As cult shows go, Sense8 is far more inviting than most. The central idea of the beloved Netflix series, that many disparate people can be part of a grouping called a "cluster," stresses inclusion above nearly everything else, even as worldwide catastrophes and evil plots send them on adventures across the globe. For the Wachowski siblings, who created the series and wrote the entire first season alongside J. Michael Straczysnki, this has always been a major thematic obsession but Sense8 brings the idea of finding a supportive network (or a kind of proxy family) in others that may seem completely alien at first glance to the forefront.

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Image via Netflix

That very feeling is stressed in the new Sense8 featurette, which teases what will be the elongated finale for the series. We get some glances at what to expect in terms of narrative, including some fight footage and a look at a chase scene being filmed, but more importantly, the adoration of the show's fandom makes up the center of the quick teaser. The video is shorter than two minutes and much of that time is dedicated to the show's main cast, from Daryl Hannah and Freema Agyeman to Max Riemelt and Brian J. Smith, talking about the love that the fanbase expresses wherever they go while shooting, including a stop off in Italy where fans packed the streets.

This is a bit of a cliche in marketing material like this but in the case of Sense8, it feels a bit more in line with why people have glommed onto the series. For me, the overall sense of inclusion was used as an excuse in several instances to not fully explore the characters as individuals. The series is often so enthralled by the idea of the similarities and universal feelings between people that it forgets that these characters are, in fact, singular people with singular issues and unknowable yet perceivable inner lives that are completely their own. That being said, few series have been so upfront and passionate about seeing beyond differences in the hopes of engendering equality, and that sadly continues to be a forge that needs to be reinforced by as many people as possible. The Sense8 finale airs sometime in 2018, and I doubt this problem will be alleviated by then. 

Here's the featurette for the Sense8 finale:

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Image via Netflix
sense8-naveen-andrews-brian-j-smith-max-riemelt-doona-bae-jamie-clayton-tuppence-middleton
Image via Netflix
sense8-naveen-andrews-brian-j-smith
Image via Netflix