A face off with Isaac the weasel and some fun with a mechanized arm lighten this episode a bit. And, James Purefoy reminds us just how terrifyingly insane he can be (a la Joe Carroll in The Following) in an episode that delivers a lot of story and a lot of action without the usual level of visual exhilaration or sci-fi gimmickery.
The world of Altered Carbon is beginning to feel like home. Meetings in a cheap VR cafe? Didn't think twice about it. Crowds chanting "Real death! Real death!" at an organic damage event? Just another day in the Protectorate. But several revelations emerge in this episode, one of which is a twist and, at first glance, a bit of a stretch. I won't spoil, but I was left thinking, "whuuutt?"
The amount of cutting and shooting and injuries are starting to fatigue a bit. I suppose it keeps the tension high. But, the balance struck by series like Breaking Bad is that the violence was intense from time to time, but not every episode. Acting is still very strong. And the world of Altered Carbon is still intriguing and well thought out. The threads of the plot are beginning to weave together. And Kovacs and Ortega are working together better than ever.
Poe and Vernon are given moments that remind how they both bring heart and humanity to tip the scales against Kovacs and Ortega's cynical individualism. I would enjoy more of them. And Ortega's mom continually HATES Kovacs, which is still funny.
Keeping the quality high, though I'm missing the transporting effect of the first few episodes a bit. Seven stars for this outing.
