Upload Season 2 review: A shorter, sweeter ride of Greg Daniels’ sci-fi driven afterlife

But what makes Upload stand out is not its love story, or its sci-fi elements (though both are well-fleshed out). It’s the effort that Daniels has made to sustain this kind of extravagant world-building that makes all the difference. The details are minute and delicate. The makers as well as the actors make you really feel a part of Lake View, like it almost exists. This willing suspension of disbelief is more immediate the second time around, because you are already familiar with the characters, and are even rooting whole-heartedly for some of them to find their happy ending.

We get a deeper insight into Nathan’s murder investigation, which he himself undertakes with the help of Nora. She also has a new loyalty this season to the Ludds, an anti-technology, anti-rich bunch of anarchists who live deep in the forests. The investigation part could have been crisper, but what it lacks in thrills, Upload Season 2 more than makes up for it in the ‘warm, fuzzy-feelings’ department. And it’s not just the light bits that Greg Daniels gets right, the satire part of it wherein we see the show’s criticism of capitalism is clear as the day. An episode titled Robin Hood features some of the main characters do exactly that — steal from the rich to give to the less-privileged. There is also the fear of Artificial Intelligence dominating our lives, which is peppered throughout the show, and is arguably the very foundation of it. Daniels is clearly enamoured by what science and tech has to offer us, but is also sufficiently wary of it.

However, a personal highlight for Upload Season 2 was the way in which Nathan’s girlfriend Ingrid has been handled by the writers. She is not made out to be an evil person out to get anyone who threatens her romantic relationship or hubris. Ingrid is obviously motivated by those things, but that is not what makes up her entire being. We see her getting along with Nathan’s young niece, or making efforts to bond with his mother, primarily because she feels neglected by her own parents and brother. She has no friends, and maybe her being downright blunt and mean is a big reason behind this. But that doesn’t stop her from showing her emotional side to an AI guy in Lake View. Ingrid is also unintentionally comical, which is perhaps the most genuine form of comedy we encounter in our own world. These complexities are shown with great conviction by actor Allegra Edwards.

With only seven episodes in its kitty, creator Greg Daniels gives it his all to Upload Season 2, but maybe a couple of more episodes would have made the narrative richer and more dense, like the first season of the show.

Upload Season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.