Now that Netflix has officially confirmed that Altered Carbon season two is in production, let’s take some time and talk about some of the things the second season will need to do in order to keep viewers watching and one the edge of their seats. The first season of Altered Carbon went a long way towards building the world that Takeshi Kovacs inhabits. It introduced viewers to memorable characters like the sarcastic and hilarious AI, Poe. The first season even threw in some fight sequences that would put Iron Fist to shame. In order to keep viewers watching and to ensure Altered Carbon gets a season three, the showrunners will really need to take what they’ve built and keep running. Let’s see if we can narrow down a few ingredients season two of Altered Carbon will need to outshine season one.
New Sleeves
This one has already been guaranteed, but it would’ve been foolish to avoid this crucial aspect of the show’s identity. While it doesn’t appear that fans will get another glimpse of Joel Kinnaman’s Takeshi Kovacs in season two, it’s still possible that we’ll see the actor return as Elias Ryker, the stack that Takeshi’s sleeve all throughout season one was taken from. Season two will continue following Takeshi, this time in a sleeve that is played by Anthony Mackie, who many will recognize from the Avengers films. It’s not certain how far in the future or past the series will be set, but regardless what sleeve he’s in, Takeshi is bound to be headed for some trouble.
New AI
While the teaser for season two reveals the return of fan favorite AI, Poe, it’s still unknown how exactly he manages to be brought back. The last time fans saw Poe he was spending his last virtual breath to send Lizzie to Head in the Clouds. So it’s a bit curious that he’s managed to claw his way out of the recycle bin. Alongside Poe’s return, it’d be a huge missed opportunity to not introduce the audience to some more unique AI programs still in existence. Or at the very least, dive a little deeper into some of the AI that had already been introduced.
Go Deeper Into The Cyberpunk Aspects
Altered Carbon is a series absolutely drenched in Cyberpunk. From the flying cars to the corrupted utopia, to the AI-powered hotel that doubles as a bastion of self-defense, if you’re willing to fork up the coin, there are so many brilliant aspects of this universe that have yet to be explored thoroughly. While the first season went a long way to set up the world Takeshi, Poe, and the others are set loose in, the second season needs to go deeper into the lore by properly building up the cyberpunk aspects they’ve already introduced and expanding from there.
Explore Class Struggles
The first season of Altered Carbon gave us a look at what life was like for the immortal 1% of Bay City, the Meth, through Laurens Bancroft and his well-to-do family. Conversely, the show gave us a look at how the other 99% lived through Takeshi and various side characters throughout the course of the series.
For example, in the first episode, as Takeshi is getting oriented to his new life and time, the show takes the time to highlight a young girl that was murdered in a hit and run and given the sleeve of a woman older than her parents. While the rich have to resources to afford clones and all the luxuries the future has to offer, some people can’t even afford to give their six-year-old daughter a sleeve young enough to run around. That’s something worth delving deeper into.
Explore New Timelines
Throughout the first season, we follow Takeshi Kovacs over the course of nearly three centuries. While things have certainly advanced by the time Takeshi is woken up by Laurens, they had already advanced to the point of Stack technology before the untimely demise of the Envoys. There are so many opportunities to explore timelines from both the past and future, following along with Takeshi’s story or otherwise. It’d be a shame if the producers didn’t take the freedom afforded to them by the technology from the source material. It seems as though season two will continue following Takeshi’s story, but who’s to say where, or when that will be?
The Return Of Quellcrest
There’s still so much about the world of Altered Carbon that the series has yet to touch on. The end of season one saw Takeshi discover that Quellcrest Falconer, leader of the Envoys and inventor of Stack technology, had not, in fact, experienced the “real death” as so many believed. Instead, her cortical stack had already been backed-up moments before her doom. It seems that the showrunners have set things in motion for the return of Quellcrest into Takeshi’s life, so if Quellcrest should happen to remain only in the mind of Takeshi, in memories and hallucinations, fans are certain to be disappointed.
The Return Of Poe
As we mentioned earlier, the last time we saw Poe he was on his way to the giant server farm in the sky. But with the recent teaser announcing that Poe would, in fact, return for season two, fans aren’t quite sure what to make of the news. Maybe, he just happened to have a back-up stored somewhere, a trait that seems more and more familiar as the series goes on, but there’s also the chance that Lizzie has a little more up her sleeve. We’ll just have to wait until season two is released to see how everyone’s favorite silver-tongued AI hotel.
More Of Takeshi’s Story
Season one did a great job of showing us exactly who Takeshi is as a character, despite being played by multiple actors. Now that Anthony Mackie will be taking over the role for season two, we’re guaranteed to get some more insight into Takeshi’s story moving forward – or backward. Now that Takeshi knows Quellcrest is likely in cold storage, or someplace worse, we’ll probably follow Takeshi as he tries to reunite with the woman that started it all. If season one did anything, it illustrated how incredibly intertwined the story of Takeshi and Quellcrest are, so hopefully, we’ll get some more insight into this complex and time-displaced character.
The Negative Consequences Of Stack Technology
It seems like the benefits of stack technology are nearly endless – or so they would have you believe. There are still so many negative effects, both on individuals, and the culture alike. Sure, getting handed a new body if your life is brought to a wrongful end sounds great, until you realize that you don’t have the money to afford a sleeve that doesn’t age your daughter 50 years.
What are the psychological ramifications of children who grow up with parents in different sleeves every night? Stack technology may have seemingly rid humanity of death, what else has it robbed them of? Besides their humanity.
Explore New Places
The world of Altered Carbon is a truly expansive one. Stretching out over the course of several centuries and planets, Takeshi’s story has truly covered a lot of ground in such a short amount of time. While Takeshi has hopped planets and centuries even, much of the first season takes place in Bay City (or the airspace directly above it), so naturally, fans are clamoring to see what else the universe of Altered Carbon has to offer. How far has humanity ventured through the endless universe? How many planets have we colonized? What is life like on other planets? All questions fans hope to see answered when season two makes its premiere.
