Amanita, Sense8

Amanita (Freema Agyeman)

Sense8 is a sci fi drama centered around eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly became “sensates”; human beings who are mentally and emotionally linked. Amanita is the girlfriend of Nomi Marks, one of the sensates.

After she became aware of Nomi’s status as a sensate, she remained loyal to her and tried to help her deal with it. Additionally, she used her research skills, networks, and resourcefulness to help Nomi and later Nomi’s cluster escape Whispers. Amanita works in a bookstore in San Francisco, and supports LGBT charities.

Mind Orgy scenes

Amanita was labeled a lesbian instead of bisexual/pansexual (“They have the healthiest relationship as a couple on the show, as far as honesty–like just across the board, completely. And they’re interracial, and they’re trans, and they’re lesbians.”) and in season 1 episode 6 “Demons”, Nomi and Amanita appeared in a “mind orgy” with several male characters.

In the real world, Nomi and Amanita were making love in San Francisco, at the same time as Lito (a sensate) and his boyfriend Hernando (a non sensate, like Amanita) were making love in Mexico City, while straight man Will and his straight cop partner in Chicago were at the gym, and Wolfgang (a straight man) was in Germany, sitting in a pool naked.

The mind orgy cuts in between various combinations of people, and shows both Nomi and Amanita with male characters (as well as gay men Lito and Hernando with women), falling into a long history of lesbian characters depicted in sex scenes with men. Lito also somewhat confirmed the realness of it when he told an embarrassed Will after the scene “we had sex”.

The 2016 Christmas special “Happy F*cking New Year” featured a second mind-orgy between Riley/Will, Lito/Hernando, Nomi/Amanita, and Wolfang/a random girl all having sex at the same time.

Season 2

In season 2, Nomi and Amanita started investigating an early species, Homo Sensorium, with abilities similar to sensates, thought by fringe evolutionists to have existed before they were wiped out by Homo Sapiens.

Their relationship continued throughout the season, while the sensates got more used to visiting each other and appearing in each other’s lives. Amanita and Nomi were hiding out in San Francisco on Bug’s (Michael Sommers) boat, handling all the hacking needed by the others.

In episode 2×05, Bug came up with the idea of “e-death” for Nomi, to wipe out any electronic traces and records of her, including law enforcement records, allowing her and Amanita to move back in their apartment. In episode 2×06 Nomi thanked Amanita for being supportive and selfless, and they visited with Amanita’s mother and 3 dads (episode 2×07).

In episode 2×09, they attended Nomi’s sister’s wedding, and her mother continued to call her “Michael” but her father referred to her as “his daughter” for the firs time. In the season finale, Amanita and Nomi both proposed and got engaged.

The show was cancelled after season 2.

Female love interests:

• Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton, transwoman, regular)

Relationship story arc with a woman: Yes

No male love interests

Relationship story arc with a man: No

Male love interest after being identified as a lesbian? Yes

Filter Relationship Arc:

• Transwoman (Regular)

Storyline during sweeps? No

[1] A relationship story arc is defined as explicit, developed on screen, and lasting more than 3 episodes. It is listed as questionable or subtext if romance is only implied, mentioned instead of shown on screen, part of a dream sequence, or otherwise not explicit for the viewer.
[2] Sweeps episodes air in February, May, July and November, the periods when advertising rates are set. A character is marked as "sweeps" when there is a very limited number of episodes that address their sexuality, all air during sweeps period, and the storyline is otherwise ignore/dropped.