Upload returned for a third season that hasn’t skipped a beat. Though much of the action takes place in the real world after Nathan’s successful download in hopes of stopping Freeyond, there’s still a tether to Lakeview, where it all started, via Ingrid and Nathan #2 and Horizen thanks to Aleeshia and Luke.
The shenanigans of the afterlife at Lakeview have always been the draw of the show, so it’s no surprise that watching Ingrid and Nathan #2’s storyline play out is one of the highs of this season—and surprisingly, Nathan and Nora’s relationship once they’re finally able to exist on the same plane is a bit of a letdown. The pureness of their relationship fades rather quickly when reality sets in, which was inevitable once they actually brought them together.
Nathan #2 is rebooted to a version before the family day/right after poker night meaning that he’s got some memory loss that works to Ingrid’s advantage–he doesn’t remember breaking up with her, finding out that she’s not really dead, nor does he remember that Nora came back and that they launched a whole plan to take down Freeyond. He doesn’t even know that he was murdered and that Choak is responsible. This Nathan is basically thriving on ignorance is bliss—and it looks good on him. It almost doesn’t even feel like the same Nathan that once existed, which is a testament to how much character growth Robbie Amell’s character has gone through in such a short time. His life hasn’t been flipped upside down yet, so as far as he knows, he’s deeply in love with Ingrid and completely oblivious to the issues they’ve been having. Eventually, she confides in him that she’s not actually dead, and unlike his former self, this version of Nathan thinks she’s incredibly selfless in her sacrifice so that they can be together.
Ingrid initially believes that her chances with Nathan are completely done before finding out that not only is there another version of him but he’s also completely in love with her. She tries to become a better person, someone more like “Norma” so that he’ll like her better, but he assures her he loves her the way she is.
There craziest thing about this is that there’s a reality where Ingrid and Nathan make it work. Who knew?
But Nora isn’t totally out of the picture, she’s simply focused on OG Nathan and ensuring that he survives his download.
Not only are they trying to outrun the clock placed on him by downloading (the nose bleeds are stressful considering the last download’s head exploded on live television + he’s experiencing weird symptoms like constant farting and being disgusted by most smells), but they’re also focusing heavily on what Nathan came back for—their mission of shutting down Freeyond, the affordable digital afterlife company that’s created using Nathan’s stole code, which got him killed by the founders, David Choak and Ingrid’s dad.
Quite honestly, bringing Nathan back to the land of the living has complicated things quite a bit, making it harder to sustain the magic and innocent silliness not just in his and Nora’s relationship but in the first season altogether. You’d think that by finally getting to be together, Nathan and Nora would be living in bliss, but their reality is a bit more bleak as they adjust to their new dynamics where they are “equals” and no longer dream of “what could be” but make the best of what is.
Making it work is a lot harder than simply daydreaming of being together. They still want to be together, so the effort is there, but they have to accept each other’s quirks, flaws, and faults, along with Nora trying to get used to all the attention that Nathan receives from other women. It’s an adjustment on both sides, all while juggling all the other responsibilities. Instead of solely prioritizing their relationship, Nora and Nathan are using their time to return the drives of Freeyond’s victims to their families, even if they don’t have the money to do anything with their loved ones (though they do have some sweet bonding time while staying with Elijah’s family on the farm during which they they realize just how lucky they are to finally be together) and focusing on their main mission to destroy Freeyond.
Nathan is forced to work alongside Nora’s ex, Mateo, the lead of the Ludds running point on their whole mission, which makes for some very tense, testosterone-filled moments, with Mateo holding his own against Nathan and not allowing himself to get intimidated.
Despire his insanely jealous over Nora’s relationship with Nathan, he keeps trying to make a case for himself, but sadly, he doesn’t survive the first episode. His demise comes on the heels of the revelation that Detective Sato is corrupt. When the stakes are so high, you really have to be careful about who you can trust. When Nora and Mateo figure out that Freeyond is basically killing people who are voluntarily uploading, they manage to shut the whole thing down, but Sato arrives and makes it clear that he’s trying to line his pockets by eliminating the people posing a threat to expose Choak. During the confrontation, he shoots and kills Mateo just before Nora is able to use the upload tool to burn a hole through Sato. It’s one of her most badass moments, and while Mateo’s death is a bummer, he almost immediately becomes an afterthought, which proves that he was never as crucial to the mission as he thought he was.
At the same time, Nathan discovers that Freeyond never intended to give the uploads a place to live—it didn’t matter to them as their primary goal was to eliminate 10 million voters so that they could rig the election. He finds their pre-recorded “press apology” about the tragedy and releases it, thus crumbling Freeyond’s business model.
There’s a lot of moving parts this season—as we tether between realms–so it becomes hard to keep up with motivations and the what’s what of it all, but the series still manages to keep the same level of kookiness fans have come to love and expect.
And a special shout out to Owen Daniels’ AI guy, who continues to be a show and scene stealer. I hope he’s making the big bucks for taking on so many roles and carrying the weight of the afterlife alongside Luke, another standout who has truly committed to his overly dramatic character.
Other Notable Moments Worth Mentioning
- Choak definitely noticed Nathan in the bathroom during the super secret Freeyond meeting, but what will come of it?
- Ingrid is still harboring a huge secret from Lakeview Nathan despite all the talk of transparency—she’s planning on cloning him in the real world. And this version of Nathan might be into it!
At this point, Nora and Nathan are considered mortal enemies as the world believes (has been convinced) that the Ludds are responsible for the takedown of Freeyond (they don’t even confess to their involvement), and while that’s technically the case, the fact that millions of innocent lives were saved is a tidbit the public hasn’t been made privy to just yet, nor do they know that it’s backed by the world’s biggest billionaires.
The stakes are definitely raised, and it’s only a matter of time before Lakeview Nathan is brought up to speed and finds out about his “other” existence… the real Nathan. And what happens when Nathan finds out that he’s been replaced by himself? Will Lakeview Nathan realize he’s also in love with Nora or will he remain faithful to Ingrid?
What did you think of the first two episodes of Upload Season 3?