Altered Carbon Season 2: Everything You Need to Know | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

The second season of Netflix's hit series Altered Carbon is hitting the streaming service later this month. An adaptation of a series of successful novels, the show has become well-received in its own right. With a cyberpunk aesthetic and transhumanist themes,Altered Carbon has tapped into the futuristic socio-political thriller niche of shows like Black Mirror.

To get fans and curious newbies alike primed for Season 2, here's a rundown on the series so far, from the plot, prior season, and how to explain a certain change in its cast.

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Based on a 2002 novel by Richard K. Morgan,Altered Carbon is set in 2348 in the metropolitan Bay City. Through reverse engineering alien technology, humanity now has the capacity to essentially cheat death by transferring to new bodies. Bodies are now referred to as sleeves, and disks called cortical stacks can have a persons consciousness, memories, and personality downloaded onto them. Thus, an individual can simply jump to a new sleeve whenever necessary, as long as their stack remains undamaged. Despite the seeming promise of being able to be effectively immortal, the only ones who typically have this privilege at their disposal are the rich and powerful, who do so through clone bodies and remote consciousness storage.

The protagonist of the show is Takeshi Kovacs, whose stack is recovered 250 years after his supposed death. The last surviving member of a rebel army, he is given a new sleeve and tasked with uncovering the mystery behind his own death, with the chance of a new life as his reward.

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As mentioned, bodies are merely a means of physical mortality in the shows universe, with the true consciousness being transferrable. In Season 1, Joel Kinnaman serves as Takeshi Kovacs newest body, while the character will be receiving a new sleeve in Season 2. This is due to the Season 1 sleeve originally belonging to Elias Ryker, who was the love interest of Lieutenant Kristin Ortega. Having promised to return the body to its original occupant, the new sleeve to house Kovacs mind will be portrayed by Anthony Mackie.

Its also worth noting that the characters original sleeve is portrayed by both Will Yun Lee and Byron Mann. Another character who plays around with this interesting concept is Edgar Poe, portrayed by Chris Conner. Ashis name would suggest, Poe is an android who bases his appearance off of Edgar Allan Poe and will be returning in the second season. Other returning characters include Renee Elise Goldsberry as Quellcrist Falconer, as well as newcomers such asLuke Cage'sSimone Missick as Trepp and Dina Shihabi as Dig 301.

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The series is riddled with various subplots concerning murder and mystery, but the underlying theme seems to hint at a puppet master behind it all. This is revealed to be Reileen, Kovacs' sister. A member of the Envoys, a group of mercenaries that Takeshi was also a part of, she betrayed them all to ensure her own survival with a group called the Protectorate. Amassing resources and power throughout the years since then, she has grown to the rank of the Meths (the richest elites, named after Biblical figure Methuselah).

This revelation also shows the depths of Reileen's depravity, and the ways in which she has allowed those throughout the series to engage in barbaric acts include virtual torture chambers and the slaying of sex workers. She also states that Takeshi's long lost love Quellcrist Falconer was the one who created the stacks/sleeves technology and that leaving Reileen alive is the only way to recover Quellcrist's consciousness. Killing her anyways, Takeshi pledges to find Quellcrist, but not before returning his current sleeve to its former owner.

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As with almost any show with a continuing plot, it's always best to enjoy the show from the beginning to understand every element of its plot and characters. Still, for those who simply want to jump into the show once the newest season drops, Altered Carbon is one of the easier series' to do so with. The first season is fairly standalone, with the season finale being fairly conclusive and never even establishing or teasing a second season. The sometimes rather dense terminology present in the series would be more easily understood from watching the first season, however. For those who still feel the need to skip Season 1, or for fans who simply need a quick refresher, Netflix has released a recap trailer on YouTube that summarizes the show so far. To see the rest of the story, however, viewers will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Developed by Laeta Kalogridis, who also executive produces the series, Altered Carbon Season 2 stars Anthony Mackie, Rene Elise Goldsberry, Lela Loren, Simone Missick, Chris Conner, Dina Shihabi and Torben Liebrecht, with Will Yun Lee and James Saito. Season 2 debuts Feb. 27 on Netflix.

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Altered Carbon Season 2: Everything You Need to Know | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources