Altered Carbon, Season 2 Review (Netflix) [Spoiler-Free]
Netflix’s cyberpunk series returns for a second season which sometimes works, mostly it doesn’t.
Takeshi Kovacs finds a new face and body (literally) at Anthony Mackie, who doesn’t give his best performance in the show and that’s because he doesn’t have the same material to work on as Joel Kinnaman did back in season 1. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not bad, but the role of season 1′s Kovacs was more challenging than season 2′s Kovacs, resulting in Kinnaman pushing himself and his acting skills more than Mackie did. As a result, Kovacs takes a step back as the main protagonist of the series.
Renée Elise Goldsberry returns as Quellcrist "Quell" Falconer and is joined by Simone Missick (Trepp) and Lela Loren (Danica Harlan). The series acknowledges the power of its female characters and the acting skills of its female cast, so it gives them more screen time and more space to grow and develop. Missick is undoubtedly the best addition to the cast (You’ll love Trepp, I personally did), while Loren’s Danica Harlan makes a decent villain.
Poe (Chris Conner), our beloved robot, returns and is joined by Dig 301 (Dina Shihabi), who helps him on his own quest. Also, Torben Liebrecht joins the cast as Colonel Ivan Carrera, a mysterious figure from Kovacs’ past, while Dichen Lachman (Reileen Kawahara), Martha Higareda (Kristin Ortega), Ato Essandoh (Vernon Elliot), Hayley Law (Lizzie Elliot) and Will Yun Lee (Original Takeshi Kovacs/Kovacs Prime) return as guests.
The visual effects and stunt coordination are top notch, just like in season 1, and continue to overshadow the series’ bland plot, which sometimes makes the series worth watching just for its visuals and its action sequences.
To conclude, season 2 of Altered Carbon is not worth your time, BUT the finale of the season raises a lot of questions and opens up to new possibilities for the next season.
