Altered Carbon (Season 2)
Okay… although my reviews are just my personal experiences and I don’t pay much attention to other people’s ratings, I have to admit I was surprised by some people’s initial (negative) impressions of the second season of “Altered Carbon,” so I somehow wanted to separate these two seasons, especially since the first one was excellent, and I didn’t want the second season to ruin the overall impression, particularly because each season of the series is, in a way, a complete entity on its own.
I watched the second season with a small dose of doubt… not to say caution.
In the end, it turned out there was no reason to worry (at least from my perspective 🙂).
If you haven’t watched the first season, my advice is to first read the review of the first season, where you’ll get quite familiar with the world of “Altered Carbon”… because we’re diving straight into the story! 🙂
Thirty years have passed since the events of the first season. Takeshi Kovacs wanders the planets as a mercenary with his (now) assistant/sidekick/ally Poe, searching for… well, he doesn’t even know what… probably the ghost of the past, an illusion.
Tak’s latest gig brings him to his not-so-favorite planet, Harlan’s World. A Meth has hired him as a bodyguard because he believes someone wants to kill him. As you probably remember, Tak doesn’t trust Meths at all and would gladly shoot them all (a bullet straight through their stack). The only reason he agreed to this offer is the Meth’s promise to give him information regarding his greatest wish. Takeshi smells a setup, but agrees anyway.
And so Takeshi wakes up in a new body which, unlike the previous one (an ordinary cop), is quite “upgraded” (definitely designed for both efficient close combat and long-range shooting, and it also has regeneration capabilities). At that very moment (since it takes some time to get used to a new body), someone seriously wounds him, causing him to lose consciousness. When he finally comes to, he finds his employer dead, and soon begins to remember that the person who wounded him looked exactly like her.
Quellcrist Falconer. His great love, suffering, and the ghost that haunts him.
However, the situation on Harlan’s World is complicated on several levels. Ugh, where do we even start…
Quellcrist Falconer is indeed on Harlan’s World, and for some reason, she’s killing every Meth she comes across and spreading panic. However, she doesn’t recognize Takeshi Kovacs at all… or doesn’t remember him… or it’s just some other person… or it’s “something else” in Quellcrist Falconer’s body.
Harlan’s World has a very interesting and dynamic political situation. Power on Harlan’s World is in the hands of the heiress of the planet’s “founder and discoverer” (a rather ambitious lady, and cunning on many fronts), Danica Harlan. However, she’s constantly opposed by rebels who consider themselves followers of Quellcrist Falconer. But is the situation really that black and white here?
Also, Takeshi soon discovers that his body (sleeve) actually belongs to the Protectorate’s elite mercenaries, which makes him their target pretty quickly, and particularly attracts the interest of that unit’s leader, Colonel Ivan Carrera, who, it seems, knows Takeshi Kovacs. And that same colonel activates the “Evergreen” project, which will shake everything up, especially Takeshi.
The situation isn’t good for our eccentric Poe either. He starts making mistakes (which also put Takeshi in danger), and his operating system isn’t in the best shape – as we’d say back home, it’s seriously “bugging out” (bugs and glitches). The only way for him to be his old self again is to do a complete format and installation… but then he’ll forget everything that’s happened so far, especially Lizzie Elliot. And he’s not ready for that, which brings him into conflict with Takeshi as well. Can a friendly AI help him?
And so on and so forth… complicated situation, right?
Now, what are those interesting changes compared to the previous season?
The biggest one is definitely in the acting. Instead of Joel Kinnaman, the baton has now been passed to Anthony Mackie (you’ve seen him in many movies, but his biggest career breakthrough was, after all, his role in “The Avengers”). The change is drastic, but definitely in a positive way. Mackie’s version of Takeshi Kovacs has been wandering the planets for over thirty years, so it’s somehow logical that there’s been a change in his behavior. He’s no longer such a brute and that kind of sarcastically-pessimistic (anti)hero. He definitely shows a greater spectrum of emotions and reactions, and definitely takes on a more “human,” more vulnerable nature. But that doesn’t mean he’s gone soft, don’t worry. He’ll still blow through heads and break bones (maybe a bit more elegantly than before, but no less bloody). In any case, Anthony Mackie did an excellent job and nicely built upon the character of Takeshi Kovacs. Instead of the sexy cop from last season (ah, Martha 🙁), we now have as Takeshi’s ally/rival a mercenary, a lady named Trepp (I was pleasantly surprised when I realized it’s actress Simone Missick, who I remember from her role as the dangerous hardcore-old school cop from the series “Luke Cage”). Of course, Chris Conner still shines as the AI with his (now slightly scattered) Poe. Now we’ll see a bit more in action from Renée Elise Goldsberry, who breathed life into the revolutionary (and Takeshi’s love) Quellcrist Falconer. There’s also the lovely Dina Shihabi (“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”) as Dig301, the AI who helps Poe. And I don’t want to spoil too much for you, I’ll just hint that this actor now gets a much, much more active role. 😉
A big change is also reflected in the fact that the series (i.e., this second season) no longer relies on Richard Morgan’s books but decides to go its own way. This is perhaps a good move by the series creators for the future of the series, as it allows them greater freedom (and the “Altered Carbon” universe really has inexhaustible potential). When you think about it, this is a good move, because even the first season had some drastic departures from the book.
The series also slightly changes the themes it addresses compared to the first season. Unlike the first season, which was more focused on questions of immortality, the relationship between the rich (Meths) and the poor, as well as the (trafficking and) exploitation of bodies (especially female) for sexual perversions, here we turn to other themes. In the foreground is the political situation on Harlan’s World, and how politicians cunningly manipulate the people and keep them in illusion, and how they present themselves as their saviors and guardians of peace (my subconscious just got ready to comment on this, but I had to tape its mouth shut with duct tape and tie it to a flagpole… just in case). However, quite a few people cleverly noticed how the presentation of Harlan’s World is, in fact, the embodiment of modern society (“Mhmhmhmhmmhmhmhmmmmmmm!” – attempted note from subconscious, whose mouth is still taped shut). There are also (now more than ever relevant) themes of transgender people, homosexuality, and generally the lives of members of the LGBT community (though, when it comes to the cyberpunk world, everyone who has read books/watched movies on the subject of cyberpunk knows that all of this is quite common for that world, so in the case of this series, these sensitive topics can hardly lead to any serious debates). They also touch a bit on the toxicity of some interpersonal relationships (especially family and romantic ones), questions of honor and loyalty, confronting the past, how people change… and so on and so forth.
All in all, “Altered Carbon” more or less retained the spirit and atmosphere of the cyberpunk universe in the second season as well. It’s still dark, futuristic, bloody and sexy (but with a bit less sex… since the theme of this season is different from the previous one) and provides entertainment. It’s nicely expanded, new and interesting layers have been added, both to the world of the series and to its participants.
I believe there will be a third season (although, due to the current situation in the world, it will probably be some time before it comes out). The finale itself reveals one big twist that remains unclear as to what it really means (though I think it’s obvious). But I think Takeshi Kovacs will return again… now, whether in the body of one of the previous two (three? four?) actors, or whether a new actor will appear, we’ll just have to see.
In any case, if you haven’t watched it yet, now is the right time to finish the second season too. 🙂
And you, dear reader, what do you think about Harlan’s World and does it look familiar to you? 🙂 (“Mhmhmhmhmmhmhmhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!” – attempted note from subconscious, whose mouth is still taped shut, and will stay that way for the next few reviews).
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Trailer
Release Date: 2020*
Format: Series
Number of Seasons: 2 (18 episodes)*
Average Episode Duration: 60 minutes
*Second season (which is also the subject of this review, has eight episodes)
