Sense8 is one of the best TV series that I’ve seen. All 12 episodes were released by Netflix at the same time and I saw them all over 3 days. It’s a science fiction story that has resonances with X-Men, Alphas and Heroes in that it centres around a group of people who are either the next step in human evolution or else a parallel development. At any rate we have 8 young people who were born at the same time and whose emphatic or telepathic connection has been triggered by the death of a psychic mother figure. Apart from the plot, which involves evading an evil nemesis who wants to control them, the story is about the relationships between the members of this group that is diverse in ethnicity and sexuality. They have the ability to be, psychically, in the same place as another group member or ‘sense8’ even though there are physically in different parts of the world. At times the story feels like a metaphor about and a meditation on connectedness and individuality. The theme of connectedness is not confined to the relationships between the ‘Sense8’s’; each Sense8 is dealing with a connection with a mother, father, lover, friend, family that defines his or her identity.

The series is beautifully filmed in locations across the world, including London. For all its emphasis on relationships, action is not neglected and there are enough fight and flight sequences to spice the story. These 12 episodes had the feel of an ‘origin’ story and I look forward to another series. Best thing though is the invitation that the story offers for us to think about our own connectedness with others and about our individuality.