#john judd

The Appointment (1981)

7.9.18 (6)

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Sense8 (S02E02) Who Am I? Airdate: May 5, 2017 @netflix @sense8 Ratings: Streaming Only Score: 5.75/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** There's no doubt in my mind, or most likely the hive mind of the majority who have watched 'Sense8' up to this point, or even past this point, that 'Sense8' has not only made great strides in how television is made, but how it is seen. You simply don't watch Sense8, you experience it. The Wachowski's have made magic in The Golden Era of Television itself. That's simply not easy to do, but it's creative minds like these that make it seem so effortless. We all celebrated when we got a taste of what was to come after waiting so long between seasons when the EU-inspired traditional 'Christmas Episode' was released. Sounds legitimately cheesy, but it wasn't. It was 'Sense8' doing what 'Sense8' does best without the pressure of crafting core narratives, subplots, and moving characters in position for proper growth and long term storytelling... It felt everyone was having fun creating what we saw translate onto the screen... From the writers, the producers, to the directors, to the actors, and everyone in between who makes up the collective that powers such a monumental series such as this, there's no denying that Christmas Special was Sense8 at its most fun and carefree. 'Who Am I?' can't do that. It has to get down to work... It has to start to build the direction of S2 and move all its pawns into place. That's not to say that Sense8 isn't going to Sense8... Oh it's going to Sense8, all right! The whole 'Who am I?' speech delivered by multiple cast mates reminds us all what type of show this is and just what exactly it sets out to do. It's moments like these the show is built on... These are the moments we remember and for good reason. But don't get it twisted... These are moments that should happen naturally, without a force of hand, an overzealous reporter or two on opposite ends of the globe, rallying all the sensates to call upon their most poignant speakers to create answers that pacify their crowds or rabid fans awaiting a juicy tidbit of the truth or scandal. As manufactured as the moment seems, it relays a message that I've been saying for quite some time with passion and vigor... We need to lift each other up, not tear each other down. Capheus and especially Lito are representative of that 2009 mindset, where everyone was watching, waiting, drooling to get a picture or piece of Lindsay Lohan's or 'insert 200x *It Girl* here' to fall on their face and fail. I feel like as a society, we've mainly been able to move forward from that time and although things aren't perfect (and never will be, not ever), this isn't exactly the attitude of the mass in 2017. Will, Riley, and Nomi are all in on their mission to take down Whispers and avenge a girl who's gone missing years and years ago, only to be used up by Whispers himself. Of course they have their own personal battle to wage and the clock is running short. Will isn't doing well... Whispers is on his trail, but Nomi and Riley have a plan. Let's just say the plan isn't doing wonders for Will's veins, as it involves keeping him drugged out of his mind so that Whispers can't locate their whereabouts. Only they use Whispers' ambition to their advantage, bringing back Will a bit at a time tricking Whispers into thinking they are still locked away somewhere in Iceland... Only they aren't. They are in Amsterdam and they are hunting Whispers just as vigorously as he is hunting them. It's all rather a quick and easy set-up that lacks in execution but pays off in a way that a good Thriller takes an unexpected turn right at the very moment it needs to, rallying the audience into a frenzy of excitement. It's like an on old Pro-Wrestling Trope where Vince McMahon is lured into the middle of the ring searching for Stone Cold Steve Austin... McMahon calls on Austin settled firmly in a false sense of security, only to be shocked into turning around slowly to the tune of the live audience's eruptive cheers... Revealing Steve Austin crawling into the ring behind him to deliver a famous 'Stone Cold Stunner', sending the crowd into an impossible frenzy. Oh, surely I'm not the only one who was tuning in for mid to late 90s WWF Attitude Era! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, there are plenty of YouTube videos or nostalgic fans that can explain further if I wasn't thorough enough in my own metaphor down memory lane. And so S2 of Sense8 begins... Again... Because technically this is E2, though it certainly does not feel like it... And even tho The Kachowski's had plenty of time to really work a proper angle, the episode feels rushed as a whole... Not bad, just rushed. We also have the issue of the Capheus casting replacement. I don't expect everyone who watched Sense8 to be up on their Freeform TV jeopardy knowledge, but during a sudden mid-series mishap a key character of 'The Fosters' was replaced. He didn't have the accolades that that the previous actor playing the role wore before him, but after about half a season or so, I came to accept him as this character, dismissing any signs of the previous actor who came before him. This was him now. I don't know if that's how it will play out for Toby Onwumere filling the shoes of a very capable, but rumor laden actor Aml Ameen... We'll have to see. Unfortunately Sense8 has already been cancelled, a strange move for Netflix. Not only is cancelling the show a bizarre turn of events (it is very expensive and shot on location in multiple parts of the world), but usually you don't release a series and then tell everyone you've cancelled it. This could be Netflix way of letting down their loyal fans easy, but to me it just seems like bad business... No matter what you think of the show.

Guy Martin visits Judd Power for his Classic F1 special as they finish the rebuild on a Cosworth Double Four Valve engine. Joyous geekery and a history lesson ensue.

Alrick Riley, John Judd