Amazon’s Upload wasted no time in establishing the biggest mysteries the main characters were going to try to solve, and season one left a couple of questions that future episodes should answer. From the mind of Greg Daniels (co-creator of Parks & Recreation) comes a new sci-fi comedy satire series titled Upload, which touches on themes like consumerism, capitalism, and the dynamics between humanity and technology, all with a good dose of (sometimes dark) humor.
Set in a near future where technology controls everything, even the afterlife, Upload follows Nathan (Robbie Amell), a young man who after a car crash is pushed by his girlfriend, Ingrid (Allegra Edwards), to “upload” his consciousness so he can keep on “living” and they can be together (essentially) forever. Once uploaded to Horizen’s Lakeview Hotel, Nathan meets Nora (Andy Allo), a customer service rep who serves as an “angel” to the uploads under her watch, among those Nathan. They soon develop a strong bond, and together find out there are some strange things going on with Nathan’s memories, and that his death was no accident.
Season 1 of Upload saw the combined efforts of Nathan and Nora to restore his memories and find out who could have killed him, all while also dealing with their feelings for each other and Ingrid, as she has full control of Nathan’s afterlife and can delete him completely if she wants. The first season didn’t fully solve all its mysteries, preparing the ground for a future season – and here are the biggest questions Upload season 2 should answer.
Who Killed Nathan Brown?
The events of the series are kickstarted by Nathan’s death. After a car crash that leaves him on the edge of death, he’s forced to make the decision of uploading under Ingrid’s data plan, granting her full control of his new “life”. It’s later revealed that Nathan wasn’t exactly dying and could have recovered, so there was no need to make the upload, and it was all part of a plan that involved Ingrid’s dad, Oliver. After Nathan broke up with Ingrid, she confronted her father and told him she changed the settings in Nathan’s car to protect the driver, but her efforts obviously weren’t enough. Whether Nathan’s accident was Oliver’s work or someone else’s remains unknown, as Nora realized that there are more people involved in Nathan’s death and the erasure of his memories.
Who Attacked Horizen’s Database?
Whoever messed with Nathan’s memories targeted specific ones related to the project he was working on with his friend and business partner, Jamie (Jordan Johnson-Hinds), but later on, someone attacked Horizen’s database, creating a glitch that temporarily turned uploads into pixelated versions. It’s unknown what was the attacker’s goal and if they are involved in Nathan’s death. It’s possible that the man sent to “kill” Nathan’s consciousness when he was taken out of Lakeview and later tried to kill Nora was involved in it, but again, it’s unknown who he was working for.
What Will Nora Choose?
Nora fell in love with Nathan, but was aware that having a relationship with an upload is complicated and, in a way, not real – and it’s even more complicated when the upload is under the control of someone else, like Ingrid. Though Nora went out on dates, she ended up telling Nathan she was up for giving their relationship a chance, and told him he loved him. However, as Nathan was downgraded to a 2gig plan, he ran out of data before Nora could come clean about her feelings, and so she believed he left her hanging. By the end of Upload season 1, Nora was leaving on a weekend getaway with Byron, her off-and-on again date. It’s yet to be seen if Nora will return to Horizen and will continue to be Nathan’s “angel”, and if she will choose real-life relationships over what she has with Nathan.
How Did Ingrid Die?
The biggest twist in Upload season 1 came right at the end of the final episode. After Nathan ran out of data and was left frozen in his 2gig room, Ingrid arrived and gave him 1GB so she could talk to him. Once reactivated, Ingrid told him she was going to be there forever as she decided to upload – and because a person has to be dead to be uploaded, this means Ingrid is now dead too. As it was her decision, it’s understood that she killed herself, but there might be something else behind that. Perhaps it’s part of an agreement or plan to continue having Nathan under her control even though he’s no longer under her data plan, or she simply took her obsession to another level.
Will Nathan Be Upgraded Again?
As mentioned above, Nathan was uploaded under Ingrid’s data plan, as her family has unlimited data because her father works for Horizen. This meant that anything Nathan needed or wanted to buy in-app had to be approved by Ingrid first, and if she wanted, she could delete him completely. On a brighter side, this allowed him access to all amenities at Lakeview, but at the cost of his freedom. As his family doesn’t have enough money to support that “lifestyle”, he decided to downgrade to a 2gig plan, which means he only has 2GB of data a month and as such had to be moved to a solitary and dull part of the hotel. Nathan’s plan was for Jamie to give him his part of the money from their project so he wouldn’t have to become a 2gig, but after his memories were restored, he realized that wouldn’t be possible. With Ingrid now an upload too, it’s yet to be seen if she will continue to pay for his extra GBs or if he will try to find new ways to be upgraded and thus continue seeing Nora.
