A Noteworthy Binge: Sense8

Netflix and school go hand in hand, so in the case that you’re procrastinating homework and pondering your next Netflix binge, a show you might consider putting in your watch rotation is Sense8.

The show delves deep into personal motivation and influence over one’s own demons while promoting teamwork and diversity. Sense8 centers around the lives of eight people: Lito, Nomi, Wolfgang, Kala, Capheus, Will, Sun and Riley.

With an intriguing beginning, the show kicks off with all eight characters witnessing the same vision of a woman committing suicide. Confused by this “nightmare,” they continue about their lives. Soon, however, each person starts to show up in one another’s daily routines unknowingly. Although the characters are on different continents they’re able see each other and tap into each person’s abilities to overcome turmoil in their daily lives.

The entirety of the show is filmed from a first person point of view, meaning viewers learn as the characters do. Creators of the show were very careful not to reveal information before the characters reached realization, so the story direction is just as much a surprise for viewers as for the characters themselves, keeping the show intense and viewers on the edge of their seats.

In addition to a killer plot line (pun intended), Sense8 promotes diversity among its characters and their intertwined stories. Each of the eight characters come from a different lifestyle and area in the world, which allows for cultural diversity viewers may not always see in their favorite television shows. But Sense8 is here to knock down some old school rules in television by allowing viewers to possess the ability to experience cultures they otherwise may never have been able to encounter.

But among the culturally diverse stories found in Sense8 lie themes of LGBT acceptance, poverty, wealth and crime. These aspects break many of the current boundaries of television and bring to the forefront many culturally intense situations viewers as well as characters come to experience.

While there is currently only one season up on the Netflix queue, Sense8 is worth the watch. And if it just so happens to be your next binge, the wait for season two can be deemed totally worth it.