When we left the lavish virtual afterlife of Lakeview, Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) had his afterlife subscription unknowingly dropped to the lowest level of data use in Lakeview, after piecing together enough memories to continue investigating the mystery behind his death. However, when all seemed lost, his real-world girlfriend (and potential connection to his death), Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) volunteraily ‘uploaded’ herself to be with Nathan, although to him, her motives seem more malicious than intended. While in the real-world, Nathan’s true love interest and former employee of Lakeview’s tech team, Nora (Andy Allo) is on the run after being let go for helping Nathan on his investigation.

 

The first episode of the second season begins with Nora being led to a tech-free civilisation in the middle of the woods, in the hopes that she can live freely without being hunted anymore. In this new life, she meets Matteo, an attractive and charming man who connects with Nora without having to send a text or swipe on Tinder.

 

After having his extravagant afterlife reinstated under the control of Ingrid, Nathan almost immediately tries to continue the investigation into his death, but hit’s crossroads as Ingrid begins showing more interest in him. Unable to contact Nora, he decides to pursue another chance with Ingrid.

 

The most interesting part of this episode is how on a visual level, the distinction is made between Lakeview and the real world. In the secluded woods, Nora’s world seems bleak, yet beautiful compared to the over-coloured and excessive resort that is Lakeview. The silence of technology in the real world makes the show's point obvious, that both these worlds have their perks, but sometimes too much of a good thing can be detrimental.

 

Robbie Amell balances the humour and drama of his character’s story as he struggles with the inclusion of Ingrid in his life, who is portrayed by Edwards with the perfect amount of ‘spoilt-princess’ vibe to be just infuriating enough for Nathan, while also being entertaining. And while the chemistry between Nathan and Nora is taking a back-seat as their separated, it’s a testament to their performances that the desire to see them reunite is already this strong in the first episode!

 

The tech-based jokes are as prevalent and, for the most part, just as chuckle-worthy as the first season. But like it’s preceding season, the highlight of the humour is the array of side characters within Lakeview. Owen Daniels as A.I. Guy is hilariously awkward as the bumbling hotel busboy provides so much levity throughout the episode. And the bro-mance between Nathan and Luke (Kevin Bigley) is golden material with Bigley’s dumb, but endearing frat boy character!

It was a pleasant surprise to see Upload coming back after it’s cliffhanger first season finale! Fans of the show won’t be disappointed as this new season feels like it slots right back into the streaming cycle with the heart and laughs that made you fall in love with Lakeview and its residents initially.