selenak

Netflix put it up, I watched it. Short version: if you're already a fan, it's ideal. If you're a new watcher interested in checking the show out, it's incomprehensible, so don't start there. Now it's rambling, more a collection of feelings-evoking scenes than a story, and in the first half a bit too much reliant on song montages, but what the hell - you're not watching a Christmas Special for the thoughtful storyline. Emotions-wise, it hit all the right notes, and thus it's ideal seasonal distraction, except for a factor in Wolfgang's part of the tale which nobody making the special could have anticipated when making it. Also, we did get to know a bit more about our characters and their background, so it's by no means skippable. Oh, and the actors were all delivering.

With the Wolfgang part, I mean that his story in the special culminates in a big bloody attack at a Berlin landmark, which, well. At least there was no truck involved? Incidentally, they must actually have filmed that at the Brandenburg Gate and in Unter den Linden, though the snow in the earlier sequence with Wolfgang and Kala at the Vera Brittain Ufer (see picture post) looked distinctly artificial. (Hardly any snow last year, no snow yet this year.)

Unhappy rl coincidence aside, the other thing that jolted me a bit ouf of Wolfgang's story was that I can't imagine Berlin's crime overlords not going for a more discreet killing attempt, because even before Breitscheidplatz the New Years Eve celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate would have been bursting with security. Really not where you want to bring a couple of armed thugs to take out someone, not even as a big gesture.

Again, this is but a minor issue, because as I said, emotion wise the special delivers. Nomi and Amanita continue to be a fantastic couple (whose friends have their backs as Nomi is still a wanted fugitive), Lito and Hernando ditto, and we meet both Lito's mother and learn about Hernando's parents. We also see Hernando teaching, which is one of the special's standout sequences, as one of his students taunts him with the Joaquin-posted photo of Hernando and Lito having sex, and Hernando turns that around to literally school the student(s). (It's beautifully played by the actor, too, you can see Hernando's first emotional reaction and then when he draws strengh within himself and changes the game. Speaking of Lito's outing, it has the predicted outcome on his career (so far), which I thought was good storytelling because if that hadn't happened, it would have made the states for Lito in s1 look like they existed only in his mind, BUT his greatest fear, that his mother would reject him, doesn't come true - instead, she reacts beautifully. Also, the Lito-Hernando-Dani triad really supports each other emotionally throughout the special, in addition to the other Sensates, of course.

New Capheus: gets some on the nose dialogue (oh, JMS!) with his friend at first about the heart being more important than the face and him looking a bit changed, but never mind: the new actor is good and sells the established personality and dynamics really well. Oh, and I appreciated that for all of Capheus' natural optimism, he does see the misuse/drug smuggling possibilities at once when his friendly crime lord suggests opening a hospital where AIDS medication is dispensed to all the poor, and that the audience is in the same position as Capheus in not knowing whether or not Mr. T. means it when says he's changed.

(Whether or not people can change is a repeated point of discussion between various characters throughout the special.)

On the run Riley and Will: this has Will now in the damsel position and Riley as the caretaker, due to Whisper's access to Will's head, and also provides us with the most worrying developments for the near future, as Riley has to knock out Will with heroin whenever Whisper gains control. (BTW, this also via echoes of Angelica talking to Will explains what she was doing near the end before killing herself.) It also offers the special's most suspense sequences (that aren't Nomi and Neets versus the FBI), including a gut wrenching one when Will understands that Whisper not only is with his father but encourages said father's fall off the wagon in order to torment Will into coming home. Otoh this might also have been Whisper overplaying his hand, as Will is now determined to kill him, plain and simple, and his storyline also includes a sequence of Jonas demonstrating how to reach back and hide in Whisper's own mind.

Sun: more trouble from her dastardly brother, but also both support from her fellow sensates and from her fellow prisoners (I told you this special delivers on the feelings), and combinations I don't recall having happened in the first season - both a stoic chat with Wolfgang, and later a longer intimate Sun and Kala conversation. And of course there are not one but two occasions where our martial arts queen defeats evil thugs. The first one (Sun versus thugs sent by her brother) was my favourite, since her fellow sensates could return the favour of Sun coming to their aids by helping her with their various skills to play for time until she was in a position to strike.

Kala: seems determined to make the marriage with Raja work, and for the first time, I wonder whether the show intends Raja to become more than The Other Guy/The Standard Romantic Obstacle. Though it's entirely possible they're building that relationship up only for Raja to be killed by Whistler, because I know my tv clichés, and he's the sole significant other of a sensate whose demise would not produce a howl of indignation from fandom. Also, Kala telling Wolfgang that he has some light in him just as she has some dark in her sounded awfully foreshadowing. But maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, Kala being delighted about the German snow and starting a snowball fight was adorable, though nitpicking self had to add that India isn't all heat - if Kala ever made it to near the Himalaya, she would have experienced snow before. But hey, maybe she never did.

Wolfgang: experienced the joy of Felix waking up again (cue lots and lots of buddy scenes) and got offered a stake in crime lord rulership of Berlin in place of his uncle, but apparantly watched too many 80s action movies and not enough 70s mafia dramas to imagine he could get away with saying "thanks but no thanks". I do hope his aunt shows up again, female crime lords are still rare enough to be immediately more interesting than the male variety. Other than that, see above.

....aaaaand last but not least: another mental orgy, this time involving everyone, including Kala, Riley and Capheus, who missed out last time. The Wachowskis continue to provide the best poly orgies, as opposed to certain people who shall remain directors of Perfume not chickening out of various m/m combinations within the cluster other than the established couple.

Open question: whether they would have used Hallelujah for the near the end sequence (not to be confused with the much earlier orgy, I hasten to add) if Leonard Cohen hadn't died. It totally works in context, though.

In conclusion: delivers just what you want from a Sense 8 Christmals special. Well, except for the viewers who had hoped Jonas would join the orgy - so far, he hasn't.