Happy F*cking New Year.

I was disappointed by this episode, which feels like it exists mainly to just remind people the show exists in anticipation of season 2. Not a lot happens in the show; even if this were only an hour long it would still probably feel light on content compared to a typical episode.

The series also steals from itself, including a Sense8-style orgy scene that is very similar to one from a previous episode. It's great the first time, but what is the point of doing it again?

There were some nice, if rather corny, moments appropriate to the Christmas season, there were a couple of good action sequences, but trimmed down to an hour this would have been so much better.

I used to check the internet all the time for any news about the next season. So when this special came out of the blue, I was more surprised than happy. I was disappointed that they made us wait so long, they shouldn't be getting away with just one episode. Well, my anger faded after watching it. The problem is that they left us again wanting for more. But it is good they gave us something to look forward to for the next season, a buzz among us fans.

Sense8, if you don't already know, follows the life of eight individuals living far away from each other who somehow got connected after an unfortunate event. All of them help each other in various ordeals of life while there is a bigger evil waiting right around the corner to destroy them. This Christmas special gave us a glimpse of their life right after the finale of the first season (while was amazing, by the way). Also, it moved the story just a little bit to keep our minds going. Now, I am never shutting up about this episode and I know it.

The thing which I like the most about Sense8 that it feels surreal. It blends the life of all the 8 characters almost perfectly. This, they kept with this episode also. The characters celebrated Christmas together, even if they were far apart from one another. They laughed together, cried together, they celebrated what they have, together.

I rarely review specific episodes but this time I felt the need of just writing something about it. This is that one show which is unique guys. I just can't wait for the next season.

First, recasting one of the main actors is never a good thing, and throughout the episode I was not able to accept it, the original naive good mood got lost. Tolerance is a two headed ax, I am always sorry to see if the one asking for it have a hard time providing it.

This said, the Wachowskis are few of the truly visionary directors, and besides a good story, this show has so much more and deeper content. This episode tries to set up for more, but somewhat it got caught up in clichés and unnecessary fillers.

I did not realize when starting straight after the last episode of season one that this would be extra long, therefore I became a bit inpatient and was hoping, that this episode would make a point that was beyond a pathetic birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and new year's eve. Well, maybe the last words of the episode will keep my hope up, but the episode itself was unsatisfactory.

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.

Sense8: A Christmas Special was actually my most excited episode of television for the year 2016, but the true question is did it hold up to my insanely high expectations? Without getting into spoiler territory I'm going to start off by saying this episode of Sense8 does not move the plot forward by much and has a much more lighthearted tone then previous episodes in the series. At the same time it does hint at a darker upcoming tone for Season 2 as all of the characters are facing much tougher times compared to when the show began. The episode is 2 hours long and at times it doesn't really feel like a regular Sense8 episode but more of a Sense8 film with many montage sequences, different pop songs while giving us everything we love about Sense8 in one go. The performances were perfect as usual although Nomi still seemed quite bland compared to the other characters. The story was just as engaging and the cinematography was simply beautiful. The show held up with its cinematic loom from Season 1 and the episode did have some of the best moments in he entire show's run. Highlights include the opening underwater sequence, the birthday-styled orgy, the Christmas sequence while Hallelujah was playing and the ending action sequence. The episode did somewhat lack on the action front as the entire episode only had one action sequence at the very end of the episode but at the same time, it was great. The episode's lighter tone did work in keeping touch with the spirit of Christmas and the episode did touch on a lot of values and morals regarding Christmas. It also served as an excellent entry point to a hopefully perfect second series by immersing us back into these 8 people's lives while setting up future plot points. The episode was a tad slow and there was some choppy editing and pacing issues but otherwise it was masterful.

Sense8: A Christmas Special gets a 9.3/10.