Altered Carbon S2

A lot happened in Season 1 (for newbies to the series – spoilers ahead!). We were introduced to Takeshi Kovacs, a convicted criminal. He wakes up in a new sleeve (a body), solves a murder, finds his sister, discovers his sister killed the woman he loved, and he hears she might still be “alive”. (Check out the handy recap video below.)

The first season of the Netflix adaption of Richard K Morgan’s novel is nothing short of a visual treat. The sweeping themes of existentialism, life and death as well as the multiple story arcs are all woven into a masterfully told story. Will Season 2 deliver the same level of cyberpunk amazement?

In a word: YES. Season 2 is just as epic as Season 1, if not more so. The same themes are interwoven throughout, but we’re able to explore more of the Altered Carbon universe, and dive deeper into the mythology that Season 1 established.

In Season 2 we see Kovacs’ sleeve (body) hopping across planets, looking for Quell – well, whatever’s left of her – with Poe by his side (Poe’s still a little glitchy after the damage suffered in the Season 1 finale). Kovacs is hired by one of the founders of Harlan’s world to protect him. Okay – he’s more forced to protect a founder, after a bounty hunter, Trepp, shoots him.

Kovacs wakes up in a new sleeve to find the founder dead. The killer? Quell. Or someone wearing her sleeve. The season follows Kovacs as he attempts to solve the founder’s murder, and unravel the truth about who, or what, Quell really is.

The Kovacs torch (well, sleeve) has been passed from Joel Kinnaman to Anthony Mackie, who does a phenomenal job in capturing the mannerisms and personality of the last envoy.

If the visuals and epic storyline don’t draw you in, the soundtrack definitely will. After binging Season 2 (and you will want to binge it all: it’s that good), the soundtrack will help tide you over till Season 3 (fingers crossed Netflix renews it)!