Sense8 premiered their series finale last Friday amidst much anticipation and excitement. The show, which has had incredible ratings, was cancelled after their second season by Netflix due to budgeting reasons. As a show that prides itself on authentic representation, it would travel around the world to the actual locations it featured in the show to film, and consequently racked up quiet the budget. However, it was not a decision that sat well with the fan base. We ourselves posted about how much we thought the show deserved a third season, which you can read here. Within a few months, a petition was put out by the fans that garnered thousands of signatures convincing Netflix to bring the show back for one final 2-hour episode to give the show the ending it, and the fans, deserved. And oh, did it deliver.
“For the Fans”
These were the words displayed on the closing screen of the finale episode and it was a completely accurate statement. The series finale included all the elements that made the series wonderful in the first place. From intrigue to action, friendship, love, adventure, humour, elegance, and beauty, the episode tapped into it all creating a nonsensical, sometimes messy (which are both endearing attributes true to the nature of Sense8) and absolutely perfect ending to such a revolutionary show.
Season 2 left the fans on a major cliffhanger as one of the Sensates, Wolfgang, was taken prisoner by the evil corporation, BPO, and in an effort to get him back, his fellow Sensates take their most dangerous enemy, Whispers (a.k.a Milton) hostage.
The finale saw the Sensates reunited and renewing their mission to bring down their enemies. However, much to the pleasure of fans, this included the help of other Sensates around the world. In addition, each of the main character’s partners and close friends who weren’t Sensates, were finally filled in on all the knowledge their Sensate counterparts had been hiding in the past. Therefore, this finale was filled to the brim with immense cohesion, understanding, and love between everyone, homo sensoriums and homo sapiens alike.
The length of the finale was perfect, as well. One might worry that in cramming all the concepts and tying it up into a series finale – when the original plan was to continue the show longer – that it might seem rushed or unfulfilling. However, everything managed to get resolved satisfyingly in this feature film-length ending. It was a true culmination of unresolved plotlines we already knew from Season 1 and 2, along with some extraneous sci-fi info that didn’t always compute but which we went along with anyway. Amongst the fast-paced action, constant threats, breathlessness, and violence, we were given the same beautiful cinematography, same interludes of romantic fun, and silly humour that we have always been given from the show. It didn’t necessarily matter that there were blips of disorderliness throughout, because ultimately, it kept us on the edge of our seats up until the very end. We were finally given the breath of relief to see that the Sensates we have grown to love actually achieved their happy endings, as anything else would have been too heartbreaking to handle.
The final sequence, following the gratifying death of all the evil members of BPO, shows the Sensates and all their families and friends together for Nomi and Amanita’s wedding. It makes it even more emotional to see that it’s being held at the Eiffel Tower, a place that Amanita and Nomi had made previous promises to come to (which became a mantra for them through the dangerous times). To see that they finally made it to their wedding day, throughout all the chaos and tumult, to see them exchange heartfelt vows and exude pure love while everyone around them exuded that same love and acceptance, felt like the true cap on the long-awaited finale.
The closing scene delivers a montage while simultaneously showing us the respective love scenes between each of the characters and their partners, becoming one conglomeration of sexy, beautiful, raw, evocative emotions.
The finale’s title, “Amor Vincit Omnia”, translates to “love conquers all”, sums up the concept of Sense8 and everything it stands for perfectly. A friend said, “a good finale should always make you cry, because you’re saying goodbye to old friends” – and boy, did Sense8 do so. The journey that the Sense8’s went on was not only emotional in its fictional world, but for its fans as well. We applaud the creators of this wonderful show, and while it makes us sad to say goodbye to our Sensates and their families, our hearts are full and we are left satisfied at the end of this journey. The fact that the finale was granted to us through sheer determination on the part of the fans and creators is a beautiful thing, and is a testament to that fact that the impossible can indeed be achieved.
~ S & Z ~
