The first half is fantastic. This is what cyberpunk should be--that separates them from other genres of sci-fi dystopia. Resleeving (exchanging bodies) is a great plot device that can be used excellently, bringing us both moral and practical questions about how is it to live in a world where bodies are disposable, that mind reigns supreme yet is limited in its physicality (in stacks), some sort of a cyber-Cartesian thinking? The show is thought-provoking when it raises those issues, treading finely through controversial topics such as prostitution, drug abuses, and questions of life and death ("if you can prolong life by simply changing your bodies, would you still do it?"). Like the grandma resleeving in a white punk in episode 5.
The second half however is very shaky. Since the introduction of Reileen in real time, not in flashback, the show seems to drift away from those issues and take on a generic Hollywood sci-fi weekends. It leans too heavily on familial drama. Not that such issue can't be written excellently, mind you, but the problem is there was no build up towards the issue. Instead, the drama is brought upon, borrowing elements from the subplots that have been spun in prior episodes. It felt really weak, especially since the antagonist's character seems to be written to appear multi-layered, yet becoming overly convoluted. They should have sticked to the issues raised in the first-half. It's as if the writers were changed mid-way.
That said, I still expect season 2 to come. The show has lot of potential.
Review by Pradipa PRBlockedParent2019-08-25T17:36:39Z
The first half is fantastic. This is what cyberpunk should be--that separates them from other genres of sci-fi dystopia. Resleeving (exchanging bodies) is a great plot device that can be used excellently, bringing us both moral and practical questions about how is it to live in a world where bodies are disposable, that mind reigns supreme yet is limited in its physicality (in stacks), some sort of a cyber-Cartesian thinking? The show is thought-provoking when it raises those issues, treading finely through controversial topics such as prostitution, drug abuses, and questions of life and death ("if you can prolong life by simply changing your bodies, would you still do it?"). Like the grandma resleeving in a white punk in episode 5.
The second half however is very shaky. Since the introduction of Reileen in real time, not in flashback, the show seems to drift away from those issues and take on a generic Hollywood sci-fi weekends. It leans too heavily on familial drama. Not that such issue can't be written excellently, mind you, but the problem is there was no build up towards the issue. Instead, the drama is brought upon, borrowing elements from the subplots that have been spun in prior episodes. It felt really weak, especially since the antagonist's character seems to be written to appear multi-layered, yet becoming overly convoluted. They should have sticked to the issues raised in the first-half. It's as if the writers were changed mid-way.
That said, I still expect season 2 to come. The show has lot of potential.