Sense8 (TV Series) Limbic Resonance (2015) User Reviews

An interesting pilot

[jdawg011 · 7/10 · 5 May 2016]

The pilot did a decent job of introducing the characters and their lifestyles, briefly showing their careers and outlying some of their main struggles in their lives. It introduces how they are connected without revealing too much, but just enough to keep the audience enticed.

Their are certainly some points where research was severely lacking, such as the suggestion that someone in critical condition could be turned away from a hospital in the US.

Overall, the episode did quite well to squeeze eight introductions into one hour while still roping the audience in.

Patience is key

[ilklucg234 · 7/10 · 25 July 2020]

Eight people who never met from different areas of the world seem to form a mental bond to each other.

This is as much as you need to know about the plot before going into it. Everything else would be a spoiler. And I'll be damned, you'll be rewarded with the best, most emotional, most suspenseful, funniest, most complex and most inclusive piece of television you've seen in a long time.

The only problem is: This Pilot needs patience.

Nowadays it seems like most shows spoonfeed the plot to the viewer starting in the very first episode. This show doesn't do that. It takes it's time to thoroughly introduce each of the eight main characters, gives all of them their own personal storylines, and waits with introducing the main conflict until episode seven.

Does that mean it's boring? Hell no. It might be confusing in the first two or three episodes and require you to pay attention, and not just watch it while you do something else, but at the very latest during episode four, you'll understand the abilities the characters have and fall in love with each and every single one of them. That's a promise.

That being said, the first episode does an impeccable job of foreshadowing different events and moments later in the series, and even upon multiple rewatches, you'll still find new things you haven't noticed before.

It really all comes down how patient you can be. And if you are, this show rewards you with a complex and interesting narrative and lovable characters you can't help but to root for. And in the end, this show might actually change your life. Or at least your way of thinking.

And that is worth every single second.

I have never reviewed a TV show till this one. That's how much I love it!!!

[Sublime404040 · 8/10 · 7 January 2017]

No spoilers in this:

I've watched the first season twice while awaiting the second season. I also watched it a second time because I knew there were clues & details through the entire first season that I had missed on the first round.

As another reviewer stated, this is a good pilot considering it had to introduce all 8 main characters & settings. This episode is completely necessary to watch even though it is not quite as superb as all of ones following. I think that every minute of each of the episodes so far has been important. Partway through the first season, the show actually started to give me the chills over & over, goosebumps and all, head to toe. Awesome!!

Every episode following the first 2, I rated 10 of 10. But each episode is better than the one before it!!! This show needs its own rating system. It's that good!!!

Tiny spoiler below, but read after the the second episode:

About the actress who plays Nomi: The actress, Jamie Clayton IS a transsexual in real life. Another reviewer said they were disappointed that she was not in real life, which is false...not that it matters.

A Truly Unimaginable Sci-Fi Drama

[msourav13 · 9/10 · 17 June 2015]

An amazing sci-fi show has just been aired by Netflix. The concept of this show is quite fantastic. Yet some will face obstacles to understand the concept of this show. I believe the way this show has emerged along with visual effects; it is going to be a hit soon.

Some will say that the pilot was too hasty. But i do not think that way. The reason is that the show is circulating 8 characters simultaneously. When you have lots of characters and stories to cover, you always gotta show some stuffs at the first time so that viewers can grasp all the ideas in their minds and later it will help them to go inside the stories and characters more perfectly. From that perspective, i would say that the pilot was absolutely fantastic as it covers all of its main characters perfectly. I would say the show is addictive. The way the story is moving forward will certainly add new dimensions and thrills to this show.

There has been another movie that has a slight similar concept like this show. That movie was "Cloud Atlas" which was focusing the life cycles from difference era of people. And here, this show is focusing the psychic connections of a group of people who can communicate with each other and can share the skills among them. I find the concept a totally brand new one. I hope the show will continue its style and will amaze us with its extraordinary effects, concepts and astounding story-lines.

Ambitious concept

[TheDonaldofDoom · 30 November 2017]

The vision of Sense8 is easy to see. A sci-fi thriller spanning multiple continents, producing a truly epic scale and capturing the world in all its diversity. Introducing 8 characters in one hour is a lot, so it's fitting that this series is by the Wachowskis, who know a lot about introducing insane concepts in short spaces of time.

"Limbic Resonance" succeeds at getting to know some of the characters while leaving others in the dark. Part of the problem with it is that it spends a lot of time exploring basic real-world story lines among different characters who've no connection to each other. It would have been nicer to see the show's unique telepathy worked into this episode a bit more, rather than seeing people arguing about gender at a pride parade. And as it's likely the themes brought up will be sidelined in the future, it seems a clumsy way of introducing the characters. While it's important to show us why to care about the characters before thrusting them into the action, doing it through mundane plots isn't the best way.

HOWEVER, with that said, this shows a lot of potential. I dig the show's slick style that is almost a trademark of the Wachowskis. The first scene is hard to understand but it hints at a lot more going on, and the scene where a chicken travels all the way from Africa to a Korean character's desk for a moment is cool. But it would have been better if, instead of simply showcasing the characters' abilities, this episode would have actually used them to set up the plot.

Very promising series

[SumBuddy-3 · 9/10 · 28 July 2016]

After reading a few reviews on this series I thought I should give my viewpoint. A pilot introducing 8 characters is difficult, but I thought it was handled well. I turned around and watched episode 2 the very next day. If you have a short attention span, if you want explosions, and Matrix like martial arts, then don't comment, don't watch the show. I thought through 2 episodes it is very promising, I hope they develop the Daryl Hannah character more. My only reason for giving it a 9 versus 10, was the character Nomi. If you're going to play a male transgender, then cast a male transgender. Kind of sad. My least favorite character.

The Woman in White

[SJulien12 · 8/10 · 11 June 2022]

For me, it's a good first episode, although far from the masterpieces that follow, but I see, reading the other reviews that Sense8 is not a tv show for everyone. Rewatching the series, we see that the characters are connected first to those who will be closest to them later, which is an interesting detail.

This series is in my top 10 and it's not like any others, it's the only one that makes me feel good about being human. It is less television than an experience that allows me to travel. The way it is filmed, the music and the life lessons give a special touch to Sense8. Even if the pace can sometimes seem slow, this is necessary to fully understand the dense story. Yes, the plot is sometimes confusing, but that is part of the fun. It is impossible not to recognize yourself in at least one of the sensates and I am not embarrassed to call this series a masterpiece. I invite you to continue if you were intrigued by this strange first chapter.

Favorite character : Will Gorski Favourite scene : When we first saw the eight sensates through the eyes of Angelica.

Fascinating premiere. Not "LOST"-tier, but close

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 19 January 2023]

"LOST" still probably has the best all-around TV series pilot I have ever seen so far, but this one is very good as well. The premise is great, and seems to have legs. I am also a sucker for movies and shows that juggle multiple characters ("Short Cuts" (1993) is one of my all-time favorite films), and this pilot does a masterful job of balancing eight different sets of characters across multiple continents; it's hard to pick a favorite just yet, but I'd probably go for the story of the Indian woman, even though it's more low-key than the others. Also get ready to see Freema Agyeman (gorgeous may be an understatement) do some things you would never catch her doing on "Doctor Who" (wink wink). Why did I wait so long to get into this show? 8/10 for this pilot.

Gruelling pilot

[Veritas99 · 5/10 · 28 November 2015]

I have just seen the pilot episode.

The description was very interesting - there are only a few series with such subjects, drowned in the ocean of movies with crimes, police, action..So I was glad and keen to watch it.

But, I am so sorry, I couldn't resist over minute 30. I understood the subject, the message, but the introduction of the 8 characters was so not interesting...boring and not relevant dialogs...To introduce 8 relevant characters from the pilot episode is ambitious but achievable if you tell their story right. I really tried hard to watch it...but the feeling, after 30 minutes, that I have wasted those minutes was too powerful.

This is not a good first episode

[Harhaluulo54 · 10 April 2017]

8 people around the world seeing visions and smoking weed. Followed by "mysterious" flashbacks which execution is the perfect match of tedious and artsy.

The first impression is simply put bad. The whole episode was nothing but a terrible mess. Like really a messy mess and just contained too much. Yet it has little content by far. One could say this is a hardcore take on "style over substance".

No idea how the series develops, but the first episode is a total turn- off.

Cringe8

[injury-65447 · 5/10 · 23 June 2020]

This is a very weird episode. The concept has potential but the execution is very clunky.

It's all over the place, and not just intentionally. The quality of the acting here varies dramatically from really poor to quite good. This is the danger of having a show with so many characters. Some get way too much screen time and others not enough.

At points you literally feel as if you are being bludgeoned in the head by the show's "progressive" agenda. To the point of farce! I honestly didn't know if I should laugh or cry at how ineptly certain issues have been shoved into the episode. It almost feels like a team of Woke superheroes is being assembled or something laughable like that. I couldn't stop thinking - cringe - cringe - cringe - during these moments. If this was unintentional then the lack of self awareness of the writers is staggering.

I'm curious to watch more as I believe the series could go either way at this point. Either upwards into something special and interesting or downwards into trite dialogue, corny moments and force feeding agendas.

I'll have to see more episodes before I can judge the series overall.

Ambitious Sci-Fi with Sweeping Visuals, but Plagued with Flawed Complex Narrative

[prospectus_capricornium · 9 June 2015]

The new original series from NetFlix, Sense8, shares thematic complexities with The Wachowskis' past big screen experiments, The Matrix and Cloud Atlas. The narrative scope of this ambitious sci-fiction sprawls over the lives of eight ethnically-different individuals, who are called sensates, after receiving the vision of the mysterious woman named Angel, who, as seen at the very beginning of the episode, has committed suicide.

The complex structure of this series, no doubt, requires a hell lot longer time to relay its motives to the audience, so there's really no need to rush everything in its first hour. But any TV show should establish grip right at the very first episode, and in Sense8's case, it largely fails.

Too ambitious and hasty, the pilot episode tries to lay groundworks for all the eight leads. Such choice seems bold, but it requires more than just flabby backstories to actually generate interest for these characters. There's a lurking hint of the show's attempt to properly knit all these eight characters together, but aside from the same exact consciousness that they all share, there's really nothing else that this pilot has provided to construct a coherent storyline to connect the characters. Leaping from one character to another, Sense8 travels through different cities across the world, to set up character bases for all its leads. For a TV show, I'd say the cinematography has managed to pull off incredible shots here, and that's really inviting to follow every character building it aims to commence. Visual artistry is no doubt a Wachowski expertise, and once again, they've done quite a compelling demonstration here. And yet, that very same seemingly singular focus, may take the blame for the pilot's bland and convoluted narrative construction. An hour is too short for all that eight to be properly introduced, and yet, the show tries to stretch all those parallel story lines to as equal lengths as possible, that the resulting turn out for each, isn't really something engaging. Few of these characters, have actually made a drawing presence, while the rest are reduced to nothing more than a faint interest.

The breathtaking visuals employed for capturing city skyline scenes, and probably future ambitious setpieces, will undoubtedly save a further script letdown, but it surely needs to pick up from here, if the Wachowskis want to sustain their audience.

While this isn't the kind of pilot episode I've expected to see from this new series, I'm not totally convinced that a dead end is what awaits my pursuit. It's 12 episodes after all, and trying a few more won't hurt. 6/10

i took 6 hours to watch it till end

[briannjs · 3/10 · 15 June 2019]

Had to take a break from watching it every 10 minutes coz it was so boring have no idea what the writer is trying to portray slow dull music with no reason

so many characters in no relation whatsoever come up in one episode and they didnt even end up meeting each other too much personal stories all over the place for each character before they even meet each other

If the show is about 8 people connected then the pilot should go straight into the happening how the 8 people meet up and the story should unfold from there and then the subsequent episodes can elaborate on their personal journeys or whatever

i cannot believe the direct signed it ok to be aired like this did any one of the crew watch it from the start to end without getting bored?

Good start for the series

[readedward · 23 June 2017]

I know that I'm a latecomer to this series. Just found it recently, and I was hooked right away when I saw this episode. The overall concept of the characters interactions was interesting, and I found myself wanting to learn more about each of the characters, and looking forward to the next episode.

Since this was released on Netflix with 12 episodes all at once, any issues with the 1 hour pilot being somewhat rushed as others have said, didn't seem to matter.

And Kudos to the show for using an actual transgender actress to play the character of Nomi, as well making her story line not be all about her being transgender, but rather about her interactions with the rest of the cluster, and just happens to be transgender.

I also loved some of the subtle homage's --- like Will and Diego's call sign from dispatch "1 Adam 12..." :) Go ahead and give it a try... but be forewarned, definitely NSFW!

not relevant dialogs, killing music and reduntant LGBT love story again

[ekremaras · 3/10 · 25 September 2019]

It is boring and not relevant dialogs. also why did i watched 10 minute LGBT sex/love story again ? please stop turns series into LGBT porn. Not relevant with story and redundant.

Incredibly boring pilot

[k-60337 · 1/10 · 5 February 2021]

Really struggling to get through this. It's shame when shows like these fail so miserably in their first episode.

Random pointless people talking and useless stories about... who cares?

[Axel0ma · 2/10 · 23 January 2022]

Watching this show, I realized that I don't care about any of the characters at all. They just exist, they look like they are in art film school and try to get over an exam. This movie could be good for school test probably. I guess it would pass. People cry on pointless things, they are happy in the most awkward moments when that shouldn't happen and the appearances of Daryl Hannah make this look like a B or C movie. I understand from the comments that later it will be better. I am sorry but the first episode had an HOUR, as any movie has, to make it worthwhile and it failed miserably. I think they should have canceled it after the first episode, but apparently the name of the directors matter more that the fact that this is a very bad attempt to make something resembling as a movie series. The user rating laughable, it would deserve an overall 5, maybe.

Only because it's the Wachowskis...

[midgetman-76483 · 3/10 · 31 December 2021]

Normally. I would stop at this episode or even after the first thirty minutes, but I'm going to try to persevere through additional episodes because I'm a fan of the Wachowskis. They try to put too much info connecting the main characters to a single event. Even though it jumps from character to character, it still moves too slowly without much depth of the characters. I agree with other reviewers that There isn't enough substance in the pilot to grab the viewer.