Upload (Spoiler-Free) Review

Watching Amazon’s newest dark comedy series Upload might give you a sense of deja-vu. A world where you can upload your consciousness upon death to a mainframe that will allow you to “live” again? Yeah, we’ve seen that done before (and, frankly, done better) on Black Mirror, namely the exquisite “San Junipero” episode. A look into how a formerly (and still a bit) selfish person begins to better himself in the afterlife through new relationships? Yup, that one sounds a bit like The Good Place, another show that came out of the gate with more focus and a better overall arc than Upload. So, why bother watching a show that we’ve already seen done better? Well, while I didn’t love Upload, I found enough to like within the show’s uneven first season (I’ve seen all ten episodes) to keep me coming back for more.

The series follows Nathan (a likeable Robbie Amell), a seemingly aimless young man who coasts on his looks and personality. He’s got a gorgeous, rich, but vapid, girlfriend, Ingrid (Allegra Edwards, who could easily become the show’s breakout star if the writers could decide what they want to do with her character). And he and his buddy are in the midst of developing a new artificial upload world (a place where folks can send their consciousness right before they die) that will have all the perks of the best uploads at a fraction of the price. Everything is looking up for our leading man, until his supposedly safe and tamper-proof self-driving car crashes, leaving him with serious injuries and a choice: risk surgery or accept an upload into Lake View, the ritziest of upload lands – paid for by Ingrid, since Nathan doesn’t have the money to afford such a luxury. Pressured and pressed for time, Nathan accepts the upload and all that it entails.

And here’s where the show starts to get murky. If Upload were just a story about a recently dead guy trying to navigate the virtual afterlife, complete with a colorful array of fellow Uploads, while dealing with the fact that his girlfriend essentially holds all the cards, it would be a pretty interesting series. The idea that money can buy eternal happiness is a complex enough premise to build a show around (the series is certainly concerned with the economic barriers within this not-so-distant future, highlighting the excesses of Lake View against the basement dwelling 2-gigs, people on payment plans that max out quickly and leave the Uploads frozen until the next monthly payment is received), and the characters Nathan interacts with in Lake View are interesting enough. And the relationship between Nathan and Ingrid turns into a study in power dynamics, as Ingrid must approve any additional purchases Nathan makes in Lake View*, creating a complex indentured servitude element to their already rocky romantic relationship. You can’t break up with the person paying for your continued existence, right? Oh – and since there’s tech that allow alive folks to physically interact with Uploads, well, adding sex to the mix makes this all the more dark and complex.

*The focus on the capitalism gone wild in this future is also good for a solid laugh – as well a a lot of cringes. A running gag on the series is that every major company now consists of two disparate companies merged into one. But within Lake View, the base plan only gets you the basics (albeit super nice ones), like a buffet meal and nice, but dull clothes. Want a particular drink? There’s an up charge. Want a new pair of shoes? That’s another up charge.

But Upload isn’t content to just explore the dark side of a commercialized afterlife, complete with a creepy central relationship power imbalance. Nope, we get two additional shows thrown into the mix. The most successful (albeit, not as interesting as the main underpinnings of  the Haves vs. the Have Nots) of the two is a conventional will-they or won’t-they relationship between Nathan and his assigned “Angel,” Nora (Andy Allo, the emotional heart of the series). You see, in Lake View, customer service is crucial to keep the rich and famous happy – and paying. So, each Upload is assigned a personal service rep (or Angel) to cater to their needs. Angels aren’t supposed to develop personal relationships with their Uploads, but, naturally, Nora and Nathan’s strong chemistry leads to them falling for each other, further complicating Nathan’s Ingrid-controlled life.

Nora’s own arc could easily be a series unto itself. The behind-the-scenes life of what it takes to keep some of these entitled Uploads happy is fascinating, and the customer service reps have less-than-ideal working conditions and don’t make a whole lot of money (the irony of the situation is clear and noted). Nora’s father is chronically ill and refusing to accept an upload (as her mother died several years ago without an upload, he doesn’t want to exist in a world without her – it’s all quite lovely and offers a counterpoint to the upload culture that’s brief but interesting). She’s disillusioned buy the lack of actual human interaction in the real world. With the constant push and pull between the Lake View arc and Nora’s real world life, the series begins to strain under the weight of carrying these two storylines.

But wait! There’s more! Remember how Nathan’s car went rogue and killed him? Well, it seems that someone didn’t like that he was creating a rival afterlife that would be affordable and have the same perks as a Lake View, so they killed him. The mystery of Nathan’s death threads throughout the season, but it’s clear that Greg Daniels (who you might recall from his work in showrunning the American Office) and his writers aren’t as interested in this arc as they are in the show’s other, more central arcs. Upload could easily do without this piece of the story, and it often feels shoehorned in when all you want to do is spend time in one of the other versions of Upload. In an already overstuffed series, throwing in a half-baked storyline doesn’t help focus the show.

So, is Upload worth watching? If we were living our normal lives, with things to do and people to see (and a host of other television to watch), I’d probably suggest skipping it until you have a lull and are looking for a new ok comedy to tackle. But, since we’re all locked away in our homes with time to explore shows we might not look at, there are worse ways to spend a weekend than binging Upload. I know, not a ringing endorsement. There’s some strong acting (Allo is really great, and I wish the show was more about Nora’s life than about Nora’s influence making a clueless white man understand the inherent inequalities of this world), and there are some interesting ideas percolating within the series that I hope can be fleshed out more in a second season (in addition to the class structure of Lake View’s set up, there’s a young boy desperate to be allowed to actually grow up, there are black markets to explore, and the idea of Upload’s ending their artificial existence for good that feels a lot like Chekhov’s Gun). We’ve seen this type of story before (in fact, we’ve seen all three of the show’s stories before), and with a bit more focus and finesse, Upload could be a good show. Right now, it’s just alright. But knowing Daniels’ past success, I think I’m willing to give him the chance to fix the flaws and show us what he’s got planned for season two.

Upload premieres on Amazon on Friday, May 1.