"Sense8" Recap: "I Can't Leave Her"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

There comes a point where every television show arrives at a crossroads, and at that junction the show either finally comes together in impressive fashion, or everything simply falls off the rails. It may happen in season one, might happen a couple of years down the road, but it always happens and after sitting down for the season one finale of Sense8 I am proud to say that the show finally found its footing and came together in impressive fashion. 

Yes, this was an episode that worked on every single level. We had redemption, we had answers, we had action and adventure and most importantly of all now...the Sensates have a purpose in this life and our villain is now in plain sight and I was so happy to find myself satisfied with the story at last when the show faded to black. So what exactly made "I Can't Leave Her" so wonderful and amazing? Well...let's start with the action and adventure, courtesy of Wolfgang. 

In fact our intrepid thief managed to tie up every loose end in his story. He's already defeated one set of baddies and as we saw at the end of episode eleven, he was ready to finish up his final business with Sergei as well for his and Felix's safety. That of course turned into one epic shootout and we learned at long last who took down Wolfgang's father...Wolfgang. If anything the conclusion of his journey in season one was a tragic one to say the least simply because there was no redemption for Wolfgang...merely resolution.

But there was plenty of redemption for Riley. Her haunted past, her regret, all of it came around full circle, which we will get to in a moment. Because what came first, was the incredible rescue of Riley thanks to Will...and everyone in the cluster. This is where the show truly impressed the hell out of me, for while last week gave us a taste of exactly how amazing it is when these eight folks truly work together, this week polished that idea and the end result was a sparkling shine. Everyone helped out in their own special way, and thanks to their help they were able to foil Whispers' plan for the time being and get Riley to safety. But that moment of redemption came when Riley arrived back at the place where she lost her child so long ago, and finally overcame her fears and her pain to rescue Will...and in the process the rest of her cluster.

But while we had a happy ending, there is still plenty to be resolved in a second season. We still don't quite know where Jonas' loyalties lie, and Whispers unfortunately knows what Will looks like, leaving the intrepid police officer/hero in a perpetual state of drowsiness in order to keep the bad man at bay. I also loved how this non traditional show ended in traditional fashion with the Sensates heading off into the sunset, now fully aware of their abilities and the possibilities of what they can do, since they are in various places on the planet...are endless. The last two episodes of season one were a perfect mix of comedy, action/adventure, character growth and a sprawling story. This should mean, that since the show has finally jelled, we can expect a second season that is nothing short of spectacular, provided Netflix gives it a green light. Until next time.

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