Duck: Friends, it’s been a while, mostly because Star’s been busy writing. But every time Star needs to take a break from tapping away at their super-ducking romantic keyboard, we’ve been rewatching Sense8. And, as usual when I watch Sense8, my FEATHER-CLAD MIND IS DUCKING BLOWN!
Star: Mine too! Talk about a WHIRL! Now, those of you who are thinking, “Wait a plover-tucking moment! Isn’t this meant to be a romance movie blog?” let’s just add a quick note: Sense8 is totally sci-fi, not romance, but there’s a DUCK of a lot of romance in it. (By the way, here’s the trailer for season 1.)
Duck: And not just between characters either! As far as this duck’s concerned, the very concept of Sense8 is romantic. Imagine suddenly waking up and finding you’re psychically, physically, and emotionally linked to seven other people, each of them in a different geographic location across the world. You can enter their reality psychically and/or physically at any point, just as they can enter yours. You feel each other’s feelings, enter each other’s bodies, react for each other, speak through one another, communicate with each other psychically—and all at once. Being sensate is just like being a duck, except with lots of extra non-duck capabilities.
Star: This is what it is to be reborn as a sensate. Not a duck.
Duck: Unless you’re a sensate duck.
Star: True. And of course, since sensates have special minds and brains, you guessed it, they’re hunted.
Duck: Like ducks.
Star: Sadly, yes, But the particular “cluster” of eight sensates whose stories we follow on Sense8 make a formidably flipper-tickling team. How they work together as one is fascinating, especially when it comes to their rebellious, activist choices.
Duck: And especially when those choices are made out of love, which, when it comes to this particular cluster of sensates, they almost always are.
Star: In fact, when it comes to romantic relationships—both within and outside of the cluster—Sense8 creates an ocean of diversity. For starters, we have a lesbian relationship between a sensate white trans woman and a Black lesbian who comes from a queer, non-normative family. We have a gay male Latinx couple who invite a third into their relationship—that third is a character whose sexual and gender identity is unexpected in terms of these characters’ stereotypical range of attraction. We also have triumphant, romantic polyamory.
In terms of race, we have the kind of diversity many of us dream of. From a strong Korean female fighter … to a heart-led, compelling African politician who starts out as a legendary bus driver in a dangerous setting … to an Icelandic DJ who’s suffered deep physical and emotional tragedy … to an Indian woman who, due to her loving family’s pressure, enters a familially pressurized marriage to a man she respects but doesn’t love … to a white, cis NYC cop whose thirst for justice is beyond pure.
And that’s just for starters.
Duck: Also, the romances are SUPER-DUCKING ROMANTIC because lives must be risked and changes must be made and worlds must be burned in order to protect and support. And wow, these choices are SCARY for these characters, which proves their GREAT BRAVERY and LOVE. It’s beyond romantic. It prioritizes self-love. And it’s also quactivist heaven!
Star: Activist heaven, too.
Duck: Duck yes! But the cherry on the pondweed cupcake goes to the narratives. These sensate ducks, if you will, refuse to see life’s pond as limited, and it’s clear that this determination arises from their new sensate identities. As sensates, (homo sensorium as opposed to homo sapiens), they learn to see love ahead of fear, and they refuse to define themselves, their lives, or their relationships in normative, limited terms. GO SENSATES!!!
And GO DUCKS!!!
Star: Also, TALK ABOUT COMPELLING PERFORMANCES. Like, across the ducking board. EVERYONE was legendary. EVERYONE. Particular kudos to Bae Doona as Sun, Jamie Clayton as Nomi Marks, and Toby Onwumere as Capheus (in season one). But it was honestly hard to pick three standouts.
Duck: Ponds-at-midnight performances. Intense, powerful, and CHOCK-PACKED with duck-heart. Happy quacks all round!
Star: Seriously, Sense8 is one of our top RomanceyPants hits, friends. You’ll need Netflix to watch it. They do a free trial though!
Watch Sense8 on Netflix!
Featured image designed by Star Tavares. Photo of Bae Doona and Toby Onwumere snapped via screenshot from the Netflix Sense8 trailer on YouTube.
Romancey Pants 