(Thought it would be interesting to see the top non-promo posts of all time.  This one went live on July 19, 2014.)

The above is a show from the late 90’s that was about a cop whose senses where enhanced.  Not just a few like Wolverine, but all 5 and the creators were very good about giving each one a use.  Ellison was described as a walking forensic lab during the show and he had military training that was enhanced by his senses.  Sadly, it didn’t make it beyond 3 seasons and a clean up season.  Never got to see the 4th one because I was in college, it was 2 years after the 3rd, and I only found out about it today.  Also, Seasons 2-4 are not on DVD and I’m done with this moping.

Something I always liked about this show is that there were downsides to his senses and they backfired at times.  If he focused too much on one sense then the other ones dimmed or turned off.  So he had to master using them without falling into trances that left him vulnerable.  There were times when he would be using an enhanced senses and something would go horribly wrong.  For example, I think he was blinded by a light at the worst possible moment and another time he got sick because of a scent in the air.  Might be mixing up episodes though.  Need to watch again at some point, but Brisco County Jr. is next on my list.  So what are some pros and cons for each sense, but remember that this is not a comprehensive list.  It’s just what I can think of without rambling on for pages:

Sight

Pros– Nightvision, longer range, and increased visual awareness are possibilities.

Cons– Easily blinded and tunnel vision syndrome.

Hearing

Pros– Improved tracking, unable to be surprised, pick up changes that denote lying/anxiety, eavesdropping on private conversations, and other increased auditory awareness abilities.

Cons– Deafened by sudden sounds and too focused on hearing for other senses to kick in.

Smell

Pros– Improved tracking, sensing poisons/bad food, recognizing people before seeing them, and other increased olfactory awareness abilities.

Cons– Very bad hay fever, potency of colds can be worse than normal humans, overpowering smells can kill sense, smelling something does not always mean identification, and looking odd sniffing everyone.

Taste

Pros– Identify ingredients to food, easily find trace amounts of things, rule at wine tasting, pick up molecules in the air, and other taste-based abilities.  (This is really the hardest one to use.)

Cons– Only identify what is known (Sentinel practiced with different foods), spices can be overpowering, and kissing someone with halitosis will suck.

Touch

Pros– Instinctive sense of wind changes, find subtle changes in textures, uncover hidden doorways, and other tactile abilities.

Cons– Increased sensations of pain, some textures might full sharp like sandpaper, and skin is easily agitated.