The good news is that Upload’s last two episodes—7 and 8—of season 3 were chock-full of information, but the bad news is that the season is now officially over and we’ve been left on quite a major cliffhanger.

Notice – this review contains spoilers from the episode. 

In retrospect, I guess no one should’ve really counted on the existence of two Nathan’s as a permanent solution in a love triangle. It was the ideal outcome given that both Nora and Ingrid are essentially in love with the same man, but since when is love ever easy? Two Nathan’s was the dream, but reality quickly stomped on it, which isn’t surprising considering the series hinges on Nora and Nathan’s quest to take down Horizen, or, at the very least, hold them accountable for everything that went down with Freeyond and both Nathan’s are the sole property of Horizen. It was only a matter of time before they found out and course-corrected. 

In Nathan and Nora’s plan to seek out justice and get uploads basic human rights—because, as Ingrid testified in court, the “person simulations” are people, not products—they also made themselves targets. 

The good fight came at the expense of both Nathan’s existence as Horizen got wind of the very fact that illegal copies were being made and then decided to put an end to it. In the final moments of the episode, Nora, Ingrid, and Nathan’s mother get a call from the only man they’ve all ever cared about, and he confirms the sad news that they destroyed one of the Nathan’s…. which leads Nora to ask the million dollar question—which one? It’s the cliffhanger that has the potential to change everything for one of the women, as the finale saw them both getting engaged to their respective Nathan’s.

It makes sense to destroy the copy of Nathan since he’s not the original, which means that Ingrid has now lost the man of her dreams permanently after getting a real shot at happiness, the kind of happiness she’s always ever wanted with him. She no longer has to chase him as he’s now fully in love with her as well. Copy Nathan chose Ingrid over Nora and accepted her, flaws and all.

And if that’s the case, it’s unclear where the OG Nathan actually is. Did they re-upload him? Is he being held in their warehouse somewhere? Does Karina have her paws on him?

One of the bigger developments from the episode came when Holden’s key witness in the trial against Freeyond turned out to be the doctor who gave Nathan the fake gas pills. And the reason the pills were basically a placebo is because Nathan never needed them in the first place. It was revealed that the doctor took a bribe to sabotage the first download so that the digital afterlife services, including Freeyond, could thrive, but he was now a liability, so they took him out before he could even testify to all the shady things he’d been made privy too. 

However, it also proved that Nathan wasn’t in any real danger and the nosebleeds were just that—nosebleeds. He didn’t have to reupload to the digital afterlife and could, instead, have a happy and beautiful human life with Nora.

The only problem is that he technically wasn’t a human. Remember how I said both Nathan’s are Horizen property? Well, that’s still the case even after the download, so with the current laws—that they were aiming to change—he couldn’t legally become a legitimate person.

Just when you think Nora and Nathan caught a break, the other foot seems to drop.

Regardless, I’m pleased that the series found a way to recapture the magic between the couple, proving that even when dealing with all these external situations and factors, they are still determined to make their love work. They know that it isn’t always going to be rainbows and sunshine, but the fact that they have been given the chance to be together is enough—though that doesn’t mean they should stop dreaming of Montreal!

Aleesha wrestled with whether or not she could turn a blind eye to Karina’s shadiness, eventually realizing that the bad outweighed the good. It’s so nice to have Aleesha back on the right side! She risked it all by teaming up with Luke to dig up some incriminating information on Karina’s laptop, fully knowing that she wouldn’t just lose her job, she could lose her life as Karina doesn’t seem above killing those who pose a threat to her. 

Aleesha and Luke make the best duo, and their friendship—and possibly more—is something to be envied. Through their efforts, Aleesha was able to send over plenty of dirt to Nora, which helped in the trial against Freeyond.

The victory, which included winning millions for the families of all of Freeyond’s victims, wasn’t all that they hoped, however, as it meant that all the incriminating records would be sealed and their public takedown of the company wouldn’t happen. The world would never know just how horrible and corrupt Horizen/Freeyond actually was, including us as it was never revealed what was in those documents—though I’m hoping we get to find out eventually.

The problem was that Nora and Nathan didn’t fully understand what they were signing up for. They wanted revenge and justice at any cost, and so they invested everything into helping Holden’s case. 

But their goals were never aligned. Holden had no vested interest in bringing down Horizen and exposing them, she was looking for a payout for her clients, which she achieved. She was never there to represent the uploads.

Following the lawsuit, Horizen did what they had to do to save face and they rebranded to Betta, promising a better experience to shareholders, employees, and members, but behind the scenes, the whole facade was crumbling as Horizen was on fire. And we can’t forget Workload, the perk of spending your afterlife working—proving that the bill successfully passed even after being exposed.

It’s unclear if there even is a version of Horizen in existence anymore—but that’s a problem for season 4 to tackle. Are you listening, Prime Video? We need more! 

One of the highlights of the season was definitely the character development between Ingrid and Nora. Ingrid’s jealousy always clouded her judgment of Norma, but once she walked a mile in her shoes, she realized that she’d been judging her unfairly. They actually had quite a lot in common. 

Ingrid and Nora went from despising each other to sharing heartfelt hugs while talking through their relationship woes with their respective Nathan’s. Look how far they’ve come! 

And now, with one Nathan eliminated and another Nathan being held hostage somewhere, they only have one another to lean on, which I’m hoping will deepen their bond rather than destroy it and re-infuse it with jealousy. 

No one understands the dangers and unethical practices of Horizen like Nora and Ingrid, so they are in a unique position to do something about it. They simply have to be willing to risk it all…. if there’s even more left to risk. 

We also don’t know what happened to Aleesha as last we saw, she was being summoned to Karina’s office. One can only assume that she pinpointed Aleesha as the actual whistleblower, but will she attempt to destroy her?

Is Luke ok? Is the AI guy—all versions of him—going to exist still?

It wasn’t the strongest season as things did get pretty messy at times, but the unhinged nature of the show is what makes it stand out and keeps drawing us in. At its core, it’s just a show about people wanting to do right by others and ensuring equality for all while holding corporations accountable. Aren’t you glad nothing has changed in 2030?

Is anyone even concerned about what happened to Choak? The secret is going to end Ivan. 

What’s Nora and Ingrid’s next move? How can they find Nathan now that everyone is on the outs with Horizen and their covers are blown?

Will Nathan get to finish what he started by creating his version of Freeyond that actually helps people?

Can they get the other Nathan back? Horizen has so much control, they can pretty much do anything they want, but it also means that there’s a possibility that backup Nathan was, well, backed up somewhere.

What did you think of Upload Season 3?

Upload Season 3 Episode 5 and 6 Review – Rescue Mission & Memory Crackers

Upload Season 3 Episodes 5 and 6 dumped a lot of information on fans, proving that the further we get into the season, the more twists and turns we should expect. 

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll break this down into the most important and shocking moments from the episode! 

Karina Is Bad

Okay, we kind of gleaned that when she came onto Aleesha at first. The whole supportive shtick made us believe that maybe Aleesha actually met a decent person at the executive level who could help her out—and it would honestly be much more surprising if she was a team player versus the villain that she turned out to be. While it doesn’t seem like she pursued Aleesha to get to Nora, she absolutely used their friendship to try to extract information about what Nora knows. 

Thankfully, Aleesha proved that despite being on the outs with Nora, she was still a friend first, whispering to Nora to keep everything she knew to herself. And it’s a good thing she hasn’t told Aleesha anything because this way, Karina can’t romance it out of her. 

But the bottom line is that Karina is absolutely working with the Choak’s of the world and not in the best interest of Horizen/uploads. 

Her people pursued Nora, who went back to the doctor’s house to ask why he prescribed Nathan GasX (lol), before locking her up at a “fake Lakeview” and making her believe that she was dead in hopes that she would come clean about everything. Anyone else breathe a sigh of relief when Nora ended up being alive and well? Whew, me too! That cliffhanger got me good!

When she denied knowing who lived in the house, they chalked it up to coincidence and “sent her back,” and when she woke up on a park bench, she had no recollection of what happened. And though she has no memory of meeting Karina, she did get triggered by her when she saw her on camera, proving that subconsciously, those memories are stored in there somewhere. Always follow a gut feeling, that’s my advice. 

Karina also asked Nora about Matteo—was it only because she assumed that Nora was working with him? Or is there a deeper connection?

Two Nathan’s Are Better Than One

You know what’s better than a love triangle with two different men? Two different versions of the same man! Yep, Nora found herself conflicted on her feelings between OG Nathan and backup Nathan (his official name) after they all united on a plan to save Luke followed by a plan to sift through Choak’s memories to find evidence of his illegal activities. 

It’s not a surprise that Nora and backup Nathan had a connection as this is the same man that she fell in love with, who was stuck in a moment right before they decided to download Nathan and pursue a relationship. Being around him brings her back to when things were simple, plus, he still has the charm and confidence that the old Nathan had before returning to the real world and realizing that he now has to deal with real-life problems. Backup Nathan naturally tried to put the moves on Nora (OG Nathan expected nothing less and didn’t trust himself) because, in his mind,  he’s been waiting for her to come back so he could get his chance with her. Thankfully, Nora didn’t give into temptation as she knew that she’d fallen in love and imprinted on the other version of Nathan. While they were essentially the same person, they weren’t, and it would still be cheating. It’s an interesting concept to consider that two people who were meant to be aren’t meant to be based on differing circumstances—and how various circumstances shape relationships. 

It gave the series the silliness that’s been needed to cut through all the grim stuff. 

Andrea Rosen (Lucy), Zainab Johnson (Aleesha), Jeanine Mason (Karina)

Ingrid’s Coming Into Her Own

Ingrid has been through her fair share of heartbreak, and Nora’s return into backup Nathan’s life caused her plenty of pain and worry. She didn’t want to lose the new copy to Nora yet again, but she couldn’t prevent the jealousy from knowing that he was hanging out with the woman that he was always prioritizing over her. 

So, she got drunk and after some straightforward advice from the AI (who told her that her drama is of her own making), she went to talk to OG Nathan about her problems. In between trying to put the moves on him, the two actually had their purest heart-to-heart, and if Ingrid had always been this authentic, maybe she would’ve had a chance. The good news is that it’s not too late because she’s growing and becoming a better version of herself alongside a version of Nathan who’s also starting to realize how loyal and loving she is—and that he doesn’t have a chance with Nora because she’s taken by him.

Yep, I’m finally rooting for Nathan and Ingrid—backup Nathan, that is. 

Nathan and Nora Aren’t What We Expected

And this is, unfortunately, the reality of modern-day relationships. They love each other and they are thankful to be together, finally, but there’s also the illusion of what they thought it would be, muddled by the fact that they have to prioritize bringing down Horizen, worrying about Nathan’s head potentially exploding, being chased by bad people, being penniless, and, as Nathan told Ingrid, living with constant diarrhea (that’s more of a him problem). It’s not the life that either of them is used to, it’s hard, and it’s bound to take a toll on any relationship. At Lakeview, all they had to focus on was being together, but here, they are dodging crises left and right, so it makes sense, though I do wish we got some of that original chemistry and excitement about the relationship back. It’s still very new to them, so it shouldn’t feel like a chore. 

The Big Reveal

After sifting through Choak’s memories—take that, old man!—they found proof that they were planning to rig the election to pass the HR32255 law, which would allow uploads to work (an idea backup Nathan doesn’t think is bad at all), while other moments from the meeting between Choak and Ingrid’s evil father reveal that Horizen would rent out the uploads to Choak to save money. 

In another disheartening moment, Ingrid hears her father wish that she was in the car with Nathan when they got rid of him. 

It’s all irrefutable proof, but who can they even bring it to? There are not many people they can trust—and definitely no one at Horizen. Can they even trust Holden, Nathan’s ex that’s letting him and Nora crash with them?

Choak also got the confirmation he needed the Nathan was onto him, but he won’t remember it because his memory was erased. 

Other Memorable Moments

• The two Nathan’s not only found out about each other, but they teamed up to save Luke in the Grey Zone after he was captured following attempts to turn over the AI to some gangsters. It was nice seeing them bond and declare that they feel like brothers… it’s almost like twins. 
• Luke also felt torn between 2 Nathan’s, and the end result of his stress was a tummy ache. 
• Aleesha was tasked with a project to make the AI more human by helping him navigate a 10-mile walk in New York City. The AI clone, who finally got the name Josh, ended up having plenty of mind-blowing experiences, including one NSFW with a charging station. Let’s just leave it at that. 
• The AI back at Horizen also got a smooch from Ingrid and part of me feels like they’d make a good couple.
• The future looks bleak if that’s what a group workout consists of! Also, Ingrid needs better friends. 

With only 2 episodes left this season, I hope everything starts falling into place and Nora and Nathan can rekindle the spark that they once had at Lakeview. How do you think they are going to bring down Freeyond? If they have so many people in high places and so much money, how can the few Ludds of the world stand a chance?

What did you think of the episodes? How are you liking this season?

Upload Season 3 Episode 3 and 4 give us a little bit of that Lakeview fun with CyberDiscount Day, which honestly feels like something that could exist in our current reality and sort of does if you think about Thanksgiving and Black Friday rolling into one. Consumerism, am I right?

And amid the celebrations, Nora takes up a remote job to make some extra cash (honestly, how does she still have a gig there?) and realizes that there’s a rebooted version of her beau in the digital afterlife. She later informs Nathan who is strangely jealous of the copy. 

It’s an amusing realization, but they have much bigger and pressing issues to deal with for the time being like making sure that OG Nathan survives his download. (But in the event that he doesn’t, there’s always a backup! Obviously, that’s a joke…).

Nathan’s nosebleeds are definitely concerning, but when Nora witnesses them, she immediately leaps into action and locates the doctor responsible for the first, unsuccessful, download. The doctor gives Nathan some pills and warns him that if things begin to escalate, he needs to re-upload before his head explodes (no biggie), but as I’ve questioned with any and every outsider thus far—can he be trusted? 

Nora had every right to be hesitant about Nathan taking the unknown drug as he seems to be the only living and breathing example that downloading can work… at least for now. It redeems him in the eyes of the public and his peers, so who knows what he’ll do with this information? 

As for Nathan, he’s semi-enjoying his new lease on life, though it’s not exactly a walk in the park, which is kind of what he was used to in the afterlife.

Everyone keeps making side digs at his “weight gain,” which is hilarious considering his fragile ego and how much stock he’s always put into his looks. He may be a changed man, sure, but it’s hard to shake some insecurities. 

There’s also the fact that they are pretty much dirt-poor so he’s forced to work any job he can possibly find isn’t exactly ideal. 

He finds out that Ingrid also has a job—a shocking fact to anyone who knows her—after she was forced to find a way to make money after her family cut her off for being “too obsessed” with Nathan. Lakeview Nathan doesn’t love her any less now that she doesn’t have money, which is sweet, but OG Nathan is surprised to see her when he goes to apply for a gig at the suit rental store. 

It makes sense that this would be her choice of job—retail is horrible, but at least she’s always just a suit away from being with her dream man! 

Things with Ingrid and OG Nathan were very much over, but the Lakeview Nathan is completely in love with her, even if he does briefly question where their relationship is going with the shady man when they break the rules and visit the first floor, the original version of Lakeview when it was first starting. 

I love how many points of Lakeview there are to explore—and each more unhinged than the next—but it was fun to see Ingrid and Nathan dabble in a little mischief together. It’s almost like poker night all over again, except this is really Ingrid, and this is the relationship Nathan’s always wanted with her. 

Of course, their adventure wasn’t without its complications as Tinsley panicked when she noticed yet another Nathan was missing, so she restored a third copy of Nathan but immediately destroyed it once she got a “duplicate” message. Nathan III turned into a puddle of jello blocks, but I have a feeling that’s not the last we’ve seen of him. There has to be a consequence to her actions, otherwise, what would prevent the “angels” from rebooting the subjects every time they got too advanced?

Reduced housing has proven to have many pitfalls for Nathan and Nora’s relationship, including preventing them from being intimate with each other—though the scenes of Nathan’s mom permitting them to have sex while she just turned the other way was too funny. 

They are going through the very real ups and downs that come with no longer being in a long-distance relationship; in their case, they are actually living in the same realm. It’s not going to be easy, no one expected that, but it does feel like the magic has fizzled out a little bit. However, they still feel very much committed to making it work, and that’s the first step to a successful and long-lasting relationship.

They are learning a lot about each other, particularly that being honest isn’t Nathan’s strong suit. He says they can crash at his “buddy from college” Holden’s place only for Nora to find out Holden is an ex-girlfriend. It’s not an ideal meeting, but it seems like Holden might be someone who can help them navigate their difficult new reality and even expose Freeyond for being a corrupt digital afterlife funded by billionaires hoping to rig the election. Again, I hope we can trust her!

Then there’s the issue of what Freeyond is up to next (and side note: what happened to Nathan’s former partner?!). Choak may be old but he’s certain he doesn’t have “digital dementia” as he claims to have seen Nathan cleaning the bathroom during one of Freeyond’s top-secret meetings. He divulges the information to Ingrid’s father, who, in turn, bans him from the upcoming meeting. And that’s not all—after he informs Ivan that he’s behind his little Roomba vacuum cleaner and has so much data on him, the final shot of the episode finds Ivan clutching Choak’s drive…. did he remove him from Lakeview?

So much is happening in and around Lakeview that’s somehow eluding Lucy, but given that she nearly fell out of the car after falling asleep on the way to a corporate event, I’m not even surprised. 

Aleesha has become Lucy’s right-hand woman after getting promoted at Horizen (and falling out with Nora). And she’s finally getting a storyline of her own that is intriguing and also concerning. After the corporate meeting, she hooks up with Karina (Roswell, New Mexico’s Jeanine Mason), who seemingly wields a lot of power… but, you know what I’m going to say, can she be trusted? It’s also a huge disappointment for fans shipping Aleesha and Luke, I know, but the upload in love with his angel and vice versa has already been explored so this offers a refreshing take. And maybe Karina will be an asset for Nora and Nathan in the episodes to come.

Aleesha also pitches the Founders Grove committee a plan to modernize Lakeview—and she’s the only person who makes any sense at all. If this is heaven, why would anyone want the crusty atmosphere that’s being offered? Lucy better watch out because “Leeci” is coming for her job. And she might just be good at it since she actually cares about Lakeview and the residents living there. Let’s just hope she doesn’t make the AI too powerful, though it’s kind of nice that she’s humanizing them.

Luke is also getting his own storyline, seemingly disconnected from his obsession with Nathan. After being informed that upload funding for veterans is ending, he takes matters into his own hands, venturing out beyond the limits to get a sales job in exchange for bitcoin, which is where he saw a wanted poster for Lakeview’s AI. Will he turn on the AI guy for a chance at the top prize? Also—who needs a digital afterlife where you continuously have to worry about the same things you did on Earth?! It’s such a bummer. 

And for the question on everyone’s mind—what happens when Lakeview Nathan learns the truth about what happened to OG Nathan and his angel? He believes Nora deserted him and disappeared, but he has no idea that he chose her instead of Ingrid. Will that change things for him? Will Nora be in a love triangle with two Nathan’s?

What did you think of the episode?