Upload (2020)

Upload is a comedy show set in the near future, where life after death has become a reality. This show is very much in the same vein as Black Mirror (2011), one of my favourite shows. With one caveat, Upload never takes itself too seriously. Black Mirror is often overly earnest about fears of technology. Many have ridiculed the show for this reason. Upload is always putting a humorous spin on the extremes of technology, and its all the better for it.

We follow our two lead characters, Nora and Nathan, two young professionals in an extreme version of our current reality. The year is 2033 and overcrowding has caused many to adopt drastic measures for survival. Flat mates don’t just share flats, they share rooms. Meaning that one roommate will have to zone out with their virtual reality headset to give the other roommate privacy. We also see later in the season that there is now an ‘economy minus’ on flights, which means that people are literally stacked on top of each other. Just when you thought budget airlines couldn’t get any worse.

Nora and Nathan's paths cross, but interestingly only after Nathan’s demise. Nora works at a company where the deceased’s consciousness is uploaded to a virtual reality, known as Lake View. Nora acts as Nathan’s customer service representative, also known as an ‘angel’. She can appear as a disembodied voice, or an avatar, to meet his daily needs. Nora and Nathan begin to bond overtime, which causes Nora to cross professional boundaries.

Nathan is essentially forced into uploading his consciousness by his girlfriend, Ingrid. He does this after a self-driving car accident leaves him nearing death. As the staff push his bed through the hospital, Ingrid and a representative for Lake View pressure Nathan to choose to live on indefinitely in a virtual world, or die conventionally. As in, cease to exist forever. The details of Nathan’s death are shrouded in mystery and it slowly unfolds that not everything is as it seems.

Upload may have similarities with Black Mirror but its tone is more akin to high stakes comedies, such as the Good Place (2016). The Good Place is a great comedy but it often makes me feel uneasy. Upload conjures up similar feelings in me, I feel empathetic for the likeable characters put into unpleasant, or even fatal, situations. In this case, our cast of characters suffer the costs for overcrowding and a technologically advanced society. Upload sees the future as a consumerist society to an extreme.

What I really like about this show is that it’s not just one thing. It’s a comedy, a sometimes drama, a love story, and a murder mystery. The concept could easily be mishandled with the wrong writer's room. Upload was created by Greg Daniels, who is best known for his influence in the creation of the shows Parks and Recreation and the US version of The Office.

Upload throws out a plethora of tech related jokes, with some varied results. Some jokes are particularly funny or poignant, whereas others don’t quite meet the mark. But, I have an appreciation for the attempts. There is so much going on in this series, other than the overcrowded apartments and flights, there’s the logistical nightmare of 3D printed food, self-driving cars, and self-service everything. The jokes are really on us, the modern world. Upload makes light of our obsession for all things to be fast and efficient, while simultaneously yearning to live forever.

You can watch Upload season 1 on Amazon Prime. I have also heard it’s been picked up for a second season, and I can’t wait for that.