Telepathy has been used in so many TV series, films and books that it’s impossible to even list them all — in fantasy as in science fiction. It’s hard to imagine there could still be something new to say on the subject. And yet the Wachowski sisters managed it with Sense8.

The Talent for Taking a Familiar Idea and Making It Extraordinary

The Wachowskis have never been afraid to start from ideas already explored by others, openly acknowledging their sources of inspiration. Those who remember The Matrix will recall that the idea of a synthetic computer-generated reality was not original in science fiction. But they took it and turned it into The Matrix. A successful attempt, to say the least.

With Sense8 they try again: 8 individuals born in very distant places — Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Seoul, Reykjavik, Mexico City, Nairobi and Mumbai — separated not only geographically but in lifestyle, profession, religion and culture, one day find themselves inexplicably “connected”. They share thoughts, emotions and experiences, learn to communicate and ask each other for help, to the point of swapping places with one another to face otherwise insurmountable situations. And of course, there are those who want to hunt them down.

Much More Than a Telepathy Story

From an idea that initially didn’t seem particularly original, the Wachowskis develop a series with extraordinarily high visual impact — filmed on location all over the world — with stunning photography that fully justifies a good television. But the strength of Sense8 isn’t just visual: it’s a series about people with seemingly insurmountable differences who realise they need one another. Its characters come to understand that diversity is not a problem but a source of richness — one that can only be reached by overcoming prejudice.

The style is distinctive and the constant cuts between characters and locations can be disorienting at first — but once you find the rhythm, you won’t want to stop. Enjoy it.