Altered Carbon returns February 27th on Netflix.
By Ariba Bhuvad
Altered Carbon is back, and it’s an understatement to say it that season 2 is anything short of epic and riveting. Granted, critics were given only three episodes to review the upcoming season, but even that is enough to guarantee and assure us that we’ve got one heck of a season to look forward to.
At the heart and center of the story once again is the character of Takeshi Kovacs. His journey is complicated, his psyche disturbed, and his sleeve no longer that of actor Joel Kinnaman. Instead, Anthony Mackie is taking up the mantle this time around, and he does it in magnificent stride. Some might say, he takes flight… just like a falcon.
Going into the second season, there were doubts as to how he could fit into this role or if this genre of television was even his thing. But Mackie does not disappoint and three episodes in, has delivered one hell of a performance–and convincingly so.
Not much can be said or spoiled from what I’ve seen thus far, but Altered Carbon has managed to pull off something different this time around. The world is the same, the technology is the same, but yet something is still unique about it all. There’s beauty in that sort of storytelling, and I for one, love that Altered Carbon could pull it off.
Not to mention, Luke Cage’s Simone Missick is in the second season, and I feel fans will really take to her character. If you thought Misty Knight was a badass, wait until you see Missick’s character in this–powerful, relentless, and the definition of empowerment.
My only “complaint” would be that we didn’t get more episodes to get a clearer idea of the season’s purpose. There’s always the fear that a season can start off strong and hit a plateau later on. Here’s to hoping that isn’t the case here!
We are in for a treat. Kovacs’ journey will be an even more complicated one this time around, and fans of Altered Carbon will surely enjoy tagging along to see just where it might take us.
I give Altered Carbon’s second season a B+.
TV and City 