‘Bodies, Connections and Defying the System’: Gender and Sexuality in the Wachowskis’ Sense8 Marc Baltà Lupión © Marc Baltà Lupion, 2018 1. Introduction uals across the globe who discover that they are psychically connected to each other. They Sense8 is an American science fiction were born on the same day, at the same time. drama created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. They shared ‘their first breath’, which means The series narrates the story of eight individ- they belong to the same ‘mother’. Conse- REVISTA HÉLICE: Número 11. Volumen IV 45 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2019 REFLEXIONES ‘Bodies, Connections and Defying the System’: Gender and Sexuality in the Wachowsks’ Sense8 quently, they form what it is known as a clus- as they are physically born all over the world. ter. The problems begin when they become Clusters are then named after the day they aware of this supernatural ability and condi- were conceived. The main protagonists of the tion as they discover that there is an organi- series belong to the August 8th cluster. This zation called Biologic Preservation Organiza- means they can share their feelings and emo- tion (BPO), led by someone whom they call tions, as well as other physical capacities ‘Whispers’, interested in eliminating them. such as taste, sight or touch. Moreover, they The sensates will have to deal with this dan- are able to share their abilities and cognitive ger affecting all of them, as well as their indi- skills with one another. vidual problems. Yet, their ability to share Connection may be the first thing human their senses will make them become stronger beings aim to find whenever someone new en- individually and tighter as a group. ters their life. The desire for connection be- comes the motor to establish unbreakable re- lationships between those who surround us. [In the series] Current However, that does not regularly happen. In fact, it happens less than what we would like society is characterized for to. When these connections click in, an inde- scribable sensation surrounds those experi- following the rules encing them. These connections are exclusive- ly for very special people and perhaps, that established by patriarchy, in may be what the Wachowskis aimed to por- tray with Sense8. The show undertakes an which heterosexuality is exploration without limits among human connections, both sensorial and physical. understood as the ultimate Matters such as gender, sex or race are au- tomatically surpassed and become meaning- norm. Anything that less. The series is all and exclusively about human beings and how they connect. escapes the idea of the Current society is characterized for follow- ing the rules established by patriarchy, in ‘normal’ becomes which heterosexuality is understood as the ultimate norm. Anything that escapes the understood as wrong or idea of the ‘normal’ becomes understood as wrong or different. Some would argue this different. last statement is either radical or not a hun- dred percent true. However, saying that we The sensates belong to a post-human spe- live in a society which fully accepts those who cies called Homo sensorium. When a female are different, would be lying. Perhaps, the sensate gives birth to a cluster of eight differ- best thing to say would be that society is ent individuals, this is done by means of slowly starting to change certain retrograde mental power. Therefore, the children are beliefs, although there still is a long way to born unaware of their exceptional condition, go. “Your life is either defined by the system, REVISTA HÉLICE: Número 11. Volumen IV 46 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2019 REFLEXIONES ‘Bodies, Connections and Defying the System’: Gender and Sexuality in the Wachowsks’ Sense8 or by the way you defy the system” says No- ing a very strong sexual and emotional at- mi, one of the main characters in the series. traction to each other. Wolfgang is a German And that is exactly what Sense8 is about.The locksmith and safe-cracker living in Berlin Wachowskis created a fictional universe that who has unsolved issues with his father. He offers a utopian reality, away from heter- is involved in heists and organized crime. Ka- onormativity, the patriarchal system and the la is an Indian pharmacist and a pious Hindu gender binary, in which their characters are working at a very successful pharmaceutical able to explore the boundaries of gender and company in Mumbai. She sees herself im- sexuality, either by means of sensorial orgies mersed in a cycle of doubt over her love life or their daily-life experiences. after being engaged to, later married to Rajan Rasal (Purab Kohli). The relationship be- tween Sun Bak (Doona Bae) and Capheus 2. Identity and self-acceptance Onyango’s (Aml Ameen in season 1 and Toby Onwumere in season 2) grows thanks to jus- As it has been mentioned above, all the tice. Sun is a South Korean business execu- sensates are somehow part of a same psychic tive living in Seoul, as well as a burgeoning being, which has been divided into eight dif- ferent bodies. However, through the devel- opment of the series, each of them finds someone within the cluster they sympathize or identify with more closely (either because of their present or their past situations and experiences). Hence, there is an evident divi- sion into ‘couples’ within the cluster. Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith) and Riley Gunnardottir (Tuppence Middleton) are the The Wachowskis created a first to acknowledge their ‘sensorial’ condi- tion, as well as the first ones to meet in real fictional universe that offers life. Will is a police officer at the Chicago Po- lice Department, who is obsessed with an un- a utopian reality, away from solved murder his father was assigned to in- vestigate when he was just a child. Riley is heteronormativity, the an Icelandic DJ who ran away from home. Highly tormented by her past and trying to patriarchal system and the escape it, she eventually moved to London where she found herself involved in drug gender binary, in which trading. They share very intense moments through the development of both seasons and their characters are able to end up falling in love and having a relation- ship. Wolfgang Bogdanow (Max Riemelt) and explore the boundaries of Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai) are totally oppo- site characters and yet they cannot help feel- gender and sexuality. REVISTA HÉLICE: Número 11. Volumen IV 47 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2019 REFLEXIONES ‘Bodies, Connections and Defying the System’: Gender and Sexuality in the Wachowsks’ Sense8 star in the underground kickboxing world, characters a happy ending. Nomi and Amani- whose public image becomes soiled to save ta finally get married at the top of the Eiffel her family. Although she finds herself Tower, in one of the most emotional scenes of trapped in prison most of the series, she is the whole series. Nomi is able to fulfill her always there for Capheus and the rest. She promise of making Amanita her wife but shares with him her martial arts abilities and most importantly, her mother finally knowledge and she becomes his ‘helping spir- acknowledges her daughter as the woman she it’. Capheus is a young man living in Nairobi, is, calling her Nomi for the first time. There- Kenya, known as ‘Van Damme’ in honor to fore, Sense8 is both sending a message of the martial artist and actor. He works as a hope, as well as contributing to lesbian and bus driver in order to earn money to buy med- transgender visibility. However, weddings ication for her mother, who suffers from are generally seen as a traditional heteropa- AIDS. Last but not least, Nomi and Lito’s re- triarchal event, so including one in a show lationship becomes tighter and stronger as a that is constantly trying to escape such be- consequence of the similarity between the haviours may arouse mixed feelings among problems they have had (and still have) to the viewers. Nevertheless, it seems that the overcome regarding their sexuality and gen- wedding scene works as the commemoration der performance. Thus, they are the ones who of Nomi and Amanita’s love, by far the most challenge the boundaries of sex and gender intense and real in the whole series. Addi- most thoroughly. tionally, the wedding is anything but conven- Nomi Marks, played by transgender ac- tional. tress Jaimie Clayton, is a transwoman hack- tivist and blogger based in San Francisco. She dates Amanita Caplan (Freema Agye- Nomi Marks, played by man), whose unconditional love and affection help her overcome any problem she might transgender actress Jaimie face. In addition, Nomi is still suffering from her family’s rejection, in particular, her Clayton, is a transwoman mother’s. Although a long time has passed since Nomi became the woman she always hacktivist and blogger based wanted to be, her mother keeps on using the masculine when talking to her. She refers to in San Francisco. She dates her as Michael or simply ‘her son’. Nomi, however, seems to be very proud of who she Amanita Caplan (Freema is. Although past traumas still affect her, they seem to work as a motor for her to grow Agyeman), whose stronger and more confident. Also, it must be considered that Amanita might be one of the unconditional love and reasons why Nomi has reached a somehow comfort zone being a woman. In the series fi- affection help her overcome nal episode Amor Vincit Omnia (2x12), the Wachowskis made the decision to give these any problem she might face. REVISTA HÉLICE: Número 11. Volumen IV 48 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2019 REFLEXIONES ‘Bodies, Connections and Defying the System’: Gender and Sexuality in the Wachowsks’ Sense8 Nomi becomes crucial for Lito’s develop- At that age, I was really uncomfortable ment as a character and a person.