It has been nearly two years since Upload first premiered on Amazon, and now, the second season is finally upon us. Even better? It was worth the excruciating wait.
Living in the pandemic era, it’s hard to imagine a series about death and the afterlife could be exactly what audiences need, and yet, Upload continues to be exactly that. Season 2 of the Amazon Prime series wastes no time picking up where Nathan and Ingrid’s story leaves off. After Nathan opts to go to the 2 Gigs as a means to break free of Ingrid, he soon finds himself approached by her as she comes to tell him she’s uploaded. Unfortunately, though, he’s out of data following his decision to try and help Nora. This brings us to Season 2, which brings Nathan back to Lakeview and back to Ingrid.
It is very normal for most shows to suffer a sophomore slump. It’s even more natural for a show that takes such massive breaks between seasons to lose momentum. Upload manages to avoid both of these issues. In fact, Season 2 of Upload manages to be an improvement upon an already stellar first season. Still, the season isn’t without its issues. As thrilling and captivating as Upload Season 2 is, the series does encounter hiccups occasionally. They’re incredibly minor, though, and are often resolved by episode’s end. One of the biggest hiccups this season is the character arc Nora undergoes. The Nora we met during Season 1 of Upload is long gone; she’s been replaced by someone on a mission, even if she’s not entirely certain her actions are in the right. There’s still a compassionate part of her who is desperate to do the right thing, but she’s also more confident and developed. The issue, however, is that the reintroduction of Nora nearly sees her abandon everything that was so important to her in Season 1 within a single episode.
This, thankfully, is addressed fairly quickly and it becomes clear what her true motives are. It’s just a frustrating bump along this tale that goes well beyond a simple satirical love story. Upload Season 2 still puts love at the forefront, of course, but it becomes a story about self-discovery more so than anything, for all of the main characters. The amount of character growth over these seven half-hour episodes is impressive. Even our Angels get the chance to shine outside of Horizen and their avatars. It’s a nice change of pace that takes viewers outside of the virtual reality of Horizen for a bit.
As for answers, though, it’s best to go into Upload Season 2 knowing there will be more questions than answers. One big question will be slightly resolved, however, it’ll only lead to a handful more, making the ending all the more frustrating. It’s a valid ending, one that properly serves the story being told, but it’ll leave fans eagerly awaiting a third season that’ll, hopefully, come sooner than another two years.
All in all, Upload Season 2 is everything fans have been waiting for and more. It’s thrilling, it’s fun and it’s full of surprises. More importantly, though, every character undergoes a transformation of sorts this season and it opens up potential seasons to even bigger storylines. It’s must-see television.
Upload Season 2 hits Amazon Prime on March 11th.
