The idea of an afterlife can be difficult to wrap your head around, right? Are we stuck in it for eternity and beyond? Are we ourselves as we know in this afterlife, or some other form? Is our afterlife connected to our actual life at all, or is it a new life entirely? Putting any existential crises aside, Prime Video’s hilarious series Upload puts a light-hearted spin on the afterlife, and it’s about to return for its third season on October 20.
But, with 18 months passing since season 2, where did we leave Nathan and Nora, and what’s in store for them in season 3?
Where We Left Off
A quick recap of how we got to this point, Nathan’s consciousness is uploaded to a premium “afterlife resort” after a severe car accident in the show’s first season. While his, shall we say, overbearing partner IRL, Ingrid, uploaded his consciousness to said resort, Lakeview, Nathan in the afterlife is growing feelings for Nora, his customer support person. Who knew the afterlife could be so complicated?
After leading us all to believe she’d joined Nathan in death, turns out that — oopsies — Ingrid’s actually still alive! She’s also been secretly regenerating Nathan’s body that he can be redownloaded back into. Whoever said the afterlife was permanent? But despite being done with Ingrid, Nathan still wants to be downloaded into the clone body. Why? That body holds the key to bringing down Freeyond. Freeyond labels themselves as the antithesis to luxe afterlife services like Lakeview, being far more affordable. But, it’s all actually a scam — a front for a political organisation that is trying to swing elections by uploading poor people to the afterlife and preventing them from voting.
However, season 2 ended on a major cliffhanger: Nathan’s nose bleeds. This means that the download that was meant to stop Freeyond might’ve been rejected.
Will Nathan(s) Survive in Season 3 of Upload?
As we come into Season 3, there are two Nathans roaming about several planes of existence — Nathan in Lakeview (a backup copy of the original) and Nathan on Earth. However, with the nosebleed not being a good sign, the body that Nathan’s consciousness is inhabiting might not make it too far.
This is a problem Upload has yet to explore, and we might be getting the show’s take on the dangers of having two of the same body roaming around. But Upload takes it to another level, with a newly-inhabited body being necessary to take down the villain.
The Ultimate Multi-Plane Love Triangle
Now Nathan knows Ingrid is alive, and he’s firmly rejected her to be with Nora, things might get… dicey. This is Ingrid we’re talking about — a character so obsessed with control that she even determined what was happening with her ex-partner’s consciousness in the afterlife.
The Nathan Nora fell for isn’t the Nathan she’s with now, as with a new body comes new potential (for better or for worse). It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ingrid try and sabotage Nathan and Nora in some way or another. She is, after all, responsible for not only Nathan being uploaded into Lakeview in the first place, but also responsible for the clone.
Could Freeyond Actually Rule the World?
We know that Freeyond’s a scam. Nathan and Nora know Freeyond’s a scam. But, for the billions not in the know, the company still seems like a godsend. But, once people have uploaded into Freeyond, they are trapped and cannot download without paying a fee. Microstransactions will get you in the afterlife, too.
What’s worse is that Freeyond also makes it difficult for people to contact the real world, so they are largely unaware of what is happening outside of the afterlife.
Nathan and Nora are set on taking down Freeyond with the help of the Ludds, an activist group determined to prevent corporate control of the afterlife. But given the uncertainty around Nathan’s new shot at life, and the other imminent threat of Ingrid, the only people able to stop Freeyond might never get the chance to.
Season 3 of Upload is available to stream on Prime Video from October 20, with seasons 1 and 2 available now. Start your 30-day-free-trial today.