Warning! The following contains spoilers for Altered Carbon Season 2. Read at your own risk!
Altered Carbon Season 2 is out on Netflix, and by now, many sci-fi fans should've had a chance to work through this exciting chapter in the Takeshi Kovacs story. As exciting as it was, however, there's no denying the show got even more confusing in its latest episodes, especially in regards to where the adventure heads from here.
I have a ton of questions following Altered Carbon Season 2, the least of which being whether or not Netflix will commit to bringing it back for Season 3. With the assumption that Netflix might be down for more episodes of this exciting original, here are the lingering questions I'd love to see addressed in a future season.
Is This The Last Time We See Quell?
After a bunch of teases in Season 1, Quellcrest Falconer appeared in Season 2 way worse for wear. She did eventually regain her senses, and once the dust settled on the main story, Quell realized it was time for her to move on and restart her revolution. In the final exchange between Takeshi Prime and Quell, it really seemed like it could be the last time the character is seen.
And if that's the case, it's not really surprising. Takeshi Prime and Quell have no real history due to his memories ending right before he came in contact with her. With the OG Kovacs assumed "real dead," Quell has lost the Takeshi she was attached to and now must continue her revolution against the unnatural continuation of human life. Her time in the story could be done, though I'd expect the Protectorate may cross paths with her again should they catch wind she's not as "dead" as Kovacs Prime had said.
Will Dig Be Able To Restore Poe's Memory?
The beloved Poe was in a bad way for a good chunk of Season 2 due to an internal glitch in his system. It wasn't anything he couldn't fix with a reboot, though doing so meant he was at risk of losing some or all of his past memories. As Poe said, a reboot is the A.I. equivalent of death, which he did not want to experience and lose all the memories he'd made with Takeshi and Season 1's Lizzie.
At Season 2's end, Poe had no choice but to reboot as he'd become too much of a liability to Takeshi and the mission. He had a shot at returning to normal thanks to Dig's program, which she thought would help him get back memories he lost following the reboot. For Poe's sake, he better hope it works because neither of them know who the raw human DHF is in his memory post-reboot. The audience, of course, knows this is the backup of Altered Carbon's primary Takeshi, who Poe copied right before he was shut down. Poe would definitely want that Takeshi back if he remembered him, so if he does get his memories back, expect them to find some way to make that happen.
Will "Dead" Takeshi Come Back?
As mentioned in the previous point, there's a method for the Takeshi Kovacs that the story followed a majority of Altered Carbon Season 1 and 2 to return. The real question is whether or not the series will pull the trigger, as Takeshi's death served as the end of an arc to his story with Quell. If Altered Carbon were to switch off leads and follow Kovacs Prime in Season 3, it could get away with doing that.
There are downsides to settling on Kovacs Prime, however. He has no connection to most past characters, and only minimal connection to beloved characters like Poe and Quell. To start with him would be akin to a soft reboot, although the series could also do a split narrative should the other Takeshi be resurrected by Poe and Dig. I totally want to see it happen, but with Quell's arc seemingly concluded, I do find myself asking why the Takeshi of Season 1 and 2 would need to be back at the lead of an adventure.
Are There Any Good Meths?
Season 1 of Altered Carbon gave Meths a bad name, and Season 2 didn't do much to paint them in a different light. These ultra-wealthy and potentially immortal folks got quite a scare when the Elder within Quell was zapping through their numbers and destroying their backup stacks, and reacted accordingly. They soon realized their mistake in giving Danica Harlan full control of Harlan's World, but were they really redeemed after her exit?
Not really. In fact, the Meths questioning Takeshi Prime almost seemed more smug even though he and the others did all the work to save Harlan's World from massive loss of life. I'm beginning to lose all hope there are any truly good Meths in the world of Altered Carbon, but I'd love to be proven wrong down the stretch.
Can Jaeger Return?
Altered Carbon's Protectorate point man got the short end of the stick at Season 2's end. Jaeger ended up getting possessed by the Elder after it was expelled from Quell's body, and went about trying to construct a device to harness the Angelfire and eradicate the humans of Harlan's World. He got his stack blown at the season's end in a fight with Takeshi and Quell, which under normal circumstances would mean he's permanently dead.
Of course, let's remember The Protectorate intentionally double-sleeved Takeshi out of fear of losing their asset. Considering Jaeger is the guy they only spin up for major conflicts, I would be very surprised if there isn't a copy of his stack hanging out in The Protectorate's archives somewhere. I'd like to see Jaeger return, though maybe as someone who can ultimately get a redemption arc. I'd love to see Takeshi Prime and Jaeger ultimately take down The Protectorate from the inside. I'm just not quite sure that's a plan Jaeger would get behind at the moment.
What Will Kovacs Prime Do Next?
Kovacs Prime is in an interesting position at the end of Season 2. He's seen enough to know Quellcrist Falconer is not the person The Protectorate made her out to be, nor is The Protectorate what he thought it was. For now though, he's still embedded in the faction, and playing the part of the good soldier in part to keep the trail off anyone else who was involved in the adventure on Harlan's World.
The story is wide open for his character, and to be honest, I'd love to see Altered Carbon continue it. Takeshi Prime being in the Protectorate gives the show a leash to finally guide the story away from Harlan's World, and tell an entirely new story to hook viewers in once more. I'm on board with giving Will Yun Lee's Takeshi more screen-time, and seeing him cope with meeting himself 300 years later and have a completely different worldview than he has in the moment.
Altered Carbon Season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix. Check it out, and be sure to list any and all other questions regarding this latest batch of episodes down in the comments below.
