Words Wednesday is a weekly tag (created by me!) where each week you share a word, quote, or phrase that you’ve come across over the course of the week. Content can be from books, movies, songs, or even you’re really wise and poetic friend. If you want to participate, share your post in the comments and I’ll edit the post to add your link!

Welcome back to yet another Words Wednesday! I’m 3/3 in the past three weeks since bringing back this tag (which I created back in 2016 and then promptly let die) and I’ve really been enjoying it as a way to approach books from a perspective other than just “here is my review”. Today I’m going to shake things up a little bit and choose a quote from a TV show that I’m currently watching, because why not.

 “Do you think other animals spend as much time as us wishing for things they know they’ll never get?”

Capheus, Sense8

I started watching Sense8 a couple of weeks ago and since then have already finished the entirety of the series. I’m probably not going to end up writing a review because everyone with an interest in watching the show probably watched it 5 years ago, but it was my first time really delving into the sci-fi genre and I loved it! I’ll admit that the only reason I watched is because I’m in love with Jamie Clayton, but I’m super glad I did because this show was so layered and interesting. It did get prematurely cancelled, which sucked, and that means a lot of things don’t come to a great conclusion, but it was cinematographically well shot and you should stick with it despite the confusing first couple of episodes.

Now onto the quote. Capheus is speaking to one of the other Sensates (that’s what the main characters are called) about how they wish life could be different. As they commiserate, Capheus asks her this question, and she doesn’t really seem to know the answer. In the context of Capheus’ life, there’s plenty for him to wish was different. His mother is suffering from HIV/AIDS, his bus company is plagued by corruption of officials and gangs, and he’s now randomly attached to all of these people from all over the world. I like the self awareness to know that even as they dream about idealized futures, both characters are fully aware that this is never going to come true for them.

Wishing for something you’ll never get is something that we all do. Or, at least, something that I do and assume everyone else does too. It’s interesting to think about whether animals also feel this sense of longing. Do they wish for a day where food would come easier, shelter would be more comfortable, or anything else? I’m sure some of you all will roll your eyes at this statement, but I don’t think it’s necessarily safe to say that they don’t. Maybe it’s the force that keeps all of us moving forward to our goals, even when those goals feel impossibly out of touch. It might be the thing that propels you to graduate college, and the thing that propels a wolf towards his pack’s next meal.

Even without the level of aggressive self reflection I did on this quote, it still pretty nicely sums up the characters of Sense8. They’re a bunch of 20-somethings plagued by family trauma past and present just hoping that things will get better. The most endearing scenes are the ones where they come together to try to make their worlds better, even when they know that they’re fighting for things they’ll never get.

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