UPLOAD Season Two
Afterlife’s a glitch
Welcome back to Lake View, the VR version of The Good Place which is slowly – and glitchily – becoming more like The Bad Place.
Season two of Greg Daniels’s sitcom about a digital afterlife (for those who can afford it) opens with Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), a computer programmer who died under mysterious circumstances, downgraded so that he’s only “alive” for two gigs worth of data a month before they freeze him.
His overbearing girlfriend appears to have died for him, as she’s appeared in Lake View, too. His handler, Nora (the Lake View employee who, in season one, was his link to the “real” world… and his new love interest) has abandoned him for a cult of anti-vr-afterlife terrorists. But perhaps worst of all is a bizarre new afterlife trend for seriously freaky virtual babies.
It’s a great set-up, but all too soon it becomes clear that the delightfully insane inventiveness of the first season has given way to a more plot-driven second season, as if Daniels and his team have already powered through all their best ideas.
Whereas The Good Place cleverly changed focus every season to generate fresh comedic opportunities, Upload season two feels like more of the same. And the main new element, the terrorists, turn out to be one of the least interesting parts of the show.
It’s still an enjoyable watch, with some very funny moments, wonderfully bizarre images and engaging characters. Season two simply had a lot to live up to, and it doesn’t quite succeed.
Greg Daniels has it written into his contract that if Amazon cancels the show he can finish the story as a graphic novel.
There’s a bizarre new afterlife trend for seriously freaky virtual babies