I have no problem with sexual content (though can we have a mature sci-fi show some day without explicit sex? Just to be different. Doctor Who can't be the only one on the air). The problem is I feel they went over the top. I was turned off the show by what I thought was a very exploitative decision on the part of the director/producer/whomever. We see two women having sex with a strap-on. OK, fine, whatever. But was it necessarily to show an extreme close-up of the dildo hitting the floor and splashing juices around? What plot point did that serve? Were they trying to imply that the actresses did not simulate the sex so they needed to show proof? I don't play the "P-card" usually; I know the difference between "porn" and "edgy" or "sex-positive" or whatever term people want to use to rationalize sexual explicitness. But I'm sorry - that was porn. Unless that dildo got up and walked away afterwards there was zero reason for it being shown in close-up except to arouse the audience. And if you're doing that you're making erotica. They should just come out and say it's erotica.
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The Stranger in a Strange Land of our generation
Bear with me. I'm sure I've already pissed off a lot of science fiction nerds with that title alone. Stranger, by SF kingpin Robert A. Heinlein, is widely considered one of the best SF novels of all time, while Sense 8, directed by the Wachowski siblings, is a flawed production with a mixed critical reception.
So allow me to be the first to say that I don't consider Stranger a masterpiece. I consider it a flawed novel that had so many rough spots I couldn't make it entirely through my first reading. However, it had some important things to say about humanity, especially human sexuality. Although it suffers from Values Dissonance now due to its less-than-savory stances on homosexuality and female sexuality, it was Fair for Its Day in that it helped a whole generation of readers believe that human love, both physical and emotional, transcends the limitations of monogamy, marriage, and race, and is in fact something deeply spiritual. Sense 8 is this message improved upon, reminding us that love and empathy also transcends sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
If it seems like I'm talking about sex a lot in this review, well, there's a reason for that outside of me being a pervert. This is a very sexual show. In the first episode alone you get to see a lesbian using a rainbow-colored strap on to have sex with her transgender girlfriend, followed quickly by a scene where closeted gay actor Lito is seduced by an actress wearing a nun outfit. It's safe to say you don't want to recommend this show to, you know, that relative, and you most certainly don't want to watch this with your parents.
And yes it suffers flaws, flaws very similar to the flaws found in Stranger. The writing can be lackluster, the characters can become over abundant and stale, and a lot of the time, when something erotic isn't happening, the characters sit around and engage in some Navel-Gazing. But ultimately, I think Sense 8 is worth watching. In the end it has a very positive and uplifting message about the unity of humanity and the transcendence of love and empathy. This is best exemplified in a scene in episode 4 where the Sensates all join together in a beautifully done scene to sing "What's Up" by 4 Non-Blondes. And who couldn't love something like that?