her fears and regrets in life and are played over clips of the other sensates who are themselves experiencing their own regrets and anxieties, be it Kala about her upcoming wedding, Lito about the pressures of his career, Riley about her current predicament of witnessing several murders as we saw last episode, Capheus over his mother who is slowly dying of AIDS or Will over the plight of his father who was forced to retire due to a gunshot wound. The blog ends with Nomi’s personal feelings about marching in the pride parade and why that means so much to her, and we immediately transition to her and Neets getting on a motorcycle joining the parade. However, during the procession, Nomi sees Jonas in the crowd, triggering a memory of Angela’s suicide and causing her to collapse. Riley senses what has happened and for a brief moment is with Nomi in the hospital. Nomi awakens to find her sister and mother in the room with her. Nomi’s transphobic mother is far and away the most detestable character in the entire show and it’s easy to see why when she insists on referring to Nomi as "he" and calling her by her birthname, Michael. To make matters worse, she has forbidden Amanita from visiting Nomi in the hospital but refuses to leave herself even when Nomi insists. But there’s more, apparently during a scan of Nomi's brain, some complications were found, and her family as well as the doctors are unsure of how to proceed. Back with Will, he and his partner are going through security footage near the church to prove that Will didn’t just dream up his hunch from the previous episode. Diego still thinks he’s losing it, but even he can’t deny that something fishy is going on when the two discover that two hours of footage have been erased from the security tape. However, the security tape also reveals that there may have been an eyewitness to the event.

Back in the hospital, a Dr. Metzger is explaining to Nomi that she has a rare brain disorder that is causing her frontal lobes to grow into one, and the only treatment is a highly invasive surgery that could likely cause her to end up lobotomized. Metzger further explains that the disorder causes intense hallucinations and a dissociation with reality. Nomi’s mother insists that she pay for the treatment, but Nomi doesn’t want anything to do with her family and demands that they leave.

In Mexico, we join Lito at a red carpet event alongside his co-star Daniela. The press assumes that Lito and Daniela are an item, and while Lito says they are just friends, Daniela doesn’t exactly discourage the rumors that she and Lito are together.

Next, we join Kala in India at her rehearsal dinner where we finally meet her groom to be, Rajan. He’s clearly not a bad guy, a little arrogant maybe, but he’s definitely crazy about Kala as shown when he surprises her with an impromptu Bollywood style dance routine. I have to hand it to Rajan, he’s got some serious moves. Kala may be unsure about her wedding, but she loves to dance, so she gets into the spirit of things.

Back in Mexico, Lito and Daniela are taking a walk. When asked for some acting pointers, Lito says that it’s as simple as looking someone in the eyes and lying. Lito’s philosophy is that being able to lie is essential if one is to be an actor. This is especially poignant for Lito as we’ll see later on. Daniela comes on to him and Lito shoots her down, which only seems to turn her on even more.

Unlike Daniela, Wolfgang is having no trouble wooing the opposite sex as we see him hooking up with some random girl who evidently locked her keys in her car near his apartment. Once the two are done, Wolfgang finds he has an inexplicable craving for Indian food, obviously sensing Kala’s experiences. Later, we see the two at a restaurant, and while the girl is having a nice time, Wolfgang is distracted when he gets a brief glimpse of Kala.

Back with Lito, he returns home to find his boyfriend, Hernando, greeting him in bed. Remember when I said that the lines about lying and not being himself were very poignant for Lito’s character? This is why. Lito is a closet homosexual who keeps his true nature a secret because he worries that if word got out, it would destroy his career. In a way, you can say that acting comes so naturally to Lito because he’s been acting his entire life, always having to hide a part of himself from the world and wearing a metaphorical mask in public. Hernando isn’t exactly thrilled with having to be hidden away, but he knows that Lito loves him as well as acting and he’s happy to allow the man he loves to keep both in his life. Hernando, incidentally, is my favorite character in the show outside of the eight leads. He has a very dry and down to earth sense of humor that nicely compliment’s Lito’s tendency towards the dramatic. At one point Lito professes his love for Hernando with a grandiose speech and Hernando jokingly responds by asking which of his movies he got that from, after which they both share a laugh. The two actors have incredible on-screen chemistry, making them feel like a very believable couple. However, they’re good time is about to be interrupted by a persistent Daniela arriving at his house with a bottle of whine and a team of paparazzi on her tail.

Back in India, Kala and Rajan share a private moment. Like I said, Rajan is not a bad guy, and Kala isn’t immune to his charms, but still she’s unsure of herself.

Back at Lito’s place, Daniela insists on coming in and Lito, being a softy and likely afraid of the paparazzi that followed her, finally gives in. Seeing it as an invitation to have her way with him, Daniela starts immediately undressing and making out with him. Even when Lito reiterates that his heart belongs to another, it only seems to turn her on even more. Finally fed up with Lito rejecting her, she asks what his problem is, prompting Hernando to enter and deliver this amazing line: “The problem is, honey, you don’t have a cock.” Lito, tries desperately to play it off like a joke, but it’s clearly not working. But, if you can believe it, the revelation that Lito is gay just turns Daniela on even more. The awkwardness reaches it’s climax with Lito and Hernado sitting on the bed together in confused silence as Daniela declares herself Lito’s official beard.

In London, a panicked Riley returns home and washes the blood off her face. In Chicago, Will is shaving and for a brief moment they are able to see each other reflected in their mirrors.

Back with Nomi in the hospital, due to the nature of Nomi’s condition, it seems Dr. Metzger is authorized to keep her there against her will thanks to her mother signing the consent form.

At Will’s station, an FBI agent has been brought in to brief Will and his fellow cops about a dangerous fugitive at large in their city. That fugitive is none other than Jonas, who Will recognizes, though he’s unsure how.

In the Hospital, Nomi gets a vision of Jonas who tells her that Metzger has no intention of helping her and that she needs to get out as soon as possible. Nomi dismisses this as one of the hallucinations she was warned about, which isn’t helped when she hears a knock at the door with no one on the other side.

The knock at the door came from Riley’s apartment. It seems when Riley left the crime scene she accidentally brought a huge bag full of money and drugs with her and someone is looking for it.

At a bar in Chicago, Will meets up with his dad, Mike, played by Joe Pantoliano. While Mike probably wouldn’t have done the same, he’s proud of his son for doing the right thing and saving that kid. However, Will isn’t here to talk about that. Will is here to talk about the strange things that have been happening with him lately, and he thinks there’s a link to someone named Sarah Petrel. Will’s Dad tells him to let it go, clearly disturbed by the mention of the name Sarah Petrel.

In the hospital, Nomi gets a phone call from Amanita who’s desperately trying to break her out, knowing that something screwy is going on. Nomi is terrified, but Neets promises that she will burn the hospital to the ground before she lets anyone mess with the woman she loves.

In a convenience store will meets Jonas, who seems to already know him. Jonas finally gives us a sense of what’s going on, that Will is becoming something known as a Sensate. He can’t go into to much detail right now, but he insists that Will needs to do all he can to save Nomi. Will believes what he says, especially after Jonas reveals that he knows about Sarah Petrel, but being a cop, he can’t just let a wanted man like Jonas walk away, regardless of what he may know about him. Jonas responds by kicking Will in the face and running out the door. Will gives chase in his car, but is freaked out when Jonas appears in his passenger seat. Will thinks he’s losing his mind, but Jonas insists that it’s just expanding. Unable to focus with all that’s happening to him, Will’s car veers off the road, ending the episode.

You may have noticed that the previous Sense8 article, and this one to an extent, jumped around a lot. That’s only because that’s the way the show is. With eight lead characters, each with their own unique story to tell, it can be difficult to stay focused on any one thing for longer than a few minutes at a time. Since the first episode had the daunting task of establishing the premise as well as all eight characters, it could come across as very disjointed. Episode 2, by pushing some of the characters’ stories to the side for the time being, allows the remaining characters a lot more breathing room and gives the audience a chance to get to know them a lot better than last time. The standouts in this episode are definitely Lito and Nomi. I absolutely love every minute of Lito’s story in this episode. As I said, Lito and Hernando have great chemistry and I could barely contain my laughter at their confused resignation to Daniela forcing her way into their lives. On the other side of the spectrum, we have Nomi’s story, which not only hints at the threat our heroes are facing, but also gives us some backstory for Nomi through her mother. I absolutely cannot stand Nomi’s mother. Even though she claims to love her daughter, ever word that comes out of her mouth is drenched in contempt and condescension. If I simply described her mother purely by her words, you may think Nomi’s disgust with her mother is unfair, but when you hear the way she addresses Nomi as Michael and talks down to her, it’s easy to see why Nomi feels the way she feels. Overall, episode continues the shows momentum, ending on a decidedly tense note, leaving many questions unanswered and setting up new threats and dilemmas for our heroes.