Episode 6, Demons – Sun is arrested and imprisoned for her brother’s crimes; Capheus gets a surprising new job from crime lord Silla; Nomi and Amanita find a safe house and Riley’s old friends catch up to her with deadly consequences.
So as episode 5 saw many of the 8 consciously conversing for the first time, this episode takes it further by implying notable chemistry between some Cluster members that could develop into romantic plotlines. At the start of the episode, Will and Riley have what many would class as a first date. They meet up in a bar (all be it two separate bars on the other side of an ocean) to exchange names, basic info about each other’s lives and have some genuine fun performing a few simple “Are we crazy?” tests with each other. The episode does a great job to present them as your average 20-something couple getting to know each other. They’re both enjoyable to watch together so hopefully this will continue to develop. Then by contrast, we have a clear case of infatuation between Kala and Wolfgang. This German is very open in wanting his typical non-relationship with Kala, and whether she admits it or not she clearly feels physically attracted to him, and certainly more than she does with her fiance, Rajan. His wedding interjection is covered well as he rightly implies he was only speaking her own mind out loud.
Then, we even witness a whole different level of chemistry later in the episode. We’ve seen so far that the stronger a feeling the greater (or at least easier) the connection between the Cluster member becomes. This episode, we see what happens when they get “that” feeling and the result is a good old-fashioned Cluster orgy. The sequence is brilliant in just how bizarre it becomes, and with zero concern for taking itself seriously as the various members become involved and subconscious partner swaps take place before eventually everyone is getting funky with it and every location. Will’s gym jolly is the funniest for the surprise on his face when Lito pops up, and the way he comes crashing back to reality hoping nobody saw him enjoying his workout a bit too much. Lito’s full-on Magic Miking and Daneila’s “appreciation” also raise a few smiles. There’s a clear message of openness towards homosexuality. It’s been a heavy and highly effective theme so far in the series but by expanding that to include pledged heterosexual characters, it highlights the group’s diversity well, which is even curiously speculated as a necessity.
In one great scene, Amanita, her mother, and Nomi finally ask why these specific 8 people were chosen to be connected when they are so different. Nomi plays the audience well to indulge our own curiosities and Amanita’s mother’s notions about evolution feel very straightforward. What would be the point in connecting 8 identical individuals? They would have nothing to gain from each other. Therefore, the most logical process would be to select 8 people as different from each other as possible so that combing them as a single united entity would give each the maximum available variety of knowledge and experience. Would you field a baseball team of 9-second basemen? The ideas of evolution may be the doorway to something much bigger with the series as the climactic mid-point tease implies their abilities may have a future origin.
Of the individual stories, this episode is a tie at the top between Riley (with an assist from Will) and Capheus. Riley’s moment of aggressive conversation over her past indiscretions is powerfully dramatic as the questioning becomes violently persuasive, but the sudden shock that she shares with Will is outstanding as without warning, he looks like there’s an angry Darth Vader off camera. The quick camera cuts between both locations create a good blur of confusion as Will frantically fights for both their lives. Though Riley’s real money shot comes from her surprising heart-to-heart with an incarcerated Sun. They cover some good topics from mistakes to addictions. Riley’s Icelandic saying, “It’s not the drugs that make a drug addict it’s the need to escape reality”, reflects well on Sun as her kickboxing become her drug. It’s also a wonderful notion of both finding comfort in each other in their darkest moments; they become each other’s matrix of leadership.
The ever loveable Capheus impresses with the surprising tone his story takes towards crime lord Silla by showing the more compassionate side of this ruthless man. Silla’s daughter becomes an easy and effective point of empathy for Capheus just as he’ll do anything for his dying mother, Silla will do anything for his sick daughter. What’s more, the little girl is immediately likable from her Wonder Woman fandom to sharing Capheus’s appreciation of Van Damme, “Van Damme is a source of inspiration.... that if you are brave, you can fight to make the world a more equal and just place”. It’s seems more likely than a FIFA bribery scandal that we’ll see something go horribly for the pair but we already feel enough about them to invest in any oncoming peril and care about their survival.
Although we do get a brief reappearance of Daryl Hannah’s Aneglica/Angel, it still doesn’t deliver the halfway bombshell that the series really needed at this point. So far, it has rewarded our patience with its characters but not its central story. Business needs to pick up and we need to see at least see the group being hunted in some ways as implied. That is the only real demon in what’s been an immensely enjoyable first half of the series.
Episode 7, W. W. N. Double D? – Both Will and Nomi continue their investigations and both encounter a white bearded man in charge known as Whispers. Lito gets a new bodyguard but that stop his closet door being ripped open? Riley returns home; Wolfgang’s criminal interest take a turn for the worse; and Cahpeus gets a cutting reminder of the man he’s working for.
With its Nancy Drew-referring to title (not my first guess) this episode fills the show’s biggest void: a villain. While we already had an initial hint, we now have a name for him, and a little more clue to his intent thanks to Nomi & Amanita’s round of doctor-stalking. We know Whispers were the employers of Nomi’s former evil doctor from her hospital incarceration and his work has taken him all over the world performing his planned operation. This clearly implies he’s assigned to seek out the Sensates. Yet it’s the sole survivor of the procedure, Nigel that gives the biggest insights. His initial vegetative state implies a neutering aspect to the operation; presumably it stops them using their abilities, cuts them off from their Cluster. Yet his alive and kicking (and punching) encore implies can still be shared with or at least controlled as a disposable asset. So is this Whispers agenda? To neutralise all Senseates to be used as weapons when he needs them? The biggest question that leaves is who he is. His first episode scene implied he was a fellow Senseate so why would he turn on his own..
The apparent chemistry between Kala and Wolfgang is further explored. Their intimate moment on the Mumbai rooftops is a warm scene, (especially compared to raining Berlin) and the two churn through some interesting topics. The duality of Kala’s life is a nice unexplored area as Wolfgang observed: she’s a deeply spiritual person but also a scientist. It’s an effective statement against the common viewpoint of the two being mutually exclusive. Kala’s thoughts on the subject are particularly well-written as she speculates how science also involves believing in things we don’t always understand. Wolfgang’s implied travel fans should finally make them the first Cluster members to meet in person and from the way his events play out, now seems a good time for a vacation.
The bearded trio delight as always but also offer a good development in their story. Their dinner scene is a great transition from awkward to hilarious as Hernando embraces playing the role of bodyguard when they are all in public. This gets even better with all the Whitney Houston banter that follows between the pair. From the moment we knew Lito was keeping his private life a secret, there was always going to be a major threat of exposure, and this episode delivers that setup well. Sun’s story is also rewardingly continued as she begins her prison life. Her introduction with her cellmates is a brilliant exposition as it reflects on the country’s cultural attitudes towards women. Sun is embraced by them for defying her male peers just as they dealt with their abusive husbands, “In this country, sometimes the only place you can find a brave honest woman is in prison”. We also have her next kickboxing victim in sight as she’s clearly about to remind a certain guest star who the show’s badass female character is. The only issue here is her story now lacks direction. She’s reached her destination with no sign of leaving it.
Capheus gets the visit of the episode as he joins Riley on her flight back to Iceland. He’s the perfect character to pair with anyone when they are feeling down as his childlike excitement at their bright new location is a great visual tool for making someone find the positives in their situation. His own story takes a darker turn this week. The brutal actions of Silas imply he’s being groomed for more, whether he likes it or not. It looks like we’ll soon see his morals tested further to the point of breaking and the line he just can’t cross. Riley herself just has a transition this week. Meeting her is The Who-singing father is fun but the only story advancement is her arrival in Iceland.
This is a necessary episode for the drives in the main story but sadly sacrifices some of the fun to achieve it. Jokes about long trunks and Nomi’s hacker friend’s reaction to her new life (and gender) choices are great, but overall the episode drags in places for want of a few more smiles. However, now that these vital clues have been found , Nancy Drew can get to the real heart of the mystery in the rest of the story.