Sense8: Why You Should Watch

Winter break is certainly a much needed break between semesters, but what do you do with all the sudden free time? For me, the answer was Netflix. There are so many things I binge watched over break, including shows such as "The Fosters." As I was reaching the end of the 4th and most recent season of the latest show, I posted a status update on Facebook.

In a desperate attempt to save myself from the inevitable "What do I watch now?", I begged for my friends to recommend something else to watch. Thankfully, they delivered. With so many suggestions, I went for the ones that were recommended the most, those being "The Crown", "Clone Wars", and "Sense8." I must say, I was not disappointed. "Sense8" is about a group of people around the world who are suddenly linked mentally.

One of my first thoughts while starting "Sense8" was "What the heck is going on???" The show wastes no time in jumping into the action, which isn't very common. Within the first five minutes of the show, I was a bit confused but everything later made sense. In fact, the characters are just as confused as the audience, and as they figure things out, so do we.

My favorite thing about the show is the diversity. There are 8 main characters and each of them lives in a different part of the world. The characters are from London, Chicago, San Francisco, Mexico, Kenya, South Korea, Germany, and India. Throughout the first season, you get to see how the characters get to know each other. While you see them get to know each other, you also get to see each and every one of their individual storylines.

Not only is the show diverse in ethnicity and location, but also in gender identity and sexuality. One of the characters is openly transgender, and we get to see the struggles she goes through when her mother makes an appearance. Another character is gay, but in the closet. As his storyline progresses, we see how he struggles with coming out.

Sense8 teaches so much about LGBTQ+, about different religions, and about different lifestyles. I think Sense8 is a great combination of science fiction and real life lessons. While there's only one season on Netflix now, season two will be posted in May of this year. In the meantime, you can catch up on Netflix today.