After a dramatic Season 3 cliffhanger, Prime Video thankfully granted the underrated sci-fi comedy series Upload a four-part series finale event. While we can’t discuss which Nathan (Robbie Amell in dual roles) survived, we can tell you that the finale event is full of clever laughs and an emotional ending.
Upload Season 4 focuses primarily on the aftermath of the previous season and how the fallout of the erasure of a Nathan affects the respective relationships with Nora (Andy Allo) and Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) and, to a lesser extent, the big ole lovable goof Luke (Kevin Bigley). Both bookend episodes have moving performances that hit harder than you’d expect from most comedies – a trademark of series executive producer Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Rec).
Andy Allo does exceptional work, primarily in the weighty character developments surrounding Nora’s future in and out of VR. Amell also continues to evolve as an actor since his The CW days (I loved DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and The Tomorrow People btw), turning in a tear-jerking performance in the latter episodes that many won’t see coming. Kevin Bigley hilariously shoulders most of the comedic work load here, but Luke’s characters also has a bigger part to play. Zainab Johnson as Aleesha adds some more light-hearted moments as well, but her “undercover agent” arc, while providing some humorous moments, ultimately treads water while waiting to be used as a plot device for the story’s climax.
Shady rich business people are always a backdrop villain on Upload, but the finale gets a hands-on antagonist due to A.I. Guy’s (Owen Daniels) advancing his sentience to the point where one of his versions goes rogue evil and threatens not only the virtual residents of Lakeview, but the real world itself. Greg Daniels has always delivered in this unsung supporting comedic bit, but he stretches his talent to truly stand out levels with nuanced and diverse portrayals of his A.I. in these episodes. Although Allegra Edwards is still my personal favorite as Ingrid, having grown from an unstable, vapid beauty to a complex, good person that’s also an unstable, vapid beauty.
Prime Video’s Upload has continually been a rewarding surprise with unexpectedly intelligent prognostication of technology’s future in human society and the state of mental consciousness. There are a few questionable choices with the fates of some of our characters, which leaves a feeling like there are scenes or even an entire epilogue episode that’s missing, but there’s still enough to satisfy viewers along for the ride. Aside from a rather cheap trick that deflates some of the final episode’s emotion, this four-part series finale event is the perfect length to send the series out on an emotional high note.
Score 3.5 out of 5