The first thing you notice is that the whole idea of a X-Mas special is usually reserved for "Senior" shows that have been around for a while and want to strut their stuff for the long-term fans. Dr. Who has X-Mas specials. SNL has X-mas specials. But it is a bit brazen for an off-network "experimental" show to take this route....? Then you realize that the producers are killing several birds with a single stone. On the one hand, they are providing a transition for fans of the series, to compensate for the fact that the show has been off-air for several months and will not resume for several more months yet.
Then, as you watch, you realize that the producers really are celebrating. They are celebrating their success. The Wachowski clan set their sights high -- that not only wanted to produce a kind of show that had never been done before, but they wanted it to be a success too. In the crazy land of TV, those are actually two different goals. Usually you can achieve one but not the other. They nailed both.
The 2 hour special is itself a work of art. It starts with an underwater sequence backed by a full-track rendition of a popular song done by a popular artist. If you are paying attention, you realize that it takes great confidence in what is coming to run a full track, most directors would have cut or shortened the segment. But the Wachowskis let it run full length. But they knew what was coming was worth the wait.
And it was. The first hour or so is, as promised, a "celebration" of both the characters and the season. Seeing them interacting so much (not to mention the hottest orgy scene in the history of TV) simply reminds the viewer that this show contains more strong characters -- actors who could hold down an entire series by themselves if they had to -- than 10 ordinary series.
(BTW, of all the superb performances, Doona Bae is the "glue" that keeps the stories together. Every good series has someone who is the "glue" but with this many strong characters, it takes an exceptionally strong actor to pull ahead like Bae does. She is the conscience of the show.)
The second hour (approximately) nicely segues from the joy of the starting sequences into the the individual problems of the characters and sets up the coming season., Prediction: however long this show runs -- and I wish it a very long run -- it will be treasured as a cult find by viewers of the future for many years to come.