Summary
Upload falters in its third season, as it tackles too many storylines and genres. The comedy is hit and miss, whilst the romances and action sequences feel low-key overall. The central premise is still enticing though, promising a satirical slant on a typically dark future.
The Prime Video original series Upload returns for Season 3, with the show’s creator Greg Daniels (The Office) continuing his twisted exploration of a very probable dystopian future. This much-loved comedy series focuses once again on the pitfalls of virtual reality and mankind’s incessant dependency on futuristic technology.
Our review is entirely spoiler-free.
Upload Season 3 review and plot summary
The third season finds deceased computer programmer Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) back in the real world after being freshly downloaded into a human body. He spends the fleeting moments that he has left in this reality getting better acquainted with his lover Nora Antony (Andy Allo).
Meanwhile, a backup copy of Nathan is rebooted into the digital world, in the virtual afterlife of Lakeview. This means that there are now two versions of Nathan roaming about, one in the real world and one in the digital realm. The backup copy of Nathan doesn’t remember breaking up with his ex-girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards doing her best Alexis Rose impersonation) though.
Ingrid decides to use this peculiar situation to her advantage, giving herself a second shot at love. She can now start all over again, working squarely on saving her relationship with this new Nathan at Lakeview. Of course, the real Nathan is completely unaware of this crazy scenario for the time being.
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Back in the real world, Nathan and Nora set off on a perilous mission of their own, to bring down the sinister digital afterlife system called Freeyond, which promises to bring the luxurious experience of living in Lakeview to the general public who can’t afford that lavish virtual reality themselves.
Nathan and Nora plan to reveal the true nature of Freeyond to the world, but they are rapidly running out of time. Nathan’s downloaded body is only supposed to last for 24 hours in the real world and there is a very real possibility that his head could explode at any given moment after that first day is over. Can Nathan and Nora save millions of lives and live happily ever after themselves in this messed-up world?
Is Upload Season 3 worth watching?
Season 3 of Upload tries to tackle a lot from episode to episode and is surprisingly plot-heavy on the whole. There are too many interconnecting and separate subplots going on here, especially for a comedy series, which can make this a needlessly complex and messy affair at times.
The comedy can be a little hit-and-miss as well. The show is advertised as Prime Video’s number-one comedy series, but Greg Daniels’ depiction of a depressing future society doesn’t quite make the most of its Black Mirror-styled setup. It feels like a missed opportunity overall, relying instead on slapstick or over-the-top imagery to get its laughs.
The show has its moments though. The corporate conspiracy storyline at the heart of the narrative offers some interesting diversions. This futuristic technology, which was famously brought into the mainstream in the Black Mirror episode “San Junipero”, has a lot of scope, and Upload’s unique take on this technology can be quite intriguing.
Unfortunately, the show doesn’t fully commit to this mystery setup alone, instead cramming its eight-episode runtime with plenty of filler, from its central romances to Aleesha’s odd subplot involving the education of the childish AI guys (Owen Daniels).
The show has its dedicated fan base though and returning viewers will be eager to see how Nathan and Nora’s story turns out. There is enough comedy, action, and romance to keep viewers entertained overall, but it feels like the series is stumbling in its third season. It may not have the longevity to continue for a fourth outing.
What did you think of Upload Season 3? Comment below.
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