Altered Carbon (Season 1)

Altered Carbon

Would you really like to be immortal? To live for several hundred years, to see what the future holds? To travel to different places (planets), do all sorts of things, meet all kinds of people? Sounds interesting?

But what if I told you that the price of your immortality is that you won’t always get to keep the same body? Yes, you read that right. The only way to live long is if your consciousness and memories are at some point transferred onto a little marvel of alien technology, like a small disk/USB (stack), which is then implanted somewhere just below your spinal vertebrae. However, if someone destroys that chip—and you don’t happen to have a backup—you’re done for good.

Welcome to the world of the series Altered Carbon, where your body isn’t really what matters for your survival (well, it does matter, but not as much), but rather your consciousness and memory stored on the disk (from here on, I’ll call it a disk or stack, even though the translation could be “storage,” “pile,” “heap,” or “sheaf”… but it would look awkward in a review, however logical it may be).

Altered Carbon is set in the year of Our Lord 2384. Colonization and futuristic technologies have taken over. Humanity has come into possession of alien technology (but no aliens in sight, bad luck…) that allows a person to transfer their consciousness and memories onto a disk (stack) and then download into another body, effectively becoming immortal.

But why isn’t this as cool as it sounds? There are plenty of downsides: the average citizen can’t afford to have their body cloned, so the only option is usually to receive a body from the so-called “storage warehouse of bodies.” And then it all starts over again—childhood, puberty, adulthood… You might even get a body of the opposite sex, with some illness… basically, it’s like a lottery. That’s often the reason why people switch bodies once or twice and then, pardon the expression, kick the bucket. By the way, the term used for a body is “sleeve” (literally sleeve, casing, or sheath… which tells you how disposable bodies are in this world).

But what’s the advantage? Well, if you can afford it, you can get a genetically modified/enhanced body, making you faster, stronger, more agile, smarter, even with slightly “supernatural upgrades.” Or you could even get a clone made as a spare.

And what do the rich do in such a future? Same as in the joke: “What does a Zemun guy do in Dorćol? – Whatever he wants!” (sarcastic applause for subconscious sense of humor). They live for centuries, ordinary people don’t matter to them, and they see themselves as gods. They live so long they’re called Meths (short for Methuselahs). They keep private reserves full of clones, own various businesses, influence planetary politics and systems with their money and power… you get the picture. Life’s not bad for them.

And so, suddenly, one stack is pulled out of mothballs and placed into a male body. That’s our guy, Takeshi Kovacs (Japanese-Hungarian descent, hence the exotic flavor), who wakes up in Bay City.

Before we continue with the plot, I should tell you right away who Takeshi Kovacs is.

He didn’t exactly have a great childhood. He and his sister (Reileen) were victims of their abusive father, who at one point killed their mother and hid her body. However, when the father once threatened Reileen, Takeshi couldn’t take it anymore and killed him.

Instead of prison, Takeshi got the chance to save himself and his sister (who would be placed somewhere safe, but he would never see her again) if he joined CTAC. CTAC was basically a kind of elite super-soldier corps, tasked with eliminating terrorists and any threat to peace. But those who survive training become killing machines… literally. These are people trained to master firearms and martial arts, adapt to a new body in record time (an average person experiences nasty side effects when waking up in a new body, something like a combination of seasickness, dizziness, weakness, and more). As if that’s not enough, their psyche is tampered with so they don’t hesitate when killing.

On one mission, by twist of fate, Takeshi runs into his sister Reileen, who works for the Yakuza. Not only had CTAC not protected her, they had actually sold her to the Yakuza. From that moment, Takeshi turns against CTAC, and Reileen against the Yakuza. And since they “ended their contracts” with their employers (by killing them all, of course), they are now fugitives. Soon, they join the Envoys, a rebel group (freedom fighters to some, terrorists to others) led by the charismatic Quellcrist Falconer. The Envoys were a special breed of super-soldiers. Through her philosophy, Quellcrist trained them not only in skills but also in spirit and mind. The best-trained Envoys could instantly adapt to new bodies (giving them lightning reflexes), develop heightened hearing and perception, an extraordinary intuition (making them exceptional detectives), manipulate the “Construct” (virtual reality), and even anticipate how situations would unfold.

But in one tragic event, all the Envoys were wiped out, and his sister and Quellcrist (who had also become his love) died in a ship explosion during their escape.

Poor Takeshi then turned to crime and became a mercenary, living like that for a few years until CTAC eventually captured him. He didn’t end up in a regular cell, nor in a typical life sentence. His stack was “sentenced” to be put on ice for an indefinite number of years.

As you might guess, Takeshi Kovacs is not someone you want to mess with, but he’d make a great godfather or at least uncle.

But who has the power to bring such a dangerous man “back to life”? None other than Laurens Bancroft, a very powerful and influential Methuselah. He hires Takeshi (and puts him into the body of a former policeman) as a detective to solve one case: the murder of Laurens Bancroft.

Yes, you read that right. Laurens Bancroft doesn’t remember the last two days of his life before he was killed. You see, the rich have the privilege of backing up their consciousness and memory more frequently. However, Laurens was killed just before the latest “backup process,” so he is missing two days. Was he killed by a friend or an enemy? Maybe a family member? Maybe he even killed himself?

If Takeshi solves the case, he’ll be freed of all charges, paid a fortune (lottery jackpot level), and even get the body of his choice. If he doesn’t… well, back on ice. Not much of a choice, is it? Sure, he could break all of Bancroft’s bones, but Bancroft would just come back in a new-old body, and Takeshi would go back on ice.

So our Tak (we’re buddies now, no need for the full name) takes the case. And right from the start—problems! Naturally, he didn’t expect it to be easy, but still… Just as he sets foot among the people, someone already wants to kill him (Tak realizes they want to kill the body he’s in, since no one knows his real identity). Bancroft’s wife wants to seduce him (“Since she’s also a Meth, the word cougar takes on a whole new meaning, hehe” – note from subconscious), a very, very sexy high-ranking police officer (an energetic Mexican woman, no less!) hovers around him, he moves into a hotel whose eccentric AI is extremely possessive of its guests (his name is Poe, and the hotel he runs is called The Raven… so I think you already have an idea of what to expect), and he finds an unusual ally (who was originally his number one suspect for Bancroft’s murder).

Who killed Bancroft? Who wants to kill Tak? Is it tied to his secrets, or maybe to the body he’s wearing? Who were the mysterious aliens (the Elders)? Questions, questions…

I first came across Altered Carbon a few years ago when I read the novel of the same name. Although I read it long ago, I remember it as quite an interesting book set in a strange futuristic tech-noir-cyberpunk world. I even thought at the time: “This could make a cool movie.” And a few years later—surprise—it became a series produced by Netflix. But is the series any good?

In my opinion, the series met expectations and successfully captured the vibe of the book (“Didn’t you say you read the book ages ago, how do you know that?” – note from subconscious). The dark cyberpunk was excellently portrayed here. I’d even say the series (like the novel) is an homage to old-school raw cyberpunk (you’ll see what I mean when you watch it), both visually and atmospherically.

The acting is also top-notch. Takeshi Kovacs, played by Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad, Robocop, House of Cards), is exactly how you’d imagine Kovacs: grim, dark, sarcastic, occasionally charming and cool, but usually brutal, ruthless, and intimidating (even with a pink backpack on his shoulders… don’t ask). Other versions of Takeshi we see in flashbacks (Byron Mann and Will Yun Lee) didn’t have many scenes but still came across as fascinating characters (especially his original kung-fu version). We also shouldn’t forget policewoman Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda—I don’t recall seeing her before, but besides being attractive and charming, she nailed the role of a fiery cop, complete with rants in Spanish when pissed off). And then there’s the eccentric AI/hotel Poe (Chris Conner was masterful, perhaps even the real star of the series with his weird behavior and witty remarks). Even the elderly Bancrofts were portrayed as they should be: detached, aloof, seemingly uninterested in everything happening (which some might call bad acting, but it’s actually fitting for people who have lived for centuries and are rarely surprised by anything).

The action fully matches the atmosphere. It’s raw and brutal… which isn’t surprising in a world where the body is literally disposable. Shootouts, explosions, chases, violence, broken arms and legs (kung fu style or good old beatdowns), blood everywhere (the series was controversial because of this, but considering what’s already on TV, it’s not that shocking). But it also has a sexy vibe… both figuratively and literally… and I don’t just mean nudity. The series will throw in a sex scene or two that might make you pause and wonder if this is really Netflix (though you’ll only be confused for about 0.5 seconds 😀). In short, this show has it all.

Of course, the themes are also fascinating. Starting with the very idea of immortality. Would you really want to keep living, even if it meant ending up in who-knows-whose (or what kind of) body? Do you think you could make something meaningful of it, or would you just drift through existence (“why hurry, I’m not going to die”)? Would it affect your psyche, making you think you’re a god (as the Meths do)?

There’s also an interesting religious element. The series repeatedly references “UN Resolution 653.” The question: should a murder victim be temporarily brought back to life (in someone else’s body) in order to testify about their own murder? On one hand, it makes sense, but Catholics oppose it, claiming that the soul would then be prevented from reaching Heaven. This opens up a whole range of religious, political, and moral dilemmas.

Naturally, there’s the (eternal) question of artificial intelligence. Poe/the hotel is portrayed as a kind of “relic” of AI. But he already behaves at a human level, makes his own decisions, thinks he understands some things better than humans, unaware of his imperfections—until later, when he is aware (which is even more disturbing, that AI could grasp such complex matters).

The army/police here is a story of its own. Does it make sense to have combat units trained like this (not mercenaries!), stripped of emotion, operating on a “shoot first, ask questions later” principle?

And then there’s the question of entertainment. Are we really heading toward such (drastically enhanced) pastimes—drugs on every corner, strip clubs where you can literally do whatever you want if you’ve got the money (don’t forget, bodies don’t matter here)? In this world (with exceptions), people have emotionally detached from one another, everything moved into the digital realm.

Speaking of bodies, you’ll see a few arena fight scenes. How should we interpret that? No need to be cautious, just destroy your body, you’ll get a refund?

And of course, let’s not forget cloning. Does it make sense or not?

As you’ve probably noticed, this isn’t some mindless violent cyberpunk. Okay, it is violent, but the themes it touches on, combined with the interesting atmosphere, acting, and action, make Altered Carbon devilishly entertaining.

So, it seems Netflix hit the bullseye with this one. That’s why season two has already arrived (I haven’t touched on it here, because it’s a story of its own and somewhat differently done, so it made more sense to separate them), and even an animated film came out. So it looks like Altered Carbon is here to stay.

From me: an absolute recommendation. And I think I might revisit the book sometime soon.

And so, dear reader, how does the world of Altered Carbon look to you? 🙂

Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic

Trailer

Format: TV series

Number of seasons: 2 (18 episodes)*

Average runtime per episode: 60 minutes

* Only first season is reviewed