Summary
Upload keeps its narrative moving at a fast pace, with many adjacent subplots and speedy, short scenes crammed into its 30-minute runtime. This nifty editing technique makes for an easy watch, but it cannot hide the show’s lackluster humor and tedious detours though, as the story continues to meander aimlessly.
Greg Daniels’ Upload continues to delve into its terrifying future society in “Download Doctor.” Episode 4 of Season 3 follows Nora and Nathan as they confront the man who invented the download tech in the first place. Meanwhile, Ingrid and the hunky copy of Nathan explore a frightening old version of Lakeview.
“Download Doctor” kicks off seconds after Episode 3 concluded. Nathan is bleeding from his nose and all his friends and family members panic, attempting to stop the bleeding straight away. Nora urges Nathan to go and see the doctor who invented this technology to begin with.
Ari Kapoor
Nathan worries about being spotted in public on the journey and Viv’s boyfriend Mauricio offers his own solution. They hitch a ride in a crate strapped to a drone. Nathan and Nora travel to San Francisco to meet the “Download Doctor” himself, Ari Kapoor, the famous inventor behind Nathan’s current downloaded, real-life body.
On their way to see the doctor, Nathan asks if they can keep his download status a secret. Nora agrees. She is then called by Aleesha, who happens to be heading in the same direction. Aleesha and her boss Lucy are traveling to a conference in San Francisco. Nora lies though, stating that she is back in Los Angeles.
In the other subplots, Luke discovers that veterans are having their funding cut and he must find work in Lakeview to cover his costs. He takes a job in the grey zone, whilst Ingrid and her new Nathan decide to enjoy a day off together, taking a perilous detour to the oldest version of Lakeview.
Using a hack that Luke taught him, the copy of Nathan takes Ingrid to this eerie, old version of Lakeview, which is completely off the grid. On their arrival, they are greeted by a creepy concierge, who malfunctions terribly. Tinsley is then notified that her Nathan has left the system again. Panicked, she starts to restore yet another backup copy.
Nora and Nathan lie their way into Dr Kapoor’s home, informing the doctor that they have just been attacked. The doctor gives Nathan a full body scan but concludes that the patient is fine. Nora then blurts out that Nathan is a download.
She addresses her concerns; Nathan has been in this body for 26 days now and has started to have nosebleeds. Nathan admits to having four nosebleeds so far. The doctor hands Nathan some pills to take, advising that Nathan re-uploads if his symptoms worsen.
Karina
Elsewhere, Aleesha and Lucy attend the conference. Aleesha is put on the spot and asked if she has any ideas she’d like to share. She mentions the dated feel of Lakeview, hinting at modernizing the digital world. The other guests are impressed with Aleesha’s ideas. Later, Aleesha finds herself flirting with Karina (Jeanine Mason), another Horizen employee. They end up spending the night together.
Nathan and Nora chat after their meeting. Nora doesn’t trust the doctor, but Nathan has already started taking his pills regardless. They discuss their options. Nora wants to hand out more hard drives, but Nathan would rather they shacked up for the night.
Holden
Nathan takes Nora to an old friend’s apartment that he has access to. The apartment appears to be empty. The owner soon returns though, startling Nathan and Nora. The owner is Holden, one of Nathan’s ex-girlfriends. Things start awkwardly, Nora seeing Holden as competition more than anything. But they eventually break bread together.
The topic of conversation turns to the subject of Freeyond. Nora confesses that the Ludds had nothing to do with the attacks, it’s all a conspiracy. Holden proposes that they start a class action lawsuit against Freeyond.
Meanwhile, Ingrid and the backup Nathan explore the old version of Lakeview together. This spooky place is entirely deserted, except for one creepy guest who still lives there. He scares Ingrid so badly that she exits the digital world. The stranger then starts to drain Nathan of his energy. Ingrid returns just in time to save Nathan’s life though.
They agree to never return to this horrid place and sneak back into Lakeview. Tinsley was just activating another backup version when the previous one reemerged in Lakeview. This causes the second backup copy to fall apart. Luckily, we aren’t treated to a third Nathan.
The episode ends with David Choak’s storyline. The wealthy man is kept from attending an important meeting. He asks Ivan to take him into the real world. Ivan makes a joke and David threatens him, talking about Ivan’s dirty secrets. In the final shot, we see Ivan holding an important piece of technology with David’s name on it. Is that David’s Lakeview hard drive he has in his hands?
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