Altered Carbon: Season 2

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 142 Ratings

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3.7

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3.7	Your Score
3.7	User Score Generally unfavorable reviews based on 142 Ratings

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Altered Carbon

Now Playing: Altered Carbon

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: February 27, 2020

Summary: Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie), in another new body, looks for Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry) in the second season of the sci-fi series based on Richard K. Morgan's 2002 novel of the same name.

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

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Season 2 Episodes

tbd
S2:E8. Broken Angels
Air Date: February 27, 2020
tbd
S2:E8. Broken Angels
Air Date: February 27, 2020
tbd
S2:E7. Experiment Perilous
Air Date: February 27, 2020

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Metascore

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Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Joelle Monique

Feb 21, 2020

All of the body-hopping, impersonations, and lies could easily have grown messy, but the show manages to avoid any pitfalls around race representation. Read full review

The Telegraph Ed Power

Feb 27, 2020

Mackie is up to the challenge of playing Kovacs as an interstellar Philip Marlowe. And with Netflix throwing cash at the screen, Altered Carbon also succeeds at the level of breathtaking spectacle. After a stuttering first season, a would-be blockbuster has belatedly but emphatically achieved lift-off. Read full review

IndieWire Ben Travers

Feb 27, 2020

The distinct episodes help keep viewers invested when “Altered Carbon” goes too heavy on diegetic mumbo jumbo or changes its own rules to set up silly twists. Read full review

The Independent Ed Cumming

Feb 27, 2020

Mackie isn’t as stiff as Kinnaman, and there are interesting questions raised by the idea of what comprises a person. It still falls short of its potential, but Altered Carbon has probably done enough to ensure it runs for years to come. A lump of graphite, if not quite the full diamond. Read full review

Melanie McFarland

Feb 28, 2020

Missick's addition to the cast changes up the chemistry in good ways, mostly owing to the actor's winning persona and its great fit with Mackie's Kovacs. ... The story itself its somewhat downgraded from a provocative examination of the role mortality plays in defining our humanity to a soap opera with a whole lot of gratuitous punching, kicking, and bleeding – much of it occurring in the premiere. Read full review

Tim Surette

Feb 19, 2020

The second round of the cyberpunk noir series will feel familiar to those who watched Season 1, as it's mostly a take-the-good-with-the-bad combination of sticking with what worked and not learning from its own mistakes. ... Altered Carbon has an amazing sandbox to work with, but the story doesn't always know how to play in it. Read full review

Liz Shannon Miller

Feb 27, 2020

A future where one’s physical form is not just disposable but customizable inspires plenty of fascinating questions; unfortunately, the writers either find those questions uninteresting or beyond the scope of their storytelling. Read full review

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User Score

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3.7

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User Reviews

Nthy

Mar 1, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazing show. A philosopher once said, no man can step into the same river twice, for the second time it's not the same river and he's not the same man. Last season was a "noir detective story"-inspired mystery, and a Kovacs fresh off a long spell on ice, and he was sad to be brought back into a world he had fought so hard to stop. In the intervening time much has changed. Now we have a Kovacs who has a purpose of his own now and is driven, almost obsessed, with the idea that he might have a chance of finding her. This season is more akin to a James Bond story. Kovacs finds himself fighting to unravel the threads of a dangerous plot before those threads strangle him. Everything goes wrong for Kovacs right from the start and the result is a fast paced ride through a compelling story of ghosts, love, fear, ambition, retribution, crimes, history, and loss. As always the series reflects on what it even means to be human in a world where consciousness has been digitised. We can be transferred from sleeve to sleeve or beamed across the stars, but can we still retain what makes us who we are? Series 2 delves even deeper into the world, exploring things we only got the tiniest taste of in season 1. Each of the actors old and new does a fantastic job, and the writing is excellent. The only sin this tv show has committed so far is that it's too good for this world, and I can't shake the feeling that shortsighted corporate bean counters are going to pull the plug on it eventually.… Expand

0 of 13 users found this helpful013

Voodoo123

Mar 15, 2020

Acs2 is not as bold as season one, a more restrained approach to the scope of the plot has some benefits but ultimately I felt less emotionally connected to the characters and the screenplay seemed bareboned stood next to the complex weave of dialogue in s1. Mackie does ok here but hisAcs2 is not as bold as season one, a more restrained approach to the scope of the plot has some benefits but ultimately I felt less emotionally connected to the characters and the screenplay seemed bareboned stood next to the complex weave of dialogue in s1. Mackie does ok here but his takeshi plays it more cool and serious so seems less desperate snarky and vulnerable which is something I miss from kinneman's version (which brought a much needed sense of balanced humanity to this ridiculously op character!). Overall this was an entertaining if less memorable trip this time around.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Cobthecrazed

Feb 27, 2020

Meh, after the first couple of episodes. Mackie plays a very stiff Kovacs, Who seems much more interested in being sarcastic than actually accomplishing anything. Gilchrist starts out very annoying, and continues along that route as they try to figure out why her brain is messed up!Meh, after the first couple of episodes. Mackie plays a very stiff Kovacs, Who seems much more interested in being sarcastic than actually accomplishing anything. Gilchrist starts out very annoying, and continues along that route as they try to figure out why her brain is messed up! Chemistry between the two is virtually non-existent. Thinking there really shooting more for a politically correct version of altered carbon in season two, and having a storyline that actually makes any sense! You'll watch it, and you'll watch it till the end of the season, but you won't walk away with any real feeling!… Expand

17 of 17 users found this helpful170

Spiralus

Feb 28, 2020

I gave season 1 a 6 which, in hindsight, was generous. I know this now because i expected season 2 to be awful. . And yup. Episode one doubled down on all the worst parts from the first season. Stupid fight scenes, stupid motivations masquerading as deep. Thin world building. Trying to beI gave season 1 a 6 which, in hindsight, was generous. I know this now because i expected season 2 to be awful. . And yup. Episode one doubled down on all the worst parts from the first season. Stupid fight scenes, stupid motivations masquerading as deep. Thin world building. Trying to be cool like preteens. It comes off as awkward and painfully shallow. Screw this train wreck. This is coming from a lover of sci fi. I know its silly but im sad this show is so bad. I feel like the budget that should have been targeted towards me was aimed at morons who think sword fights are cool. Like i got lumped with them. I kind of hate whoever made these decisions. I still have the expanse.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

Dan11219

Apr 27, 2020

An amazing 1 series, ruined in a 2nd series by new show runners trying to change things to make it more ‘mainstream’. Season 1 filled a much needed void in TV, fans of dystopian cyberpunk noir have little to flock to from modern day TV & Film - Bladerunner 2049, Upgrade, Dredd to name a few.An amazing 1 series, ruined in a 2nd series by new show runners trying to change things to make it more ‘mainstream’. Season 1 filled a much needed void in TV, fans of dystopian cyberpunk noir have little to flock to from modern day TV & Film - Bladerunner 2049, Upgrade, Dredd to name a few. AC season 1 took the gritty, urban, futuristic theme and smashed it out of the park. People are craving this style of show right now, just look at all the hype around Cyperpunk 2077, probably one of the most anticipated video game releases in recent memory (Although this is also down to CDPR as a company) What do the new show runners do with series 2 of AC? Remove the gritty feel

Remove the dystopian urban landscape

Completely mess up the casting to the point where Kovacs isn’t Kovacs

Remove the dark plot line intertwined with the universe around it

What do they replace it with?

A set design that looks like any cheap generic sci-fi show found on daytime TV, mainly in small offices, caves, or woods

An actor (a good actor, mind) that is terrible for the role, he cannot portray anywhere near the depth of Joel as Kovacs and in my mind didn’t understand the character he was playing

A ‘fairy tale’ love story completely disassociated with what people are actually looking for when they tune in to a gritty, futuristic metropolis of a universe.

I genuinely forced myself to finish series 2, where as series 1 is one of my favourite shows of all time. This review is the only reason I made a metacritic account, it’s annoyed me this much. Netflix sort yourself out for this one please. TLDR; new show runners are muppets who don’t know what they’re doing, bring back the charm of series 1.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

metarykb

Apr 12, 2020

I couldn't finish this season so consider that my review is only the first 5-6 episodes i think. Getting through that much was a slog. The storytelling was bland and in no way kept my interest. I found myself putting on in the background just to get through it and thats when i realized itI couldn't finish this season so consider that my review is only the first 5-6 episodes i think. Getting through that much was a slog. The storytelling was bland and in no way kept my interest. I found myself putting on in the background just to get through it and thats when i realized it wasn't worth it. Shame, I LOVED season 1. Mackey did fine i think, i just think the story was horrible and there wasn't even enough action for a sci-fi action show. Probably the most disappointing season 2 of any show i've ever watched.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Satanski666

Feb 29, 2020

Hopes it get better, cause after first episode, i'm not impressed. Story doesn't look interesting, lead character is stiff and lacks charm and depth of first season's Takeshi, and overall, whole episode feels more like generic, shallow action movie. Hope it won't be Westworld season 2Hopes it get better, cause after first episode, i'm not impressed. Story doesn't look interesting, lead character is stiff and lacks charm and depth of first season's Takeshi, and overall, whole episode feels more like generic, shallow action movie. Hope it won't be Westworld season 2 repeat.
Initial rating: 6

Watching further, i'm getting bored more and more. Couldn't resist fast forwarding few seconds couple of times. Rating goes down to 3

Also feminist propaganda in it's aggressive form again. You can say that women are better then men at something, but when you do other way around, there is suddenly an outrage. I'm so fed up with this political correctness cesspool, which netfilx became. Rating down to 0.… Expand

8 of 8 users found this helpful80

SEE ALL 54 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

64

Series Overview
Season 2

65
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E8. Broken Angels
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E8. Broken Angels
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E7. Experiment Perilous
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E7. Experiment Perilous
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E6. Bury Me Dead
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E6. Bury Me Dead
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E5. I Wake up Screaming
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E5. I Wake up Screaming
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E4. Shadow of a Doubt
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E4. Shadow of a Doubt
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E3. Nightmare Alley
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E3. Nightmare Alley
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E2. Payment Deferred
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E2. Payment Deferred
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E1. Phantom Lady
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E1. Phantom Lady
  Air Date: February 27, 2020
Season 1

64
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: February 2, 2018