After a lengthy hiatus, Sense8 returned last December with a two-hour Christmas special that was announced only a handful of weeks before it hit Netflix. It was a surprising move, as chatter around the show had largely subsided since its 2015 premiere, and major behind-scenes shifts like the departure of star Aml Ameen and co-creator Lilly Wachowski left questions about how its second season would take shape.

Nonetheless, the sci-fi brain-twister pressed ahead, reuniting audiences with its eight protagonists over the holidays and revealing that 10 more episodes will arrive on May 5. The Sense8 Christmas special did well to fill in fans about what had happened since the characters last graced the small screen, but details about what season 2 will entail have been few and far between.

Now, Netflix has unveiled several Sense8 season 2 first-look photos, via the Radio Times. The images show the series' eight leads continuing to telepathically experience each other's lives, as they travel across the globe to help one another grapple with their various interpersonal struggles. We see Lito (Miguel Ángel Silvestre), Sun (Donna Bae), and Capheus — recast with newcomer Toby Onwumere — holding hands in front of the Nairobi Railway Station; Kala (Tina Desai) looking concerned while shopping; Sun, alone in her prison cell; Riley (Tuppence Middleton) standing on an alcohol-strewn rooftop; and Sun consulting with Nomi (Jamie Clayton) and Amanita (Freema Agyeman), and the whole gang at some sort of parade, then celebrating what looks like Valentine's Day.

[vn_gallery name="Sense8 Season 2 Images" id="909297"]

The photos don't offer much in the way of teasers, though the villainous Whispers (Terrence Mann), who's been hunting them since Season 1, is noticeably absent. Thus far, his quest to capture them has been more of a peripheral threat than a driving storyline, and while the Christmas Special showed inklings of that battle ramping up, fans have been eager to see the chase intensify. Elsewhere, it's worth noting that Sun is still locked in prison, and Riley is seemingly still struggling with addictive forces like drinking (she and Will engaged in heavy drug use during the Christmas special).

Part of Sense8's main challenge has been balancing its many sub-plots amidst its ambitious, overarching concept, and the Christmas special introduced a lot: a married Kala struggled with her lingering feelings for Wolfgang, Lito was outed by the press and continued to navigate his now-public sexuality, Nomi managed life as a fugitive, and Wolfgang found himself caught amidst a burgeoning war between German crime lords, among others. Hopefully, season 2 will further streamline all of Sense8's ongoing narratives and reignite the momentum it had when it debuted.

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Sense8 season 1 and its Christmas special are currently available to stream on Netflix. Season 2 is slated to arrive May 5.

Source: Radio Times