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As Season 2 of Peacemaker nears its finale on October 9, fans have had quite a few surprises over the past few weeks in the DCU series. One is a major Suicide Squad returnee, Joel Kinnaman, who has an uncredited cameo role as Rick Flag Jr. in “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” Episode 3 of the sophomore season. Although his appearance is brief, he reminds viewers of his striking versatility as an actor. This range is especially evidentin the similarly intriguing but sadly forgotten cyberpunk favorite, Altered Carbon.
Altered Carbon wasn’t just another sci-fi project for Kinnaman; it was the role that proved he could anchor a sprawling, idea-heavy world while still keeping audiences emotionally invested. His performance as Takeshi Kovacs pretty much shapes the series’ identity and keeps it grounded, but that wasn’t enough for it to achieve immortal status. Of course, Altered Carbon has its flaws, but it’s certainly one of those shows that deserves more attention in this age, considering its ambitious themes, which resonate in a world increasingly shaped by questions of AI, transhumanism, and digital immortality.
Netflix’s ‘Altered Carbon’ Is More Than Just a Cyberpunk Series
In 2018, Altered Carbon took the world by storm when it premiered on Netflix as a promising cyberpunk series, captivating viewers with its neon skylines, towering corporate skyscrapers, and the menacing aura of a high-tech world. Most of Altered Carbon Season 1 is set in the 24th century — specifically in the year 2384 — where society is transformed by radical technology. Now, human consciousness can be digitized and “re-sleeved” into new bodies, making death optional for those who can afford it: the wealthy. The poor, on the other hand, scrape by, often renting out their bodies or living with the psychological fallout of being re-sleeved against their will. Not to mention, as the wealthy extend their lives indefinitely, so also do they wield unchecked power that makes them feel like gods.
From “Out of the Past,” the first episode, Altered Carbon introduces a sleek cyberpunk setting, but immediately grounds it in noir storytelling, featuring a detective (Kovacs) hired to solve the supposed murder of a wealthy man. This noir element elevates the series beyond the cyberpunk label, but what makes it especially compelling, however, is its emotional depth. Kovacs isn’t just a mercenary navigating a high-tech dystopia; he’s a man carrying centuries of grief, trying to reconcile the revolutionary ideals he once fought for with the compromises he now makes to survive as the last Envoy.
Viewers get to understand this character more in Episode 4, “Force of Evil,” as we see Kovacs confront his own fractured identity and painful memories when his unconscious self is tortured in a virtual interrogation room. Three episodes later, in “Nora Inu,” Kovacs’s past is deeply explored, from the trauma of his childhood to the death of his greatest love, Quellcrist “Quell” Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry), which ultimately breaks him. This loss defines the character throughout two seasons, setting the tone that there’s much more beyond the cyberpunk surface while also stripping away the futuristic layer to reveal a love story and a tragedy at the center of the character.
Joel Kinnaman Is a Force To Be Reckoned With in ‘Altered Carbon’
Before Altered Carbon, Kinnaman had already established a strong reputation in grounded sci-fi, having led the gritty 2014 RoboCop reboot. This helped solidify him as an actor who could thrive in futuristic, morally complex roles, so when he stepped into the role of Kovacs, he wasn’t new to the game, making the character seem like it was created just for him. Portraying Kovacs in only the first season of Altered Carbon, Kinnaman’s physical performance carries the brutal combat sequences with a sense of real weight and exhaustion. At the same time, he perfectly blends grit with emotional resonance in a character who could have easily been a hollow action hero.
It was his brooding intensity that first hooked viewers and gave the series its pulse, which remained consistent even till the Season 1 finale, “The Killers.”In the high-stakes episode, Kinnaman is torn between vengeance and humanity, as he has to choose between family loyalty and moral responsibility. This ultimately ends with him killing his corrupt (in every sense) and obsessive sister, Reileen (Dichen Lachman), after realizing she is beyond redemption. That moment is one of the most devastating of Altered Carbon, also cementing Kovacs as an antihero.
‘Altered Carbon’ Could’ve Been Netflix’s Biggest Prestige Sci-Fi Show
When Altered Carbon debuted on Netflix, it was poised to be the streamer’s next major prestige sci-fi show, with its dark, ambitious premise that spoke to a bold vision of the future. The futuristic series had all the makings of a phenomenal hit for Netflix, from its impressive worldbuilding that rivaled Blade Runner to its large-scale budget, which was speculated to be Netflix’s most expensive production at the time. Despite all this, just a few years later, Altered Carbon has all but vanished from mainstream conversation, with the global sci-fi favorite, Stranger Things, taking the spotlight for years.
Now the million-dollar question is: what held Altered Carbon back from prestige status? There’s more than one reason! The first season has more substance and style, with Kinnaman’s performance further enhancing the storyline. By Season 2, things feel different, and not in a good way. Despite Anthony Mackie‘s capable turn, the show loses some of its noir edge and emotional grit as it leans more into straightforward sci-fi action. On top of that, storylines grow more fragmented, and the pacing feels rushed, leaving major arcs, such as Poe’s (Chris Conner) digital decay and Quell’s return, among others, underdeveloped.
Altered Carbon may not have reached the heights of Netflix’s other prestige hits, nor does it dominate today’s streaming conversations, but Kinnaman’s performance ensured it left a lasting mark. If you’re seeking a show that challenges the mind as much as it thrills the senses, then the series is more than worth rediscovering.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2019
- Writers
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Laeta Kalogridis
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