Spoiler:Jonas is probably a unreliable narrator when it comes to what Sensates are. A bit of a Sensate supremacist was my interpretation. So of course he is going to go on an on how sensates are a new species and have nothing in common with old humanity, are empathetic, and just plain more awesome.
One of my favorite scenes was probably the dichotomy of the love advice Jonas and the other sensate gave Will and Riley.
All this Jonas talk has inspired rampant speculation on my part.
S2: The focus is on taking down Whispers. The Sensates think that doing so will put an end to EvilCorp. Jonas drops some ominous lines about how things may not be as easy as they seem. Season finale, they lure Whispers into a trap and take him out. It's revealed Whispers wasn't the leader of EvilCorp, but the top field agent.
S3: The focus is on finally taking out EvilCorp and its leader. Jonas is a more active ally, helping them out by endangering himself, etc. Season finale, they take out the leader of EvilCorp and finally dissolve the organisation. Jonas reveals this was his plan all along, and that he can now begin his Sensate supremacist plans.
S4: The focus is on taking down Jonas, who has been plotting something more global all his life. EvilCorp was about controlling the Sensates at any cost. Jonas has grandiose ideas about evolution and philosophy. Season finale: Jonas is finally taken out, perhaps at a great cost.
S5: Not sure, could go in many different directions. Jonas may survive and try to get revenge on the Sensates by going after what they love, bringing it back full circle to S1, or there might be another bad guy after Jonas (Yrsa???).
I'm reasonably confident in how things are going to develop up to the end of S4, but S5 is definitely a mystery (though they might also drag out the Jonas thing to S5 by introducing something filler-ish in S4).
Based on the first season...I think you might be overestimating the plot speed of the show. A good chunk of next season is just going to be the fall out from the individual character story lines this season.
I have been wondering about the whole "sensates in love" thing. IS it a genuinely bad thing, perhaps leading to a loss of self or sanity, or is Yrsa simply bitter about some past cluster heart ache? Hopefully they explore that next season
Perhaps, though I also know that one of the main criticisms that was levied at the show was the extensive time it took for the plot to pick up in the first season, so the Wachowskis may feel compelled to tighten things up a bit, perhaps.
I don't think it'll be purely one thing or the other.
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I wondered at the time if there was meant to be any significance to Nomi's birth being different than the others (C-section, IIRC), and if the intent was to suggest some sort of diminished connection to her mother because of the nature of her childbirth.
I could see that being an unfortunate implication, on the other hand. (that surgical intervention during birth somehow makes it less 'natural,' or damages the child/mother bond, which seems kind of judge-y when applied to situations where the surgery is necessary)
Nomi's mother also made an odd comment when Nomi was in the hospital. Something like 'You were Michael when I pushed you out of me / they pulled you out of me.' I don't recall the exact words, and the first sounds extra rejection-y and the second sounds extra 'I'll never let you go, they had to drag you out of me' possessive / controlling. I'm not sure which is creepier.
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Yeah, I know they're different characters, but I'm talking in terms of their skillset. They are both decent at melee fighting, decent at firearms, and good at physical intimidation. While Will has "cop instincts" that Wolfgang lacks, and Wolfgang has that "ruthlessness" that Will doesn't have, they are still fairly similar when it comes to the talents they can lend to the other Sensates.
Uh...Wolfgang is also one of the world's best safecrackers and generally has all the skills and connections one would expect a professional criminal to possess. Will's criminal skills are limited to picking handcuffs. And, indeed, thief-type skills are something nobody else in the Cluster possesses at all outside Nomi's very specialized hacking skill-set. So...he definitely brings that to the table.
Contrariwise, Will is a lot better at interpersonal interaction in general which might well be relevant if Lito is unavailable. Really, Wolfgang isn't even great at intimidation; he doesn't tend to seem especially scary until people start dying. He's charming enough, but a bit too blunt and/or quiet to be really persuasive when the chips are down.
Not to mention right now Riley doesn't seem to have a skill to lend to others (even if she's good at linking them and all the stuff people are pointing out, she doesn't have a lot to offer to the others in terms of "I need someone who can do X!").
That's definitely the problem with her so far, yeah. She may have skills that she hasn't yet demonstrated, however. I certainly hope so.
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She's not even a musician. She's a DJ.
Her dad and one of the people in London (can't remember who) have both called her a musician. She downplayed this with "I'm just a DJ" but even if she can't actually play an instrument, she clearly touches people enough that they wax metaphoric.
My girlfriend and I binged this show a couple weeks ago and we enjoyed it a lot. The graphic suicide in the first episode made me very uncomfortable, but you can kind of trust the Wachowskis not to use something like that for pure shock, and Riley's scenes in the last couple episodes were an incredible reprise of that theme.
She's not even a musician. She's a DJ.Her dad and one of the people in London (can't remember who) have both called her a musician. She downplayed this with "I'm just a DJ" but even if she can't actually play an instrument, she clearly touches people enough that they wax metaphoric.
My girlfriend and I binged this show a couple weeks ago and we enjoyed it a lot. The graphic suicide in the first episode made me very uncomfortable, but you can kind of trust the Wachowskis not to use something like that for pure shock, and Riley's scenes in the last couple episodes were an incredible reprise of that theme.
I get the feeling that she used to play music before her husband died, and now she has kind of abandoned it for others. I'm guessing she is really good at an instrument or 3, but hasn't touched any in a few years.
I get the feeling that she used to play music before her husband died, and now she has kind of abandoned it for others. I'm guessing she is really good at an instrument or 3, but hasn't touched any in a few years.She's not even a musician. She's a DJ.Her dad and one of the people in London (can't remember who) have both called her a musician. She downplayed this with "I'm just a DJ" but even if she can't actually play an instrument, she clearly touches people enough that they wax metaphoric.
My girlfriend and I binged this show a couple weeks ago and we enjoyed it a lot. The graphic suicide in the first episode made me very uncomfortable, but you can kind of trust the Wachowskis not to use something like that for pure shock, and Riley's scenes in the last couple episodes were an incredible reprise of that theme.
We know that she pursued some form of post-secondary education. I thought that she studied musical theory.
Uh...Wolfgang is also one of the world's best safecrackers and generally has all the skills and connections one would expect a professional criminal to possess. Will's criminal skills are limited to picking handcuffs. And, indeed, thief-type skills are something nobody else in the Cluster possesses at all outside Nomi's very specialized hacking skill-set. So...he definitely brings that to the table.
Contrariwise, Will is a lot better at interpersonal interaction in general which might well be relevant if Lito is unavailable. Really, Wolfgang isn't even great at intimidation; he doesn't tend to seem especially scary until people start dying. He's charming enough, but a bit too blunt and/or quiet to be really persuasive when the chips are down.
I know Wolfgang can crack safes (I bet that's going to be a plot point in the show at least once), but I don't think he has that many connections anymore. Felix seems to be his main go-to guy for fencing and the like, and other connections might have depended on his family. He probably has a few connections of his own, but not that many. He doesn't seem to have the traditional skills of a thief. He apparently relies on his key-making business rather than on lock-picking, Nomi probably knows more than him when it comes to bypassing security, and he doesn't seem to be type of guy who gets into air vents or dangles outside buildings. He's more of a thug than a thief, really.
I do consider Wolfgang to be a good intimidator, actually. His ruthlessness and fearless bravado can make him very good at convincing people he has no problem hurting them to get what he wants (which is the talent Will invoked from him in episode 12). I wouldn't consider him charming, I think he has average social skills and exceptionally good looks, so he's used to letting his looks carry most of his social interactions.
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I know Wolfgang can crack safes (I bet that's going to be a plot point in the show at least once), but I don't think he has that many connections anymore. Felix seems to be his main go-to guy for fencing and the like, and other connections might have depended on his family. He probably has a few connections of his own, but not that many.
Then where'd he get the rocket launcher? I mean...Felix wasn't available to help with that, it's not exactly an easy item to acquire, and his family didn't seem to know about it.
He doesn't seem to have the traditional skills of a thief. He apparently relies on his key-making business rather than on lock-picking, Nomi probably knows more than him when it comes to bypassing security, and he doesn't seem to be type of guy who gets into air vents or dangles outside buildings. He's more of a thug than a thief, really.
Uh, his key-making business is otherwise known as 'being a locksmith'...the profession that also teaches you how to pick locks (Remember the woman he slept with? She called him because she locked her keys in her car). Nomi's definitely better at the software parts of electronic security, but as he displayed in the diamond heist, he's no slouch at physically disabling such systems. And he seems quite physically sneaky when he wants to. Re-watch the heist and compare how he stole the diamonds with how his cousin was going to. Wolfgang's version is pure finesse, while his cousin takes the thuggish route.
I do consider Wolfgang to be a good intimidator, actually. His ruthlessness and fearless bravado can make him very good at convincing people he has no problem hurting them to get what he wants (which is the talent Will invoked from him in episode 12).
The thing about that is that literally nobody is ever actually scared of Wolfgang. They certainly should be, but they aren't. Playing chicken, as he does in the finale, is far more about being fearless and willing to die than it is intimidation, and aside from that he never successfully intimidates anyone...leading me to believe he's bad at it.
I wouldn't consider him charming, I think he has average social skills and exceptionally good looks, so he's used to letting his looks carry most of his social interactions.
I felt like he charmed Kala pretty well. That said, I don't really disagree. He's not great at social stuff, which was actually my point in the first place.
Then where'd he get the rocket launcher? I mean...Felix wasn't available to help with that, it's not exactly an easy item to acquire, and his family didn't seem to know about it.]
Figured he already had it. That's usually not the sort of thing you can get on a short notice. The fact that he knew how to fire it accurately indicates he had at least cursory practise with it.
Uh, his key-making business is otherwise known as 'being a locksmith'...the profession that also teaches you how to pick locks (Remember the woman he slept with? She called him because she locked her keys in her car). Nomi's definitely better at the software parts of electronic security, but as he displayed in the diamond heist, he's no slouch at physically disabling such systems. And he seems quite physically sneaky when he wants to. Re-watch the heist and compare how he stole the diamonds with how his cousin was going to. Wolfgang's version is pure finesse, while his cousin takes the thuggish route.
Yeah, I suppose he can pick locks, now that you mention it. Strange why they bothered making a key for the diamond heist instead of picking the lock, though.
As for the bit about finesse, one has to wonder how much of that was Felix's idea. In the funeral, he's the one that relishes in the idea of defeating the cousin, he was the one that made the key and had the fencing contacts for the diamonds, so the plan might've been his doing.
The thing about that is that literally nobody is ever actually scared of Wolfgang. They certainly should be, but they aren't. Playing chicken, as he does in the finale, is far more about being fearless and willing to die than it is intimidation, and aside from that he never successfully intimidates anyone...leading me to believe he's bad at it.
I think his uncle was pretty scared in the finale.
The reason Wolfgang doesn't intimidate anybody before that is that in order to intimidate, you must be in a position of power over the other person. Since Wolfgang's story is "the underdog", he's usually not in a position to intimidate anyone.
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Figured he already had it. That's usually not the sort of thing you can get on a short notice. The fact that he knew how to fire it accurately indicates he had at least cursory practise with it.
That's possible...except I don't think Felix knew he had it, and his family certainly did it, which just reinforces him having acquired it without his family at least.
Yeah, I suppose he can pick locks, now that you mention it. Strange why they bothered making a key for the diamond heist instead of picking the lock, though.
Time. Picking a lock takes longer than using a key. They almost ran out of time as it was, after all.
As for the bit about finesse, one has to wonder how much of that was Felix's idea. In the funeral, he's the one that relishes in the idea of defeating the cousin, he was the one that made the key and had the fencing contacts for the diamonds, so the plan might've been his doing.
But Wolfgang was the one who was obsessed with the safe itself. I think the plan was definitely a group effort, but it certainly shows Wolfgang as capable of subtlety.
I think his uncle was pretty scared in the finale.
Sure. Imminent death will do that, regardless of the intimidation skills of the people involved.
The reason Wolfgang doesn't intimidate anybody before that is that in order to intimidate, you must be in a position of power over the other person. Since Wolfgang's story is "the underdog", he's usually not in a position to intimidate anyone.
See, I disagree. Anyone can be intimidating from a position of power. I mean, think about it, when they've got a gun on you, almost anyone is scary. Where skill comes in is if the situation isn't that one-sided, where they're the underdog and they look at you and deliver a threat and you believe them about their ability to carry it out despite them being the underdog. That takes skill...and it appears to be a skill Wolfgang is mediocre at at best.
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Sitting at the hotel bar in ATL drinking beer, so please forgive typos and whatnot.
Wolfgang obviously has a great freaking bluff skill. One does not kill one's father and keep it hidden from the family for years without a hellishly good bluff skill.
As far as intimidate goes, it's not of the "battle cry" version, but more of the "that's all you got" version, as he can take a hit and makes sure he is theastnone standing.
He also has a hell of a DR score, which he can pass on to the others, as wintnessed by the fight he stepped into on behalf of Lito. Taking a solid hit to the face and no flinching is not something most folks could do.
He certainly has a high disable device skill by cracking a safe manually that his father (who presumably was quite skilled) failed to do.
Anyway, just some inebriated possible insights ... ;)
That's possible...except I don't think Felix knew he had it, and his family certainly did it, which just reinforces him having acquired it without his family at least.
That is still potentially a Felix contact, though.
Time. Picking a lock takes longer than using a key. They almost ran out of time as it was, after all.
Point taken.
But Wolfgang was the one who was obsessed with the safe itself. I think the plan was definitely a group effort, but it certainly shows Wolfgang as capable of subtlety.
Yeah, I don't think he's incapable of subtlety, he just seems to be a direct kind of guy.
Sure. Imminent death will do that, regardless of the intimidation skills of the people involved.
I think it takes a certain degree of intimidation to convince someone you have what it takes to pull the trigger. That's pretty much what Wolfgang was summoned to do in the finale.
See, I disagree. Anyone can be intimidating from a position of power. I mean, think about it, when they've got a gun on you, almost anyone is scary. Where skill comes in is if the situation isn't that one-sided, where they're the underdog and they look at you and deliver a threat and you believe them about their ability to carry it out despite them being the underdog. That takes skill...and it appears to be a skill Wolfgang is mediocre at at best.
I think he has the fearlessness and ruthlessness to convey to people that he means it when he says he's going to do something. That may not be the "manipulative" or "clever" type of intimidation you might see from someone with a keen insight on people's minds, but it's still a valid form of intimidation.
Wolfgang obviously has a great freaking bluff skill. One does not kill one's father and keep it hidden from the family for years without a hellishly good bluff skill.
I actually think his family just has no ranks in Sense Motive at all, and no positive Wisdom scores. We've seen him lie to his family, and all he does is just play dumb. Considering that in the end, they don't believe him, he doesn't really have that much of a Bluff skill in the first place.
The bit about the father is probably a result of his family not even suspecting him for a second, and Wolfgang being clever enough to provide them with an easy answer ("he got caught trying to crack an S&D safe").
As far as intimidate goes, it's not of the "battle cry" version, but more of the "that's all you got" version, as he can take a hit and makes sure he is theastnone standing.
Yeah, that's also related to what I mean.
He also has a hell of a DR score, which he can pass on to the others, as wintnessed by the fight he stepped into on behalf of Lito. Taking a solid hit to the face and no flinching is not something most folks could do.
He certainly has a high disable device skill by cracking a safe manually that his father (who presumably was quite skilled) failed to do.
Anyway, just some inebriated possible insights ... ;)
Definitely agreeing with that.
At the end, I would argue that it is Will's intimidation, not Wolfgang's. Wolfgang is the one who can pull the trigger, but Will is the one who realizes that Whispers doesn't know everyone in the cluster and can use that to his advantage in the situation. Will makes the bluff and sells it to Whispers, then calls Wolfgang to follow through if necessary. I would in fact argue that Wolfgang is really terrible at intimidation. He consistently has to follow through on his threats for people to take him seriously.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but...
Is it just me, or is Nomi the only one of the cluster who still has a living mother?
I'm corrected, I'm SO wrong, and I'm sorry. Wow, how the heck did I forget that.
Ten yard penalty!
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Kala and Capheus still have living mothers. It's pretty important in Capheus's story, actually.
Kala and Capheus still have living mothers. It's pretty important in Capheus's story, actually.
Wow.
You know what.
I knew that. I completely blanked on Kala and Capheus when I was counting the cluster. Like, I literally skipped right over them, which is REALLY BAD considering how much I love Capheus as a character.
I blame stress and lack of sleep because of my dumb "still lighting off fireworks at 3am" neighbors.
Lemme go edit that post and correct myself.
That's one of the weaknesses of the show. You don't really get any attachment to a lot of the characters and it's easy to forget some of them.
We also don't really know the status on Lito's parents. They might both live, presumably back in Spain. We also don't know the status on Nomi's father. He might be dead, considering he didn't show up to visit Nomi at the hospital.
We've been watching this an episode a night since we found it. Just hit episode 8. We are absolutly loving the intensity of the show and the mysteries involved. It's fantasticly done
Plus Conan referance for bonus points.
We also don't really know the status on Lito's parents. They might both live, presumably back in Spain. We also don't know the status on Nomi's father. He might be dead, considering he didn't show up to visit Nomi at the hospital.
Lito was interviewed on the red carpet in episode 2. He said that his father was a true artist. We don't know about Nomi's dad either way.
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That's one of the weaknesses of the show. You don't really get any attachment to a lot of the characters and it's easy to forget some of them.
I disagree. At least for the main eight. You get to see enough of all their lives and who they are to get pretty invested in them. Debatably this is at the expense of more plot advancement, but I feel they do a pretty good job of making you like all eight of them.
Only a few non-members of the cluster get anything approaching similar treatment (Amanita, Hernando, Capheus's mother, Felix...maybe Daniela or Jonas), but the core eight certainly get enough screen time for most people to get invested by the end of the season.
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We tried, really, really, really hard, to make it through the first episode. It was kind of a herculean task unto itself, and basically had little desire to continue.
But, since then we have also had like three other couples tell us that it gets good, after that first episode, so it's a maybe now.
Despite some of the better things we have heard, for someone to make a first episode that bad, that utterly boring, I just don't know.
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I didn't find the first episode boring. Granted the series is a slow burn; it is not action out of the gate. It is, however, the reveal of the situation as it unfolds, showing the effects of these changes on the lives of the folks involved as they occur. That I find rather intriguing. Definitely a change from the mainstream for video media where the standard tactic for shows of this type is to hook the audience with action or conflict almost immediately.
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The first episode is really slow, but that's sorta an inherent problem with the series premise.
If you're going to have a premise involving 'our eight main characters lives are changed profoundly by the events of this show' you have to show each of the eight having their normal life for at least a bit...and with eight of them, getting seven or eight minutes a piece of that (a very short time when you think about it) takes a whole episode.
The show really picks up after that, though. The second episode is a little slow, though not as bad as the first, but the third picks up a lot and the pace either maintains or speeds up from there.
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Sense8 has been renewed for a second season!
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Birthday's are just the beginning.
I really like the group singing together scene, I hope they have one more of those.
Folks might want to check out the "making of" documentary that Netflix just put on streaming. Good stuff, very interesting. :)
Has anyone else watched the Christmas Special yet?
Not yet. I'm still dealing with holiday Chaos and juggling repairs on three different computers. I'll probably watch it on Christmas Day, when my family is all out socializing, and I'll be safely turtled up here in my Apartment of Solitude.
Did you like it?
I liked the Christmas special but it definitely meandered a little bit. It feels like it didn't known if it wanted to be a linking piece between Seasons 1 and 2 (since Season 2 will pick up six months or so after Season 1 ends) or the actual first two episodes of Season 2. It ended in a bit of an odd place.
Still, great to catch up with the characters again and meet the new Capheus, who seems okay. It was a little bit "SENSE8's greatest hits" though:
Capheus being replaced bums me out. Especially since it was basically because of some petty dislike of the actor from the executive producer (who didn't even have the grace to handle questions about his departure with any degree of professionalism).
I enjoyed the special itself though, as a standalone piece. Yeah it meandered a bit, but it was nice seeing everyone (mostly) having fun. Lito and Sun remain my favorite characters, with Capheus unfortunately falling out of that trinity because his new actor doesn't have the same charm, at least in this episode.
I still struggle to see what Riley brings to the table. She can...flip a switch on a turntable. And urge Will to take risks they can't really afford to take. Yay.
I honestly hope they deal with bad guy collective invader dude quick in the next season because I can already tell Will's scenes are reaaaaalllllly going to get old quick. But unfortunately they probably won't.
Especially since it was basically because of some petty dislike of the actor from the executive producer
This does not seem to be entirely accurate (unless you have another source?). Ameen filmed his first two episodes of the season before the recasting and by the accounts of some of the other actors developed an argumentative tone about the material. A good director will listen to an actor if the actor has a valid alternative take or wants to change a line they feel the character wouldn't say (as long as it doesn't mean substantial changes to the story or budget), but there are limits on that. By all accounts Ameen pushed the limits on that repeatedly after already arguing with Lana at the table read and the situation became untenable.
There seems to be a consensus between the actors and the production team that Ameen was the cause of the problems, although it wasn't (as initially reported) down to any homophobia or transphobia (which would be odd, given he filmed all of Season 1 apparently without issue). Although I wouldn't be surprised if Lana was not particularly diplomatic about the situation, given her massively increased workload for Season 2.
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Can't bring myself to watch this show again. Unsure what else can be done to pique my interest again. Plot moves too slowly. Not enough is explained. It's just a touchy feely kinda ride that you must cringe through. Like anything past Season 1 of Lost... This is the first time I ever wished that midi-chlorians were mentioned in a show. It's that bad IMO.
Not sure what they left unexplained? The story itself has been reasonably straightforward so far (and there wasn't exactly a huge amount left unexplained at the end of LOST either, that's become some kind of meme).
And yes, it's a show about empathy across different cultures and walks of life, and overcoming prejudices and biases to make real connections with other human beings. That makes the show sentimental by its very nature. That's not going to work for everyone.
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I was pretty meh about the new Capheus which is a shame because the original was one of my favorite characters. He really sold this notion of being hopeful and optimistic even in the face of dire circumstances. I just don't get that from the new guy. I suppose I should give him a couple more episodes when the new season fully premieres.
I like Sun but I'd like to see them expand her beyond being a kung fu master. Her smarts and business acumen should come into play at some point but I guess that'd step on the toes of the hacker chick.
I didn't follow the casting drama closely but I got the feeling that the old Capheus didn't get along super well with the producer and multiple cast members.
I don't care about behind the scenes crap. Final product is what I consume. Plotline and acting for that part of the show was good imo.
Well said, ser knight. Well said.
That's why he was my favorite. He seems to actually enjoy life, and didn't hesitate to use the others' abilities to help him out either, unlike the others for a huge chunk of the first season.
The new actor isn't as good at giving off that "I'm happy despite all this bad stuff" vibe. The original Capheus would have given off a sense of overwhelming joy and especially EXCITEMENT at the new Van Damn once he decided to take it (just like his companion did) but the new guy gave off more of a "Wow, that's kinda neat I guess" vibe.
Can't bring myself to watch this show again. Unsure what else can be done to pique my interest again. Plot moves too slowly. Not enough is explained. It's just a touchy feely kinda ride that you must cringe through. Like anything past Season 1 of Lost... This is the first time I ever wished that midi-chlorians were mentioned in a show. It's that bad IMO.
I love how your reason for not wanting to pick the show back up are some of my reasons for loving the show.
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Can't bring myself to watch this show again. Unsure what else can be done to pique my interest again. Plot moves too slowly. Not enough is explained. It's just a touchy feely kinda ride that you must cringe through. Like anything past Season 1 of Lost... This is the first time I ever wished that midi-chlorians were mentioned in a show. It's that bad IMO.I love how your reason for not wanting to pick the show back up are some of my reasons for loving the show.
You love that I hate the show because you love the show? ok... not sure how to address that.
In terms of my reasons to dislike the show at this point: that's mainly the nerd in me I guess. I usually like to see the behind the scenes backstory from a BBEG point of view, kinda like how X-Files finally explained FEMA and cigarette-smoking man. For every bad guy, there's an event or circumstance that led to him being a bad guy. X-files would have gotten boring real fast for me if they would have kept cigarette-smoking man unexplained and just as an out-of-context bad guy.
In terms of Sense8, there's a bunch of bad guys, led by a main bad guy with powers. He seems to want to destroy all the other Sense8. Why? Every episode that I watched I sat hoping they would start making connections, but then BAM fight fight orgy fight. Ok, I said, that's cool (the first few times). But in the end... ok... what's next?
Well, he was barely in focus in season 1. He seems to be taking a more direct role already for season 2 since he features pretty heavily.
There's hints dropped that he wants to be the only Sensate in control of himself, so he can use the others as puppets or living sensory batteries, drawing on their experiences to further his own goals. What we DON'T know is what those goals are yet, which is honestly fine for this point in the series.
Honestly though I think they dropped the ball introducing him in season 1 proper at all. It would have been more impactful if we got to know the cluster and they got to know each other and lied their normal lives. THEN he comes in to put them on the run and shake up their lives.
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This is why I liked Stranger Things so much: two parallel stories. One from the good guys' POV, the other with the bad guys' POV. Although the bad guys are ruthless, you can at least understand as they have to contain an incursion from another dimension, and you get to see the pulsing portal deep down at their power plant very early on.
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In terms of my reasons to dislike the show at this point: that's mainly the nerd in me I guess. I usually like to see the behind the scenes backstory from a BBEG point of view, kinda like how X-Files finally explained FEMA and cigarette-smoking man. For every bad guy, there's an event or circumstance that led to him being a bad guy. X-files would have gotten boring real fast for me if they would have kept cigarette-smoking man unexplained and just as an out-of-context bad guy.
In terms of Sense8, there's a bunch of bad guys, led by a main bad guy with powers. He seems to want to destroy all the other Sense8. Why? Every episode that I watched I sat hoping they would start making connections, but then BAM fight fight orgy fight. Ok, I said, that's cool (the first few times). But in the end... ok... what's next?
Soooo ... you do realize that "the Smoking Man" back story did not even start to be picked at until season 2, and you really never got full backstory for him (though you got several variants and speculations). At this point, Whispers is ahead of the game as "the Smoking Man" only had 4 words in season 1 of X Files (yep, looked that up ;) ).
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And to be clear, it's not really so much that there are "a bunch of bad guys". You have each individual who had their own pre-sensate baggage to some extent (i.e. - Wolfgang and the German mafia, or Caephas being in a pretty violent location, or Sun and her evil brother/prison), these are all really the personal baddies. Then you have Whispers and BPO (the organization he works for), who are the overarching baddies.
In an X Files parallel, the personal baddies are the lower level hurdles Murder and Scully took on (the bureaucracy wanting to hinder and discredit the investigations, the other agents looking down on their efforts, etc). The Smoking Man and the shadow organization he was part of would be the BPO equivalent.