REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 10
Alright, time for Season 1 Finale. After the last episode saw Rei become the villain, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We open the episode with Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), at her Family’s house just after they are murdered. She is going through the house looking at the horrible scene that Ghostwalker left behind and it turns out this is a VR Room that Ghostwalker is using to Torture Ortega. It loops for some time and eventually, Ortega is left in a black void. Meanwhile, Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), and Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh) are still surrounded by guards. Reileen Kawahara (Dichen Lachman), turns her back to look at Ortega when Kovacs starts to attack the guards. Rei then puts a gun to Vernon’s head while Kovacs is punching the guards and she tells him that she has the only gun on the ship. Rei then sends Ghostwalker to the hotel where the signal of the hack came from and she tells him to destroy everything and everyone there. Meanwhile, Poe (Chris Conner), Ava and Mickey are checking the computer systems and freaking out that the pulse fried their systems. Before they can escape, Ghostwalker makes it to the hotel with his goons and he starts to kill Poe with a device that can kill AI. Poe tells Lizzie (Hayley Law), what is going on and sends her mind to the Head in the Clouds so she can live and Poe sacrifices himself. Before Poe dies, Mickey tries to grab the gun from one of the goons and gets his stack shot out. Poe is killed and Ghostwalker takes Ava as a hostage.
We cut back to the Head in the Clouds with a guard looking around storage and finds a female sleeve on the ground. He picks up the sleeve and tries to have sex with it and we find out it’s Lizzie who snaps the guy’s neck. Meanwhile, Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), is still at the crime scene when Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor), walks in, wanting to speak with Tanaka. Tanaka tells her to leave and Prescott tells him that she knows where to find Ortega. Meanwhile, Ortega is still in the VR Room when Kovacs pulls her out. Rei then has Ortega, Vernon and Ava down on their knees in a line. She gives Kovacs the gun and tells him to choose one to kill because there is one bullet in the gun. Kovacs tells her he won’t kill any of them and points the gun at his stack. Kovacs pulls the trigger with no bullet coming out, Rei gave him an empty gun. Rei is surprised that Kovacs would give his life for them and decides to grab the bolt gun and try to kill Ortega. Kovacs tells her to not do it and that he will stay with her if it means letting his friends go. Rei tells her guards to take them away and that Kovacs will kill them later. Meanwhile, Lizzie is walking around the place and finds a man with 2 sleeves he killed. He tells her that he didn’t ask for her but will take her away, Lizzie then puts a knife through his head. Meanwhile, Rei has Kovacs forced into a chair and she says that she is going to remove the cam in his eye and his stack from the sleeve. Meanwhile, Lizzie comes across Vernon, Ava and Ortega being taken away by the Ghostwalker and guards. Lizzie comes and starts to attack the guards with Ortega escaping to Kovacs. Meanwhile, Ortega comes to the room with Kovacs and throws a knife into one of the guard’s throats, causing a distraction so Kovacs can break free and start fighting. Ortega gets to Rei and they both fight each other with Kovacs taking out the guards. Meanwhile, Lizzie, Ava and Vernon get to the control room and shut down the ship.
We then cut to Rei closing the door on Ortega’s face while she grabs a clip for the gun and shoots at Kovacs, missing and hitting one of the windows. While outside the room, Ortega confronts Ghostwalker and they both fight each other. Both parties continue to fight for a bit as we see that Tanaka brings a squad with him on the ship to find Ortega getting the upper hand on Ghostwalker. Ortega grabs Ghostwalkers weapon and kills him with it, she then goes to the door to call for Kovacs. Meanwhile, Kovacs and Rei both stabbed each other with Katanas. Rei says they will never get in and Kovacs tells her that they can stay there, wait for the ship to crash and take Rei into custody. Rei says that they will never put her back on ice and wants Kovacs to help her, in return, she will give him Falconer. Rei says she backed up Falconer before she died, Rei is the only way Kovacs can get Falconer back because she has her backup hidden somewhere only she knows. Kovacs still says no and Rei shoots his shoulder before he takes the gun from her and aims it at her neck. Kovacs shoots her and tells everyone to leave him so he can be with Rei. Takana forces Ortega to leave and grabs everyone else so they can escape. Kovacs sees Falconer and he asks her to tell him a story that doesn’t end in death and tragedy. Falconer tells Kovacs a story while the ship is falling and the ship finally crashes into the ocean and explodes.
We then cut to a VR Room where Kovacs has been told that he was found in the wreckage and is put in the VR Room to be questioned. Kovac’s clone is also put in a VR Room and they are both told that only one of them can live because it is illegal to have two of the same person. Kovacs wants to talk to his clone in a separate room and the two of them talk about how Kovacs killed Rei. They decide to play Rock, Paper Scissors to see who will get to live. The clone gets to live and goes to visit Ortega while she is setting up a shrine for her family. Meanwhile, Ortega goes to visit Miriam at her mansion when she plays new coverage of what Rei said to Kovacs. The reporter says that Bill 653 will be reconsidered, letting victims testify against their killers, even with religious coding. Miriam goes to Laurens and tells him that she will stand by him no matter what. Kovacs enters the room and tells Laurens that he is gonna be arrested for the murder of Mary Lou. Miriam doesn’t believe him but Kovacs says that they found her stack and if the bill passes, she is going to talk. One of the guards tells Laurens the police are waiting downstairs and he goes down to see them. Lizzie comes with her parents to tell the police that she was pregnant with Lauren’s child and Miriam beat her up. Prescott is there and tells everyone that Miriam wanted a fixer, so she got Rei to put her in one of her clinics, drive her mad and dumb her in an alley. This caused Miriam to owe Rei a favour and that is why she drugged Laurens. This all leads to Miriam getting arrested for the sleeve death of Lizzie with everyone being shocked.
We then cut to the end where Ava get’s a new sleeve and the Elliot family is living in peace. Meanwhile, Ortega and Kovacs move all of Ryker’s stuff back to her apartment with Kovacs saying he will give up the sleeve. Ortega asks Kovacs what he is going to do after the sleeve transfer and he says he doesn’t know. We then see that Kovacs grabs his stuff from the hotel and walks out, ending his time there and walking away with a new mission, to find Falconer.
Wow… I must say that this was a fantastic episode. Everything was wrapped up nicely and now Kovacs is in a new sleeve but we don’t see his face. It creates a mystery of if we will see Joel Kinnaman return for Season 2 of Altered Carbon. Also, will we see anybody from Season 1 come back for Season 2? We haven’t got any confirmation yet but I hope we get a second season.
I love the Lizzie was finally able to escape the VR World, find a body and help save her family. She has come along way from when she was stuck in the VR World, but to also have her killing and saving people means that she is a hero to her family now.
I also like that Kovacs doesn’t really get a happy ending. He has to kill his sister and he doesn’t stay with Ortega in the end. Kovacs instead choosing the freedom he has been wanting from the start and he ends up getting it.
One thing that I said last time was that Rei was going to die, she couldn’t come back from what she had said and done. I’m glad to see that I was right and she ended up drowning with her creation.
I think if I were to sum up this episode with one sentence, it would be this:
The Verdict:
Episode 10 was exactly what I expected the Season Finale to be. It wrapped everything up, gave everyone what they wanted and leaves the door open for people to return and a new setting entirely. I think that Season 2 will have a new setting and actors playing different characters, even for Takeshi Kovacs. We actually don’t see how Takeshi looks like or where he is going in the end. So, let us hope that Season 2 can be just as good as Season 1 was.
10/10
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 9
Alright, time for Episode 9. After the last episode gave us a look at the Head In The Clouds place, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We start the episode with Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), drinking with Poe (Chris Conner). Kovacs tells Poe that he knows the truth about what happened to Bancroft but isn’t going to tell Poe. Kovacs tries to call Kristen Ortega (Martha Higareda), but she isn’t answering. She comes into the hotel and Kovacs grabs her and washes her in the bath. Meanwhile, Poe goes to visit Lizzie (Hayley Law), in the VR room and she is sharping knives. Poe tells her that he only wanted to heal her but thinks that he has done it wrong. Lizzie tells him to not worry and that she goes out into the night, spying on people while using her skills so she can learn and be ready to fight. Meanwhile, Kovacs is still bathing Ortega when she starts to ask him if he really loves her and Kovacs starts to get flustered and confused. Kovacs thinks that Ortega is not really there and it turns out he is correct, Rei is actually in Ortega’s sleeve right now. Rei tells Kovacs that Ortega is still alive but Rei says that Blood is now owed for the Blood of her sleeves that Ortega killed. Rei tells Kovacs that she has sent Ghostwalker to the house of Ortega’s family and Kovacs makes a run for it, trying to save them. Ghostwalker kills the family before Kovacs arrives and when Kovacs arrives, he is shocked and horrified. Kovacs meets Reileen Kawahara (Dichen Lachman), at a restaurant were Kovacs tells her that he is done with everything, including her. He wants to forget everyone and everything and go off world to somewhere else. Rei tells him not to leave her but Kovacs refuses to listen and storms off, Rei then calls for Ghostwalker to follow him. Kovacs gets into a car with Miriam Bancroft (Kristin Lehman), they drive off with Poe, Ava, Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh) and Kovacs (A clone I think) watching the car take off.
We then cut to 18 hours earlier,
Kovacs is in the house when he wants to know the address of the restaurant that Vernon and Ava are at. Vernon and Ava are talking about Lizzie and that when she is healed, they will plan on getting back together. Kovacs bangs on the window telling them that they need to go with him. Meanwhile, Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), is at the crime scene of Ortega’s family looking around the house. Meanwhile, Kovacs takes Vernon and Ava back to the hotel and tells them the situation. Rei has Ortega and Kovacs thought she would go after Vernon and Ava next. Mickey comes in and tells them that no one on the police force is going to do anything about Ortega’s family murder and he finished the tracing program on Ghostwalker. Kovacs tells them that they should all leave the city and forget everything because he is going after Rei and Ghostwalker, he doesn’t need to worry about what happens to his friends. He also asks Mickey for his ID Tag so he can go to the evidence locker and steal some stuff. Meanwhile, Rei is talking to Ortega, who is chained up in a pod. Rei tells her that she almost took Kovacs away from her so, she is going to spend some time with Ghostwalker in VR. Meanwhile, Kovacs comes back to the hotel and has a cloning machine with him. He tells Poe to not let anyone in his room and to get everyone new IDs. Kovacs is making his clone and looking over the schematics of the Head in the Cloud fortress. Vernon kicks in the door and yells at Kovacs, Ava sees that he is looking at schematics and starts to tell him everything about it. Kovacs asks them why they won’t leave him and they tell him that he has helped them gain a part of their lives back and want Ortega to be returned. Kovacs creates his clone with the help of Ava and now he is drinking with his clone and playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who goes to the Head in the Clouds. The clone wins and goes off with Miriam while the real Kovacs stays behind.
We cut back to present time when Kovacs goes to visit Lizzie in the VR Room. Kovacs wants to say goodbye to Lizzie before he goes off on his mission with Lizzie telling him that one of them is going to die. Meanwhile, Vernon isn’t sure he can install a micro camera into Kovacs’s eye. Vernon asks him why he wants it and Kovacs says he wants a confession from Rei about everything. Everyone goes over the plan, Kovacs will have to intercept Rei’s backup with an antenna caring the Rawling virus, which will delete all her backups. While, Vernon sneaks him onto the fortress, disguised as a Military General, Mickey and Ava will stay behind and monitor them. Vernon and Kovacs get into the car and head to the fortress. Vernon is escorted to a room with a blond woman who is a prostitute who will provide Vernon with anything he desires. Ava asks Kovacs if he knew about the place having whore and he says no, he didn’t ask Rei specifically what services the place offers. Vernon drugs the woman to knock her out so he can get the access panel near him to get Kovacs into the building. Vernon is taking a bit and Kovacs decides to improvise with dosing himself with Reaper so he can lower is body temperature to fool the sensors. Kovacs gets in and makes his way to Rei and is having some trouble because he is high on the Reaper. Vernon hears that they can’t get anything from Kovacs and he goes back for him. Kovacs makes it to the door with Vernon right beside him, he shoots the lock, the door opens and Kovacs throws the antenna at Rei’s feet. The antenna turns out while Rei is backing up and the backup surges the computers that Ava and Mickey they were using. It doesn’t matter though because Ava says that she was able to get into Rei’s backup system and upload the Rawling virus. Rei is pissed at Kovacs, telling him that he lied to her and betrayed the only person that loved Kovacs. Kovacs grabs a stem pack from Rei and takes it before he tells her that all her backups are deleted. Kovacs then tells her about the micro cam in his eye and tells Rei to give him a full confession about everything, no lies, no tricks and no more games. Rei tells Kovacs that she was the one that got Miriam to drug her husband before he went to the Head in the Clouds and got a room with 2 girls, one of them bring Mary Lou, he had sex with one of the girls and killed her. Before he could move on the Mary, she ran away with Rei stopping her and chasing after her. They both go on the roof and Mary jumps off before Rei could catch her. Rei also tells her that she was the one who framed Ryker for Mary’s murder. Rei also tells Kovacs that Laurens shot his own stack after what he had done. However, when he was brought back, he couldn’t believe he killed himself so he thought someone murdered him and wanted them to be found. Rei tells Kovacs that she did it all for him because she missed him so much. Until now because Ghostwalker and a bunch of guards come in and surround Kovacs.
We finally got to know the truth about Bancroft’s murder! I had a feeling that Rei was behind everything. She did all of this just to see Kovacs again and while that would be sweet, the blood on her hands is too thick to be washed off and forgiven.
Rei has gone from the sister who just wants to be with her brother again, to the big bad of the whole season. All the bad things that have happened this season was because of Rei and her actions. I love the family drama aspect of the episode and I can’t wait to watch the Season Finale.
I love how even when Kovacs treats his friends like crap, wants them to forget about him and leave him behind, they still stick by Kovacs until the end. I think they did that because they feel they owe Kovacs for what he has done for them and I’m glad they stuck around.
The Head in the Clouds place seemed like a nice place until we found out it was a place that you can have sex with underage women and get away with. That’s just all sorts of wrong and I hope that it get’s destroyed, along with Rei because there is no redeeming her at this point.
I really did really this episode and I loved the acting as well. This episode answers all the questions that need answers and sets everything up for what will seem like an all-out brawl next episode.
The Verdict:
Episode 9 finally gives us the truth about the Bancroft murder and sets everything up for an all-out war in the Head in the Clouds. Rei has become a full-on villain and she has no other choice but to die next episode, she is beyond redemption at this point. Let’s just hope that the Season Finale can stick the landing.
9/10
Next up, the Season Finale of Altered Carbon.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 8
Alright, time for Episode 8. After the last episode was a great flashback, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We start the episode with Reileen Kawahara (Dichen Lachman), telling Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), is the one who was behind everything, getting Bancroft to buy Kovacs, Dimi coming after him, using the other sleeves to watch him and killing all of the Envoy. Rei says that she killed all of the Envoy because they were just soldiers using them and not family. Kovacs is upset by this and puts a sword to Rei’s throw and says he should kill her. Rei says that no matter what happens, she will always come back for her big brother, even if she is killed. Meanwhile, Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), heads back to the police station from the Fightdrome and gets stopped by some from the press. She asks her a bunch of questions about the Fightdrome and the mess with the police and Ortega notices Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor), lurking in the background. Ortega goes up to Prescott and asks her if she is the one who tipped the press. Prescott says yes and that she does it in return for other favours and Ortega wants her to talk. Prescott refuses and says that Ortega is paranoid and should just leave her alone if she doesn’t want to get hurt again. Ortega goes into the station and everyone stares at her, she asks them what they are looking at and goes to sit at her desk. She looks in front of her to find an empty desk because Samir is dead and starts to cry. Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), asks her why she is here and Ortega says that she is looking for Kovacs. Ortega starts to get angry at Takana saying why isn’t there a search warrant out for Kovacs and that she broke his back. Tanaka responds by saying he got Bone Fusion and that took his deductible for the year. Tanaka then asks to speak with Ortega in his office. They go to his office and Tanaka tells Ortega she needs to leave because she is on paid leave while they sort out the Fightdrome situation. Ortega tells him that he needs to resign because he is crooked and Ortega will expose him. Takana tells her that she has no evidence so no one will believe her, Ortega starts to yell and ask him questions about Samir’s death, the Ghostwalker, where Kovacs is and who framed Ryker. Takana says that he can’t protect her anymore and fires her so she won’t take him down with her.
Meanwhile, Kovacs is still reeling from what Rei said earlier and she tells him that she wants him to close the Bancroft case quickly, even if it means having to frame someone. Kovacs tells her no and she brings in the Ghostwalker and tells Kovacs that she was the one who owns the torture clinics. She also says that if he doesn’t comply, she will put his friends in those clinics and won’t bring them out until they are insane. Kovacs agrees and says that he needs a Dipper. Meanwhile, Ortega goes to see Mickey to find out if he made any progress with the Ghostwalker program. He tells her that Tanaka forced him to stop and Ortega gets upset. She then asks Mickey to examine the blood on her hand so she can find out who took Kovacs (Rei of course but she doesn’t know that). Mickey agrees and Ortega tells him that he is the only one she can trust now that she knows the truth about the police. Meanwhile, Kovacs and Ghostwalker are in the elevator when Ghostwalker asks Kovacs about his beliefs. Kovacs tells him that he doesn’t believe in anything and the rich people he follows are false gods. Ghostwalker stops the elevator to set the record straight by saying that it doesn’t matter what religion they are because they live many years so that his employers are gods. Meanwhile, Mickey is able to finally get a location on Kovacs at a Sleeving Factory and tells Ortega to go find him. Meanwhile, Kovacs and Ghostwalker go to a Sleeving Factory to pick up their dipper and Ortega approaches the area looking for Kovacs. Ghostwalker tells Kovacs to get rid of Ortega or else he will kill the dipper. Kovacs approaches Ortega and tells her that what they had between them is meaningless, that Rei was the one he was looking for, she only cares about the sleeve and not the person in it and he will give her back the sleeve in time. Ortega doesn’t believe this and she runs off.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), and Poe (Chris Conner), are watching Lizzie train with Knives. Vernon questions this method to Poe with him saying that it’s a great way to train herself so she can feel safe in VR and real life. Kovacs comes back to the hotel and brings the dipper along with him. We so find out that the dipper is Vernon’s wife, Ava. Vernon doesn’t understand at first because Ava is in a male sleeve, they soon reconnect with each other and Ava asks about Lizzie. Vernon takes her into the VR Room where she is training and they both watch Lizzie. Ava then steps out from the shadows and Lizzie recognizes her, even though she looks like a man. Vernon soon joins in and they have a family hug session. They soon leave the VR world to talk about Kovacs’s plan in the real world. Kovacs’s tells everyone that he needs their help to close the Bancroft case fast and that it will take breaking the law and murder. Kovacs’s shows Vernon and Ava the stacks of the Envoys and tells them that they were wiped out using the Rawling Virus. Kovacs wants Ava and Vernon to create the Rawling Virus to use on Bancroft and to give it to Poe when they are done. Meanwhile, Poe is at a poker game with his AI friends. Poe bets his last chips and says he has nothing left. However, his opponent says that he has Lizzie and that if he wins, Poe must give him Lizzie. Poe agrees and goes all in, he loses but he put the Rawling Virus on his chips which causes his opponent to die. Meanwhile, Vernon and Lizzie prepare the footage of Bancroft at the Fightdrome to edit it with some different footage. Meanwhile, Kovacs goes to Bancroft’s house and tells Miriam Bancroft (Kristin Lehman), that he won’t accept her offer from a couple of episodes ago. Kovacs’s invited everyone that was involved with the case to Bancroft’s house, including Rei in a different sleeve. Kovacs then executes his plan with Vernon and Ava helping him but creating documents and false info. All of this leads to Kovacs explaining how Prescott was the one who orchestrated the whole thing to get revenge on Bancroft. Prescott tries to deny this but all of the evidence is too convincing to Bancroft so he fires her and doesn’t press charges against her, but he is going to take everything away from her. Bancroft can now breath a sigh of relief knowing that the case is over and is going to make the arrangements for Kovacs to get his freedom and paid.
We then cut to Ortega getting a call from Mickey. He was able to get a trace of the blood of Rei, it’s from the same place that Kovacs got the dipper from and is not registered to an account. Mickey then tells Ortega that he is done with Ortega and any favours that she has because he doesn’t want to risk his job anymore. She goes to a food stand and finds an employee of Psychasec she arrested some time ago and she asks him for a favour. Meanwhile, Kovacs is looking around Bancrofts office and finds a telescope looking at a place in the sky, a place called Head in the clouds. Kovacs then starts to realize that everything that has happened has to do with that place in the sky. Bancroft comes in the room, tells him his payment has been processed and if Kovacs speaks to anyone about the case, he will kill him. Meanwhile, Ortega visits Psychasec with the guy, using him to get into the room with Rei in it. He opens the door, Ortega finds Rei’s stacks and get’s locked in the room. Ortega tries to call Mickey for help but Rei comes alive and attacks her. Rei stabs Ortega with a glass shard and she shoots her. Before Rei could die, she transfers her back up and is shoot in the head. Rei uses another body to attack Ortega and gets shoot. Rei keeps throwing bodies at Ortega until she has shot them all, except for one. Ortega tries to remove the glass shard from her body and Rei attacks her with a sword. Ortega gets the upper hand and kills the last sleeve. Ortega then tries to take a second to breathe and hears a child crying. She finds the same child who was locked in a vault crying and asking for help. Ortega grabs her and tells her everything is going to be alright.
I’m glad that we finally have the whole Bancroft murder case plot point finally dealt with. I said a couple of reviews ago that it was starting to drag out and I wanted it to end soon. Even though Kovacs had to lie about it, I’m glad that it’s finally over with (Or is it?).
Using Prescott as the murderer was something that I didn’t expect to see coming but I’m glad she is gone. It seemed like the writers didn’t really know what to do with Prescott because she would always be lurking in the shadows and not really doing anything. Using this as a way to get rid of her was fine with me.
Rei is really starting to become the villain at this point. It seems like she has her hand in everything and that she is running the show. The fact that she had so many clone sleeves stashed away is also concerning as well. However, Ortega took care of them so I can’t wait to see her reaction to this.
The acting in this episode was great and I really liked how they shoot the Psychasec Vault scene with many different Rei’s and Ortega risking her life. I also just love the whole concept of sleeves in this universe. I love how they got Ava to help out with the case and letting her see Vernon was sweet but also weird because Ava is in a male sleeve.
I can’t wait to see how the Head In The Clouds place ties into everything. The whole season has been dropping hints about it and we get to see all those callbacks when Kovacs sees the place for the first time and I hope that something big comes out of it. With only 2 episodes left, let’s hope this season can stick a memorable landing.
The Verdict:
Episode 8 was a great episode to come back to after the flashback. We got to learn more about Rei and her motives and the Bancroft murder has been closed, even by false means. Now we can move on to the last few episodes and hope that something big happens in the end.
9/10
Next up, the Penultimate Episode of the Season, Episode 9.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 7
Alright, time for Episode 7. After the last episode saw that Kovacs isn’t the last Envoy, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
It’s that time once again folks! What am I talking about exactly? I’m talking of course how this is a FLASHBACK EPISODE!! Well, we do cut back and forth from Past and Present, this is still an Expectation Dumb Flashback Episode (EDFE for short).
We start the episode with Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), with his sister Reileen Kawahara (Dichen Lachman), using shock pads on Kovacs so she can get him stabilized. Kovacs is tripping out from the Reaper in his system and keeps having flashbacks to his childhood. Like when he killed his father and joined the CTAC to become an Envoy. Rei tells Kovacs he is going to need a new sleeve after all the damage he taken from the Fightdrome and Kovacs refuses because he knows the value of the sleeve. Rei is able to save him for now and tells him the story of how she is still alive after Kovacs thought she was dead for so long.
The flashback starts with Kovacs getting back his original sleeve with the Envoy and getting assigned a mission to take out a man named Saito. While on the mission, he comes across Saito but also finds Reileen working for Saito as well. The two of them are able to reconnect and go on a shooting rampage, killing all of the Soldiers and Yakuza in the room. They escape and go to a bar to talk about what comes next since they both are being hunted by the Yakuza and the Protectorate. Kovacs asks her if she remembers a place in the forest only they know about and they head out to the forest. The walk in the forest and come across a rock with a pulsing light on it, this is a sight that they are getting closer and they decide to camp near it for the night. During the night, they are discovered by the Envoy and get taken away. Kovacs wakes up to find himself tied to a bridge with several Envoy watching him with the leader Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry), walking and talking to Kovacs. She tells him that Rei is safe and she convinces Kovacs to join the Envoy. Later on, Kovacs meets back up with Rei and she tells him that She also joined because he joined as well and they couldn’t come up with a better plan. This makes them now Envoys and they must eat, sleep and train together like a family. We cut to the next day when Falconer gathers them all up for a weapons training session which we have seen footage of in past episodes.
We then cut to a mission briefing where they plan on infiltrating a Protectorate database, steal the data and then blow up the database to make it look like a sabotage. They all go into machines and dive in to complete the mission, everyone else gets knocked out with Kovacs being the only one left inside. Kovacs completes the mission and the Envoy celebrate later that evening. We cut to the next day where Falconer is telling them about a program she created called Acheron that downloads into the DHF and rewrites it, giving everyone’s stack 100 years to live. Kovacs tells her that she would have to download this into all the stacks created. Falconer tells them she is going to lead a mission to a Protectorate Garrison on the planet, steal the casting source codes for the central core and use the codes to put the program into the Central Core. Everyone realizes this is a suicide mission and Falconer is ready to die so that others can live. She gathers a team of five to attack the Garrison and they roll out later that night. They get into the building and download the program into the system, they head down to the basement area but Kovacs gets trapped behind a glass door and gets captured by the CTAC (Colonial Tactical Assault Corps) soldiers. He later wakes up in a VR Room with the same man who recruited him to become a CTAC, Jaeger (Daniel Bernhardt). Jaeger tries to get information out of Kovacs about his friends and Falconer is able to stop Jaeger from cutting up Kovacs. Falconer tells Kovacs that he is drugged and needs to wake himself up from the room. Kovacs wakes up and everyone is there to grab him and walk out of the Garrison. Later on, Rei tells Kovacs that they shouldn’t go through with the mission because Kovacs was captured and almost gave up info about what they are planning. Kovacs tells her that they are Envoys and they stuck together no matter what. Kovacs goes outside to talk to Falconer and thank her for saving his life. Falconer tells Kovacs that she is the one who created stacks and her real name is Nadia Markita, she created stacks so she could transfer the human conciseness so that people can live many lifetimes. Kovacs thinks this is beautiful but Falconer disagrees and wants him to stop looking at her. They get closer together and start to make out which later turns into sex. Meanwhile, everyone is getting ready back at base to get to the central core when Rei goes out and finds Kovacs with Falconer together. Rei runs off and Kovacs goes after her, while things back at base start to seem off, people are stopping what they are doing and acting strangely.
We cut back to present day where Kovacs wakes up and Rei tells him that she saved the sleeve and offers him a CTAC stim called Goliath to give him back his strength. Kovacs says no and Rei tells him that he should eat something and saying that she never believed that she would find Kovacs again.
We cut back to the flashback where we see that airships fly over and start to bombing somewhere in the distance. Kovacs goes back to the Stronghold and finds it covered with ashes and dead bodies. Kovacs does find some of his friends alive but they kill each other and we find out that Jaeger is the one that found them and killed everyone except for Kovacs, Rei and Falconer. Kovacs runs away and tries to contact Rei and Falconer and they tell him that they are on the bridge near their ship. Kovacs wants them to take off and leave him behind so they can carry out the mission, Rei and Falconer refuse to leave Kovacs behind but Kovacs gives them no choice because he distracts the CTAC while the ladies get on the ship and take off. Before the ship can leave the area, it’s blown up by lasers, leaving Kovacs the only one alive and Jaeger tries to find him but Kovacs covers himself in ashes and escapes.
We cut back to present day where Rei is finishing her story, Kovacs asks her if she remembered how Falconer died and she says no. Kovacs says he’s going to go splash water on his face because he sees fireflies swarming around him and thinks he is still hallucinating. Kovacs walks around and finds a room with a couple of sleeves in containers, each sleeve being someone that Kovacs will recognize. The first one is a woman from the party, second is Hemingway and the last one is a little girl Kovacs talked to earlier in the season. We get to see a flashback that Rei was the one who caused the explosion and killed Falconer. Why? Because Falconer gave Rei life. Rei discovers that Kovacs has found them and he says that he knows now why she doesn’t remember because she backed up her memory before the explosion. Kovacs asks her why and she says that she did it all for him.
I will say that when it comes to flashback episodes, I’m not always excited because they can be bad sometimes. However, this isn’t the case with this episode. We finally got to learn more about the Envoy, Kovacs’s past, Falconer and Rei as well. Learning that Falconer was the one who created stacks was unexpected and a great way to give her character more meaning in this show.
Learning that Kovacs was a CTAC before he became in Envoy made sense since he was the training and the power to back himself up. Kovacs is a badass who has gone through hell and now you can understand why he just wants to be left alone to enjoy his freedom.
Rei being the cause of Falconer’s death means that she has a secret plan in mind for Kovacs. Also, to find out that she was interacting with Kovacs by using different sleeves really does enhance the fact that she is up to something. Maybe she wants to get Kovacs to join back up with her and make a new type of Envoy? who knows.
The acting in this episode was very great and everyone was able to get enough time to shine so they can stand out from the other Envoys. I really did like that Falconer’s and Kovacs’s love didn’t feel forced, even though they didn’t get much time to spend alone, it’s still a better love story than Twilight.
One thing I also want to add that this was the longest episode of the series, the episode was over an hour long. The fact that it so long meant that it had more time to flesh out the flashbacks. This was a great decsion because even though it’s a backstory episode, it was still entertaining and enjoyable to watch. If you can make a flashback episode over an hour long and still have it be enjoyable, means you really did something great.
The Verdict:
Episode 7 was a fantastic example of how to do a flashback episode right. We got to learn a bunch of cool things like who created the stacks, how the Envoys operated and what their true mission was. Learning that Rei has an ulterior motive and was the one that killed Falconer was a great twist and shows that she has bigger plans for Kovacs.
9.5/10
Next up, Episode 8.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 6
Alright, time for Episode 6. After the last episode left a bloody mess on the floor, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We start the episode with Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), taking Kristen Ortega (Martha Higareda), to a hospital to save her and her sleeve. Kristen tries to pay for her treatment but Kovacs has to step in and use his credit. Meanwhile, Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), is watching Poe (Chris Conner), talk to his daughter Lizzie (Hayley Law), in a VR Room. Poe tries to teach her to not be afraid of the monsters around her and instead become one. Poe gets Lizzie to punch him because he feels no pain, Vernon interrupts this and causes Lizzie to go haywire. Vernon then yells at Poe for what he did and starts to anger Poe by destroying glass around him. Poe is ready to open fire with his cannons when he gets a call about Ortega, Vernon then leaves and tells Poe they are not finished. Meanwhile, Kovacs is outside in the rain and talks to a vision of his former Envoy partner. They talk about love and how Kovacs never had such a thing when Vernon interrupts. Vernon how Ortega is and Kovacs tells him that she is in surgery and she won’t give up her sleeve due to religious coding. Poe calls Kovacs while he is talking with Vernon and tells him that he was able to find out who Issac bought some paintings from, Sergei Brevlov, who Kovacs remembers was at the dinner party a few episodes ago. Kovacs wants his address so he can talk to him and Vernon wants to come with him. Meanwhile, Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), gets a visit from Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor). She is looking for the clone body of Laurens Bancroft that was taken from Issacs Apartment last episode. Prescott tells the Captain that he needs to hand it over now or face consequences, which the Captain doesn’t take too kindly too because he doesn’t want her speaking like that in front of his officers. Tanaka gets a call from Mikey who tells him everything he knows about Ghostwalker and all the theories and evidence he has him. Tanaka freaks out and wants Mickey to drop this unless he can come up with anything concrete. Meanwhile, we see Dimi and Ghostwalker visit a man named Hemingway (Arnold Pinnock). Hemingway tells Dimi to stay away from Kovacs because he needs him and Hemingway has him locked up in a safe house because Dimi is stepping out of line. Meanwhile, Vernon and Kovacs go to Brevlov’s place and find that Issac is there while they are interrogating Brevlov. Issac finally agrees to tell them he was using a clone of his father to impersonate him and they all go to Laurens place to have a family meeting. Prescott brings in the clone that Issac was using to become Laurens and Issac finally explains why he did this. He wanted to finally earn his fathers respect by working with Brevlov. Laurens is angry about this and destroys the clone out of rage and thanks Kovacs for the update.
We then cut to Prescott and Kovacs in the elevator together and Kovacs ask Prescott if she saw the Ghostwalker at the party, which she says no. Meanwhile, Ghostwalker and Dimi are talking to each other and Dimi gets under the Ghostwalkers skin. This causes the Ghostwalker to chase him down until they reach a tattoo place where Dimi contacts Carnage to transport himself into Kovacs OG Sleeve. Meanwhile, Kovacs and Vernon go to visit Ortega in the hospital and find her mother there. She slaps Kovacs and leaves to go get coffee, Vernon looks at Ortega’s vital signs and everything seems to be fine. Kovacs takes him as a good sight to go back out but Vernon convinces him to stay with Ortega until she wakes up. Some time passes and Ortega finally wakes up, being greeted by Kovacs. Kovacs tells Ortega that Samir died and that he was able to get her a new arm because she would have lost the sleeve if they didn’t replace the arm. Ortega is upset by this and wants to hit Kovacs but before she can, Captain Takana interrupts. Takana brings flowers for Ortega, Kovacs notices that they are expensive flowers that are a sight of guilt. Ortega then interrogates Takana about how he knew something about the Ghostwalker coming to the station, Takana says that he didn’t actually know and he only gets updates from someone on a VR cafe who also pays him to keep his mouth shut. Ortega is able to get an address from Takana to the cafe he goes to and Kovacs goes with her. They get to the cafe with one goal in mind, to find out who the contact is, for Samir’s sake. Kovacs dives in and becomes Takana to talk to the mysterious contact, who we find out is Hemingway. Ortega pulls him out before he could do anything else and they find the place to be quiet. Why is it quiet? because someone came in and cut all of the people’s heads off, that someone being Dimi in a new sleeve. He throws a pulse grenade at the two and sends them flying out the windows.
We then cut to the Fightdrome where Dimi has taken them so that they can fight in Carnage’s arena, to the death. We see that Carnage is hosting a one-time event where Kovacs and Ortega must fight some creatures for the first round. They are able to fight and kill the creatures by working together. Dimi then enters the fight and starts to cut them up multiples times in different spots, he reveals that the blades are laced with Reaper. Dimi hypes up the crowd, grabs Ortega, throws her beside Kovacs and tells him that he is going to cut her into pieces. Before he can, Kovacs stops him and Dimi is able to stab him with the knife. Dimi thinking he is a deadman starts to get happy and Kovacs is able to get the knife, stab Dimi in the neck, grabs his stack, throws it to Ortega and she crushes it with her bare hands. This angers Carnage to the point of him sending everyone to kill them both. However, before they can, a mysterious person in a hood with a sword is able to slash her way to Kovacs and Ortega. We find out that this person is a woman who is Kovacs’s sister, making Kovacs, not the last Envoy.
This was another great episode for the series. We got to see Ortega get a new upgrade, we got to see Dimi take over Kovacs OG Sleeve and more Fightdrome. I really do love the concept of Fightdrome and I love Carnage, they just feel like they are future versions of the Thunderdome, and there is nothing wrong with that.
One thing that keeps me intrigued with the series is the world that they are establishing around them. The whole concept of Sleeves plays a big part and Stacks are a great way for someone to remain alive while not being forced to one single body.
The acting in this episode was great and everyone really did a great job. I loved how Ortega reacted when he found out about Samir and her new arm. She was able to go from Sad, too shocked, Intrigued and then angry when she finds out about Takana’s secret dealings.
One thing I hope will get answered is that who is Hemingway? He feels like he is someone important but he needs more development for me to get fully invested in who he is.
Another thing that I hope get’s solved soon is Bancroft’s murder. I know that this is the overarching plot point for the season but it’s really starting to drag at this point and I’m more interested about what the world of this show has to offer and I would rather see more of Fightdrome, AI Hotels and whatever else goes on in this world.
The Verdict:
Episode 6 was another solid episode of Altered Carbon. It had a great twist ending, more Fightdrome, Dimi finally got what he deserved and the Bancroft murder is one step closer to being solved….. maybe. The one complaint I have is that we really do need to speed up the murder investigation because it’s being dragged out and I would rather see more of what this world has to offer. Other than that, another great episode of this awesome series so far.
9/10
Next up, Episode 7.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 5
Alright, time for Episode 5. After the last episode left a bad taste in my mouth, will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn like the last?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We open the episode to a flashback of Ryker (Joel Kinnaman), interrogating a man (Seriously? More Interrogating people? After it went so well last episode? Whatever), about how a woman was killed by a man. The man says he doesn’t know anything and Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), comes into the room and stops Ryker from killing the man. Ortega lets the man go free and hugs Ryker who is said. We then cut to present day where we find out that Ryker was Ortega’s ex-boyfriend and that is why she has been watching Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), because she doesn’t want the sleeve to be damaged. Kovacs then tells her that the guy who put him in the VR Torture room thought he was Ryker and saying that Ryker killed his brother. Meanwhile, Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), is with Poe (Chris Conner), down in the lobby and Vernon asks to see Lizzie. Poe tells him no and that she is getting better without his help and this upsets Vernon. Kovacs comes down to go out and Vernon wants to talk about Lizzie and Poe but Kovacs stops him to tell him to not bother him unless he has something useful. Ortega comes down as well with the severed head and wraps it in a cloth before she can leave. Meanwhile, Kovacs goes to Bancroft’s place and wants to speak to Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy). Laurens isn’t home but Miriam Bancroft (Kristin Lehman), is the only one home. Miriam asks Kovacs to drop the case and she would get him a new identity because she thinks the case is meaningless and is afraid of Laurens. Miriam says that Laurens has her and the family trapped in a web and she wants to escape it. She tells Kovacs that she has her own island with a resleeve facility and can offer Kovacs his freedom. Kovacs says no and Miriam tells him to think about it and keep the idea open. Meanwhile, Ortega takes the stack out of the head, drops it into a sewer and calls Mickey with a job that needs to be kept on the down low. Meanwhile, Kovacs enters a place that looks like a ghetto and finds Laurens there talking to some kids. Kovacs tells him that he knows about the sleeve and Laurens says that Ortega needed to be taught some respect by Laurens using Ryker sleeve for his Last Envoy. Laurens then starts to touch some of the people and hand out chocolate to them and Kovacs notices that he is starting to get infected by the people. Laurens does this so he can gain the respect and love of the infected people. Meanwhile, Ortega heads to the station and gives Mickey the stack and asks him to put it in a sleeve so she can ask about Ryker but it has to be done off the books.
We then cut back to the hotel where Kovacs sits down with Vernon who is drinking by myself. Kovacs grabs the bottle when Samir Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter), comes out of the shadows and wants to speak with Kovacs alone. Samir tells Kovacs about Ryker and Ortega and how Kovacs being in his sleeve is tearing her apart. Ortega really fell hard when Ryker lost it and she still pays the mortgage on Ryker’s sleeve. Samir wants Kovacs to keep Ortega far away from any of the Bancroft stuff or else he will kill Kovacs. Poe appears just after Samir leaves and tells Kovacs that he spoke with his AI union and spoke to Madison, the AI that manages Fightdrome. Meanwhile, Ortega goes back home to have a shower, she is interpreted by her mother shouting and firing at someone. We see that Kovacs has come to Ortega’s home and her mother isn’t too happy about it. Ortega takes the guns away from her mom and Kovacs tells Ortega that he has a lead on Bancroft that will lead them to the Fightdrome. Kovacs askes Ortega if Ryker had any defining characteristics and she tells him that he always looked mad and ready to punch someone. They reach the Fightdrome and talk to the owner named Carnage. Carnage tries to tell them that he doesn’t have anything but Ortega is able to convince him. They look around while Carnage is talking and Kovacs comes across a pod with his original Envoy sleeve. He stares at it while Carnage tells him how he got it made for him and offers Kovacs a test run on a Friday for a private show. Ortega tells them to move along so they can find the footage. We make it to the office were Carnage shows them the footage of Bancroft and we see that Issac Bancroft was at one of the fights with Laurens finding him and beating him. Carnage tells them that is all of the footage and for them to leave. Kovacs tells Ortega that he can read lips and Laurens kept saying, “Your not me, you will never be me”, while beating on his son. They decide to visit Issac’s place which is locked with a genetic look and Kovacs just shoots the lock before going inside. The two of them search the place and find a hidden door that contains a 3D Bio-metric printer that can print Sleeves. They also find a pod that is keeping a body frozen, it’s Lauren Bancroft. They soon figure out that Issac has been printing Sleeves of his father so he can be him and make sure that a deal goes through so that he can remain rich. Ortega calls for backup and to take the 3D Printer away. Kovacs waits in the house and notices that his hand is starting to bleed, Ortega notices this and takes him away. They go back to Ortega’s house and she stitches up Kovacs wounds with Kovacs asking about some of the scars on his sleeve. Ortega tells some stories and this leads to Ortega throwing herself at Kovacs. The two of them makeout and eventually have sex.
We then cut to the next morning, Ortega grabs a stack from a box and gives it to Kovacs. The stack belongs to someone named Mary, who was a girl that was killed and Ryker was falsely accused of killing her. We get a flashback to when Ryker was arrested for that murder in is home. Ortega then shows Kovacs more pictures of people who have been murdered and then tells Kovacs about the Ghostwalker. The two of them talk can they say that Bancroft, Ghostwalker and Rykers case are all connected in the big picture. Ortega get’s a call from Mickey and they go down to the police station. They see that the same sleeve Ortega used for her grandma is used for the man who tortured Kovacs named Dimi. They are questioning him about who framed Ryker and he won’t give up a name, so, they start to beat him until he talks. Before they can go further, the captain steps in and puts an end to the situation. They all step out of the room and Ortega asks for 5 mins in VR so she can finally get some answers on Ryker’s case. The captain says yes and Samir, Ortega, Dimi and a fellow officer go into the elevator. The officer is then revealed to be the Ghostwalker who is working for Dimi is in the elevator and Kovacs tries to warn them but fails. The Ghostwalker pulls out a weapon and starts to stab Ortega with Samir trying to help fight him off. This whole scene is bloody and lasts for about four minutes and ends with Ghostwalker killing Samir and taking Dimi with him. Kovacs makes it to the right floor and the elevator opens to find that Ortega is the only one left alive. Kovacs quickly gets in and takes Ortega away to get medical attention.
Wow, now that is a way to end an episode. I will also say that I liked this episode a lot more than the last. We actually got some new developments in the Bancroft case and the Ghostwalker proves to be a scary foe.
I really did like the Fightdrome and Carnage getting his hands on Kovacs original sleeve. It was nice to see that Kovacs still recognizes his real face and body, so seeing his original body sure did shake him to his core.
Also, I totally called it last review and I knew that Ortega and Kovacs were going to hook up. Once we found out that Kovacs is in the same sleeve as her ex-boyfriend, it was only inevitable that they were going to embrace each other’s bodies.
I also like how the cases are all being connected together, it really does help the plot and condense it so that it’s not long and confusing for the viewers. I just can’t wait to see more of the Ghostwalker now that we have seen what he can do.
The Verdict:
Episode 5 was so much better than the last one. This didn’t feel like a chore to get through and it also streamlined all the different cases together so that it can become something bigger and easier to follow. Also, the ending of the episode was really gnarly and awesome, it was a great action scene and a great way to end the episode.
9/10
Next up, Episode 6
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 4
Alright, time for Episode 4. Will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We start the episode with Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), on a table with some wires and electrons attached to his head. Beside him is one of the guys who kidnapped him at the end of the last episode with the help of the stripper. He is also on a table with the same electrons on his head, it seems that he wants to dive into the mind of Kovacs and interrogate him. Meanwhile, Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), is looking over the cam footage and is not finding anything. Poe (Chris Conner), is also in the room putting up Halloween decorations in Vernon’s room. Vernon asks Poe where Kovacs is and he doesn’t know, prompting Vernon to grow concerned. Meanwhile, Kovacs is being interrogated and the guy wants to know who Kovacs is working for. Before he can answer, we get a flashback to more Envoy training. This time the leader is talking about the virtual interrogation and how they can protect themselves and not crack. We then cut back to present time where the interrogator tells him that he lost his tracker and there is no signal around him so no one can find him. Meanwhile, Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), is looking at the footage from last nights party trying to look for someone that they can’t see. The tech guy tells her that this person is using new tech that causes cameras to not pick them up at all, the person becomes a ghostwalker. Ortega tells them to try and get an ID at all costs when she get’s a call from her mother. Her mother tells her that she is almost done the cooking for their family and that the father wants the wrong kind of cheese. A criminal brought in won’t stop shouting while Ortega is on the phone and she tases him. The cops drop him and leave him on the group and tell Ortega she can handle him because they are off duty. Meanwhile, Kovacs is still being Interrogated and tells the man that he is looking for Lizzie because he is her father. The man starts to glitch out in the virtual world, he decides to wear the face of his brother that Kovacs killed and Kovacs has another flashback. We see that the Envoy is learning how to fight the VR Interrogation. Meanwhile, we see that Ortega goes to but some cheese when she brings along the criminal from earlier who has been reprogrammed to be someone else. Meanwhile, Kovacs is still be tortured, killed and then revived to be tortured more. Meanwhile, Ortega makes it home with the cheese and we find out that the criminal has been reprogrammed to be her grandma. the mother voices her displeasure with this but Ortega tells her that it was the only sleeve available and everything will be fine. Meanwhile, Kovacs is still being tortured and has another flashback to his Envoy training. The guys controlling the program start to see that Kovacs’s body is shaking and are wondering how he is still holding up. Meanwhile, Ortega’s partner Samir Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter), brings over a pie and Ortega asks him if he has gotten any info from the program yet. Samir says no and he joins Ortega for her family dinner. Ortega and her mother go back and forth about how God is watching them and how they don’t believe in how people are using sleeves because it goes against their values. Meanwhile, Kovacs is being torched with a flamethrower and his legs get burned off, while this is happening we get another flashback. This time, we learn that no matter what happens, Kovacs is an Envoy and he will prevail over the torture and find a way out.
We then cut to Ortega and her family finishing dinner and her mother are taking the dishes. The mother is still upset about what Ortega said during dinner and Samir has to talk her down. Meanwhile, The torturer is taken out of the VR room and gives the owner crap about his program. He tells the owner that he needs something strong because everyone has a breaking point. He goes back into the VR room and brings along a container of slug creatures with him to help get Kovacs to break. Meanwhile, Ortega and her Grandma go back to the police station as they talk about her grandpa. Grandma then asks if they keep any drugs in the station because she wants to try some. Meanwhile, Kovacs has another flashback to the training and he finally starts to learn how to crack the VR Torture. The main lesson is to focus on the one thing you love with all your heart and you can prevail. Kovacs is able to escape the VR by stopping his own heart so they have to take him out of the VR room. Kovacs then tells them that they messed with the wrong guy because he is an officer and that people will come looking for him and they will kill them if he isn’t set loose. The scientists there start to panic and let him loose and Kovacs unleashes hell on all of them. He uses the guns in his bag to kill everyone in the building and takes the Torturer’s head with him. Vernon is outside with a guy who helped with the kidnapping and they find the building, right before Kovacs comes out and kills the guy with Vernon. Meanwhile, Ortega is with her Grandma smoking pot and she asks Ortega to not bring her back again by taking the stack out of the sleeve she is in. Ortega agrees and goes to do the procedure but gets a call asking her to visit a crime scene. The crime scene is the same place that Kovacs just escaped from and Ortega finds the tracker she put on Kovacs on a dead body. Ortega bursts into the hotel looking for Kovacs, Poe and Vernon try to tell her they don’t know anything and she tells them she will be back for them. Kovacs is in the shower and hears Ortega banging on the door. Ortega starts to yell at Kovacs with him asking about someone named Ryker that the Torturer kept calling him and Ortega won’t talk. Kovacs grabs her knife and starts to cut himself all over his body until she talks, he starts to cut his throat when Ortega finally says she will talk.
I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t really like this episode that much. It felt like a bit of a slough to get through. Kovacs being tortured for so long started to get boring after a while and the subplot with Ortega wasn’t very interesting either. The last few minutes though are the only good part of the episode because there is finally some action. I’m all for explanation and plot-driven episodes but this just felt like bad filler.
I feel like I didn’t learn very much this episode and the only thing I can take away is that Kovacs had the sleeve of someone else and maybe Ortega knows a thing or two. This was the first episode of the series that I felt like skipping halfway through because it just let stale.
We did get to learn more about the Envoys and the training they went through so they can become the best but it was handled in a forced way that just didn’t seem interesting. I will say that the acting for the episode was great and everyone gave a great performance. Even Ortega’s family was enjoyable to watch but too bad it felt like it didn’t make an impact on the overall story.
The Verdict:
Episode 4 was the first misstep of this season, it tried to focus more on Kovacs’s past training and Ortega’s family but just couldn’t keep me interested or engaged. I will say that the last 15 minutes of the episode were the saving grace for the episode and the acting was also great. However, I still can’t look past the flaws and I hope the next episode will be better.
6/10
Next up, Episode 5.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon Season 1 Episode 3
Alright, it’s been awhile since the last review for Altered Carbon. We do apologize for that and we will be getting back on the saddle to finish this series. So with that in mind, time for Episode 3. Will this episode continue to maintain the momentum or will this episode crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We open the episode to a flashback of Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), childhood. We see that he is with his sister and they are telling each other the story of the Patchwork Man. They finish the story before their parents come home and the kids hide in the closet. We see the father is taking to the mother and the father starts to abuse the mother. Takeshi and his sister watch this and they tell each other they will stick with each other no matter what. We back to present day where Takeshi is having a shower, he finishes and Poe (Chris Conner), delivers him an invitation to a party later that night. Poe then tells Takeshi that there was a drone in the room last night that got footage of him having sex with Bancroft’s wife. Takeshi get’s a call from Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy), with him asking Takeshi if he is going to the party or not because Bancroft invited all the people that he thinks would kill him. Bancroft wants Takeshi there so he can chat/interrogate the guests so he can continue with his case. Poe tells Takeshi that he wishes he could go with him as the backup but he is stuck at the hotel because he is the brain of it. Meanwhile, Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda), gets a visit from Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor), who invites her to the same party that Takeshi is going to so she can monitor the situation. Ortega has no choice but to accept when Captain Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), tells her to clear her schedule for that night. Meanwhile, Takeshi goes to visit Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), in his shop and wants to hire him as the backup for the party. Takeshi then makes a trade with Vernon, he comes as the backup to the party and Takeshi will help Lizzie (Hayley Law), get the treatment she needs. Vernon reluctantly agrees because he hates Bancroft but wants to get Lizzie back no matter what. Takeshi and Vernon head back to the hotel where Poe greets them and offers a room for Lizzie but Vernon won’t be able to talk to her, only see her because her condition is critical. Vernon gives his consent and Takeshi wants him to take him to his friends in low places so they can get some gear. Meanwhile, Ortega is looking over the guest list to see that a bunch of criminals that she couldn’t talk to in the past will be at the party and that she will finally be able to talk to them. Meanwhile, Takeshi and Vernon visit a weapons dealer who shows off some awesome guns and knives. While Vernon is picking out his weapons, Takeshi has a flashback to a training session with is Envoy partners. Meanwhile, Takeshi and Vernon are back at the hotel and watching Poe set up a virtual room for Lizzie, Lizzie speaks to Poe but it seems to be nonsense. Vernon is glad that she finally spoke but wonders if he is doing the right thing. Takeshi tells him that Lizzie is in good hands with Poe because he can be focused and determined when he is set with a task. Takeshi warns Vernon that he is bringing him along to only watch is back and nothing else, he doesn’t need Vernon acting out.
We then cut to the party that everyone has been talking about and getting ready for. Takeshi get’s his bag with his gun taken, Ortega get’s her gun taken away and Vernon is disguised as a waiter handing out drinks. Takeshi comes across Miriam Bancroft (Kristin Lehman), and tells her that there was a spy in the room watching them last night. Laurens comes and asks Takeshi to follow him because he wants to talk to him. Ortega is up on a balcony doing a survalience scan of all the people at the party and she is talking to her partner back at HQ. She notices some people dressed as fighters walking upstairs somewhere and she decides to follow. She finds a married couple who are in different skins and asks to see their fighting licenses, Takeshi follows Ortega and they both discover that there is a fighting cage nearby. The two of them go grab a drink and Ortega tells Takeshi to stay out of her way. Takeshi takes the elevator to the next floor and finds Laurens waiting for him. Takeshi talks to Laurens about what he does and how he purchases fighters so he can have knife fights, while also talking about how he has lines that he won’t cross, unlike Takeshi. The two notice Bancroft’s son and Takeshi asks if he killed Laurens but he says no. The two talk about philosophy and God when Laurens tells Takeshi that he thinks of himself a god because every god needs minions, implying that Takeshi is his minion. Laurens leaves and Takeshi goes back to the party to talk to the guess. Takeshi notices that Miriam opens a bookshelf false door to go somewhere, he follows behind and sees that Miriam is having sex with one of the guards. Takeshi asks her what she is doing and Miriam reveals that she isn’t actually Miriam, but one of Laurens daughters named Naomi. Takeshi asks Naomi if she killed her father but she says she didn’t because, with her father dead, she would be penniless. Takeshi leaves the room and finds Isaac Bancroft (Antonio Marziale), talking in mandarin to some Japanese waiters. Isaac was telling a joke to them and the waiters don’t find it funny, Takeshi has to pull Issac aside so he can stop making an ass out of himself. Prescott comes and gives Takeshi crap for what he did to Issac and tells him that she wants to become one of the rich people at the party. Meanwhile, Vernon takes the elevator to the upstarts control room and offers up the guard some alcohol. Vernon then grabs his knife that is tipped with poison, stabs the guard and takes control of the computer system. Meanwhile, a few guests are showing off their trophies when Laurens takes centre stage and tells everyone that he owns the Last Envoy, Takeshi Kovacs.
We then cut to the fighting arena, everyone is gathered there to see the married couple from earlier fight to the death. Everyone watches the fight get bloody and Takeshi stops the husband from beating the wife to death. This causes Laurens to throw Takeshi in the ring and tells the couple he will give them both upgraded sleeves if they killed Takeshi. Ortega tries to stop this but Laurens says that they are all his property and he wants to raise the stakes but adding a weapon to the fight. Ortega is able to grab a gun and shoot the controls of the cage and disables them, ending the fight with no one dying. The couple is bloody and injured and they say they can’t repair their current sleeves or get new ones. Takeshi then forces Laurens to keep his promise of giving them both new sleeves. After the party is over, Takeshi and Laurens tells him that he needs to stay away from his wife and if he has anything new on the investigation. Takeshi says no but loved the party and walks out of the room. Takeshi finds Vernon outside and asks him where he was, Vernon was gathering survalience footage on Lizzie and Ortega walks up to give Takeshi back his gun. Takeshi tells Vernon to go home as he has somewhere to be, that somewhere is a strip club to talk to the same stripper who gave him info on Lizzie. She comes out beaten and bloody and uses a syringe on Takeshi to knock him out. Takeshi is then taken to a hospital place where it looks like he is going to be dissected.
This is a great episode coming back into the series after being away for awhile. I really do like the look and feel of the show and I’m glad that I came back to it.
I really do think that Laurens has alterer motives at this point because before he wanted to keep his investigation and Kovacs on the down low so he can solve his murder. However, now that Kovacs has been put on display as a trophy, it really does seem like Laurens is up to something and using Kovacs for more than solving his murder.
Elliot was also great this episode, not only rocking the suit while pretending to be a waiter, but he also has a great knowledge of the weapons and tools that they use in the Altered Carbon universe. I also like that he is willing to work with Kovacs, even if it means using Bancroft’s money to save his daughter.
Ortega is a little annoying since she is basically stalking Kovacs at this point and I think we all know that she wants to get in bed with him because the way she looks at Kovacs and how she talks about him.
The concept of Sleeves is explored more in this episode and I like that Bancroft has a fighting arena for people who are looking for a thrill and an upgraded sleeve. This universe continues to grow and peak my interest, I can’t wait to watch more.
The only downside to this episode is I thought the whole party thing was a little on the boring side and I wish it was shortened or cut out altogether. I didn’t really care about what happened at the party and who was there so I feel it would have been better if we were told about what happened instead of shown.
The Verdict:
Episode 3 was a great episode to come back to after being away from the series for some time. I really do love the concept of the universe and what it was to offer. The party itself was a little boring but you can say it was worth it for the fighting arena scene in the end. Let us hope that wherever Kovacs is, he can make it out alive in one piece.
8.5/10
Next up, Episode 4.
REVIEW: Altered Carbon, Episode 102
Altered Carbon continues as we head into episode 2 of the new Sci-Fi Netflix series.
Now before anyone mentions anything, there will be spoilers for the episode down below.
We start the episode by seeing Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) and Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda) morning routines. Kovacs wakes up and scolds his AI companion for the hotel Poe (Chris Conner) for letting the attorney Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor) into his room while he has no clothes on, and Ortega reluctantly wakes up to go for Boxing training with her partner Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter). The scene with Kovacs is funny and awkward since he is talking to the attorney with no clothes and Poe keeps trying to cover him up. While the scene with Ortega and Abboud is fun and intense, we get to learn why Ortega keeps a tracker on Kovacs as Abboud tells her to stop following him like a stalker.
Next, we go to a Sleeving (Body Swapping) Faculty where Kovacs and Prescott go to get some answers, only to find Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) getting back into his current sleeve and talks to Kovacs. This scene plays out as a world-building moment because we get to learn more about how and what Sleeves (Empty Bodies) are and what purpose they serve in this future.
Then, we move to a poker game that Poe is playing with his AI friends and this scene doesn’t really serve much but it will get mentioned because it has some great effects and it also gives some backstory to the Poe and the AI he calls his friends.
Next, we see Kovacs watch a bunch of videos of death threats that Bancroft has received and stumbles on one that sees’s a masked man show his gun to the camera. Kovacs is able to get a Serial Number and track down the gunman to his home and tries to question him about the video. We later find out that the man’s name is Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh) and he is trying to save his daughter. This conflict as a whole takes up a huge chunk of the episode and is awesome from start to finish. From the continuous fighting and special effects that are presented when Kovacs uses a VR headset to look where Elliot’s daughter Lizzie.
After this, Kovacs Visits a futuristic strip joint to find talk to one of the girls to find out more information about Lizzie and where to find her when he is then ambushed afterwards by Vernon. This turns sour because then Kovacs and Vernon are attacked by some gangster with some using a power enhancer. This scene was filled with action and violence to make it entertaining and it looked visually pleasing as well.
Finally, we end the episode by Kovacs coming back to his hotel home when he is greeted by Bancroft’s Wife who wants to sleep with Kovacs. They then spend the last few minutes of the episode having sex.
This was another great episode of Altered Carbon, it had a nice balance of both world building and action that keeps the viewer entertained and interested in what this world has to offer. Let’s hope that this series can continue going up from here.
9/10
REVIEW: Altered Carbon, Episode 101
Altered Carbon is the latest new series to stream on Netflix and is a Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk thriller that looks gorgeous and is thrilling at the same time. Just by watching the trailers, you can see that it is heavily inspired by Blade Runner and other Sci-Fi films. However, this isn’t a bad thing, Altered Carbon takes this notion and runs with it pretty well while also creating its own universe and characters.
Here is the trailer if you are interested:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Now before anyone mentions anything, there will be spoilers for the first episode down below.
Altered Carbon starts by throwing you right into the action, where we meet two criminals with guns, one is a woman (we don’t learn her name) and a guy by the name of Takeshi Kovacs (Will Yun Lee) who are ambushed by an armed forces group, they look like stormtroopers if they were scarier. The criminals put up a good fight, but are killed in the end. This scene was very tense at times and was full of action. Definitely a great way to start a pilot.
We then cut to 250 years into the future where we see Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) being reborn. However, he is in a different body and is having a hard time adjusting to his new environment. However, not only has his body changed, so has the world around him. It’s here that we get to see the CGI and set design really kick in. The world of Altered Carbon is visually stunning and it stands out enough that it doesn’t come off as a copy of Blade Runner (There’s going to be a lot of comparisons that so just a warning).
It’s after that stunning revelation that Kovacs is picked up by Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda) who is a police lieutenant who picks up Kovacs and escorts him to a wealthy estate where we learn that Kovacs was hired to try and solve the murder of Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) who has already been reborn into a new body. However, Bancroft still wants to find out who wants him dead. It’s this conflict that is the driving force for the rest of the episode, as Kovacs spends his time thinking about taking the case for him to finally agree to at the end of the episode.
So far, Altered Carbon presents a beautiful world and some really good acting. However, the story feels pretty scarce and doesn’t explain everything clearly and it may come off as a lot of showing but not telling. Given that it is only the first episode of the series, we can cut it some slack. Let’s just hope that the story will pick up and gain more momentum while exploring more of the beautiful world around it.