One of the first articles I ever wrote for Her Campus was about Altered Carbon in 2018 and since season 2 was recently released, I obviously felt compelled to write about it again. This is my last semester of my undergrad and when I wrote that first article, I felt like graduation was ages away so it feels a bit like I’ve come full circle. Here are 5 Reasons why you should watch Altered Carbon Season 2!
1. Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is the new Takeshi Kovacs and although I was sad to say goodbye to Joel Kinnaman (who was amazing in season 1), Mackie brings a brand-new take on the character that is just as good. I love Mackie as the Falcon in Marvel films, but I think that this role highlights his acting chops even more.
Like with Doctor Who, you always worry that you won’t like the actor playing your favourite character, but Mackie makes you care about his character and skillfully demonstrates that he is as deadly as the previous Kovacs.
2. More Women Powerhouses
Last season gave us very cool women who were good and bad but still powerful in their own ways like Ortega and Rei. This time we are introduced to women like Simone Missick who plays Trepp in season 2. Her character is very cool because she does whatever it takes to take care of the people she loves and won’t let anything get in her way. Another cool woman this season is Lela Loren who plays Danica Harlan, the governor on Harlan’s world. Now, without saying too much about her character, although her character isn’t the greatest, her performance is great. She shows that women can be very powerful and are capable of taking care of themselves.
3. Familiar faces
One thing with a show that switches the actors playing the main characters is that you end up missing the previous actors. Luckily in this season, we are still able to see some favourites like Poe, Lizzie, and even Takeshi Kovacs first body and of course, Quellcrist Falconer. I really enjoy that in this show they are able to introduce new characters that you love just as much as the characters from the previous season.
4. Another murder mystery
The storyline of Altered Carbon is obviously something that makes this series the best and, once again, there is another murder mystery. The show starts out with one of the Meths (really rich people) being worried because he thought someone was trying to kill him. Turns out he was right and it starts you down a path where a bunch of Meths are killed but we are unsure why it is happening until later episodes where it is all explained.
5. Hope
Altered Carbon shows a different version of the world that we have now. One where the future is very bleak and even worse than you could ever imagine and the rich are even richer and more corrupt. One thing that this show does well is even when things are as bleak as this future, it shows people who are always willing to fight for what is right and fight against injustice. It gives you hope that no matter the circumstance, you can always fight for what’s right and maintain hope for a better future just like the characters in the show do.