Netflix's New Sci-Fi Series Altered Carbon

There was a similar thread last month about Kinnaman's body in one of the trailers but that quickly devolved into a discussion of his previous projects. Let's talk about the show itself here.

If you've seen The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo web series on YouTube, you might recognize Antonio Marziale, who will have a substantial role in this series.

Also starring Dichen Lachman from Dollhouse and Marvel's Agents of Shield, and Adam Busch of Buffy fame.

OP, you're not in charge. If you need to control the conversation, start a blog with restricted comments.

Here's a picture of Joel with his circus lady wife.

Here's a picture of Joel looking like a pinhead. Why is his head so fucking small?

Joel Kinnaman is the fucking man. I’ll watch anything that stars him in it.

His head looks small because his shoulders are INSANE

Here's a direct link to Kinnaman's substantial shoulders.

R2 It was a suggestion, not an order. Get laid and/or unclench, you triggered little brat.

Some very exciting news:

[quote]James went on to reveal that he even has some naked scenes in his latest Netflix series Altered Carbon.

[quote]"It's shot on 8k cameras," the actor continued. "I'm not even sure if anyone has an 8k television.

[quote]"But every detail is a feast for the eyes!"

Can't wait! Let's see how he... erm, holds up since his [italic]Rome[/italic] days.

Sounds like a topic already well covered by Black Mirror. No thanks.

Find a new theme already!

I say this as someone who doesn’t have a beautiful body but if you do why do you trash it with god awful tattoos? Will this trend ever end?

R8 Seems like a mix of Black Mirror, Blade Runner, and Ghost In The Shell, with some Robocop thrown in. I admit I'll watch it for the eye candy and I'll report back if I enjoyed the story as well.

It got my attention. I’ll give it a chance.

AV Club gives the first season a B-.

I've caught some not so encouraging things on Twitter from someone watching the advanced previews last month. Basically, it's tits galore. So many tits like you wouldn't believe. And a penis. The first three episodes are said to be trash (to lure in the teenage boys, probably) and it only starts to get good in the fourth episode.

Mo Ryan of Variety gave it a fresh review and that's good enough for me. I guess I'll just have to wade through all the tits to get to the good part.

[quote]Like “Electric Dreams,” “Altered Carbon” is not perfect, but both are solid additions to the canon of science fiction on television. To see major TV platforms spending big money on TV series with shuttlecraft, flying police cruisers, multiple worlds and gorgeously inventive technology is heartening. Though “Altered Carbon” is dependent on a number of the genre’s oldest conventions, the casual inclusivity of its cast (many women of color have prominent roles), and its ability to shift between worlds and memories becomes impressive over time.

I've been saying this a lot. We fans of this genre have to support it, even if it stumbles a bit in its first season.

I love both Joel and James. WTF with Joel’s carny ass girlfriend ?

I'm watching the second episode now and loving the shit out of it! I don't even notice the tits as the storytelling is just so compelling.

Oh, and I do appreciate James Purefoy fluffing his dick before [italic]that[/italic] scene. What a pro!

James Purefoy is out of control

Kinnaman shows ass in every episode but no full frontal, unfortunately. Lots of tits and landscaped pussy.

So I'm watching the seventh episode now and I'm obsessed with it. What a nice, quality binging experience this has turned out to be. But you know what's the worst thing about this show? Knowing this is pretty much exactly what will happen once the oligarchs finally have the cure for ageing.

Kinnaman seems to be one of those guys who's poured all his efforts into his (considerable) upper body but doesn't care much about developing his legs. So he kinda looks disproportionate at times. But whatever, just looking at him motivates me to work out. And he has the cutest and most delicious-looking outie I've ever seen; I would very much like to do unspeakable things to it.

R18 There was a hint of his bits for a fraction of a second in the very first episode when he wakes up. I wish Skarsgård or Purefoy would reassure him it's not at all degrading to show your winky on TV.

It has a Blade Runner (the original movie) feel to it.

R20 Oh, yes, definitely. More than anything else. I'm glad we're at the point where they can afford to recreate that atmosphere on the small screen.

Finished it just now. Can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with this Forbes article. I'm usually the first one to point out the "problematic" aspects of any given show, much to the chagrin of other DLers, but I found this show immensely enjoyable, largely because of its diversity and gender treatment. Sure, the rape thing needs to be retired as a plot device but that's the problem of TV (and books!) in general, not just this show. Jesus, just have a look at Outlander and how problematic [italic]that[/italic] shit is.

I was literally preparing to go into a short depression because I thought this was supposed to be a one season thing from the start but I've just learned there's a high possibility of a second season happening!! Perhaps the gay couple who inherited everything could make an appearance? The show definitely needs more homo stuff.

The tits are a nice distraction. They are gratuitous but I like looking at nice female bodies. Though Joel's ass shot was utterly divine. He needs some serious man and man action by the end of the show. Maybe Purefoy will top him.......

R23 Yeah, even though I got zero pleasure from it, I couldn't help but marvel at Ortega's tits and her whole body in general. Especially that shot of her standing up from the tub in the second half of the season. Smoking hot!

We'll probably never see Joel bang a guy on this show as he wants to retain the macho image in case he ever gets a movie offer again. It's a shame but that's Hollywood for you.

If you're in West Hollywood, swing by and take a look at the "live" ad- it's pretty cool. The fine print seems to indicate that he's a pleasure model.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

The wife is a fucking disgrace R2.

R2 She looks like a demented and overly tattooed version of the classy and sassy Sade. Tattoos on the breast are extremely unseemly. It is in extremely bad taste. I am disappointed in MS Joel but there is still time to switch over to manmeat.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Altered Carbon is currently Fresh at 65% on the Tomato meter

Netflix’s Altered Carbon is TV’s raddest science fiction show

I'm enjoying it more than Blade Runner 2049; which doesn't mean much.

This bus stop billboard for Altered Carbon featuring a person in a bag is freaking people out

There are several female full frontal nude scenes but only two males; James Purefoy and some unknown actor who played a john in the last episode.

Nice dong on Purefoy.

I thought that bus stop ad was just a photo so I freaked out when the reporter touched it and it was like actual packed meat! Shudder. I'm just glad it's a man because you know the female version would draw condemnation.

Was I the only one who noticed something... [italic]wiggy[/italic] going on with Kinnaman's hair in certain shots? Because his hair definitely never looked as thin as it does in r29's photo. He should lose those sad bangs that make him look like a sleazy pimp and just embrace the growing forehead. And what a beautiful forehead it is.

Yeah, the wife is trash, r27; there's really no two ways about it. He'll never be taken seriously with that every straight boy's porn fantasy at his elbow.

R34 There's also a quick shot of a stiffy when someone's getting sucked off through a glory hole but that was probably a prosthetic.

i feel sorry for the wife. to have done all that mess to her body....some serious head problems with her.

tatt removal is painfull baby....

joel mus be a fukkin freak to like that......kool.

He needs to dump her already and get himself a respectable wife. Someone like Alexander Skarsgård. Wouldn't [italic]you[/italic] love to be in that Swedish sandwich?!

I'm chuckling at the thought of Joel reading DL and jotting down suggestions put forward in this thread. "Get rid of the bangs, focus equally on leg muscles, get a new wife - possibly Askars. Got it!"

This bit of information by Alan Sepinwall just about blew me away. I thought I could always sense when a show was filmed in Canada but I didn't get that impression here [italic]at all.[/italic] I guess that's what happens when you throw a tonne of money towards a production.

[quote]While occasionally the show looks very flat and Canadian (production was based in Surrey, British Columbia), as much money seems to have been poured into the world-building (the Bancroft family’s home in the clouds looks as spectacular as necessary to get across the idea of what the One Percent look like in the future) as into the big action set pieces, like Kovacs engaged in zero-gravity combat, or Kovacs and Ortega hurled into a gladiatorial arena where their opponents are men mutated to look like monsters.

Is it just me or did that sentence get away from Alan a bit? I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop... and it never did.

Some thoughts from Tom&Lorenzo:

[quote]The last two episodes of #AlteredCarbon are really great. Much of the previous eight were a serious slog through goofiness.

[quote]I think you've really got to be into sci-fi to put up with the slowness of the plot and the dicey acting. It all pays off well, but you might get frustrated and tap out before then.

[quote]I refused to rewind at all the parts I was confused - and there were a LOT. I just let it play out - and I have to say, by the end, it all hung together and made sense.

I disagree on the goofiness and the dicey acting, but especially on the slowness of the plot. I kinda didn't enjoy the last two episodes as they were too fast-paced for me. I guess I just love to marinate in a slow noir detective story. Lord knows they don't come along that often so I'm all in when they do. I still remember when I saw the original Blade Runner for the first time last year and couldn't for the life of me understand why it was taking so damn long to get the action going. But boy was I a total convert by the end.

I watched the show in pretty much one run. It was nice enough, but way too derivative for me to be really blown away by it. Loved the AI Poe character. Geeked out a bit recognizing Haley Law from Riverdale being a regular in this. Then of course Tahmoh Penikett and Dichen Lachman from Dollhouse.

I think shows filmed in Canada have an undeserved repuation. More and more of them look amazing.

At the beginning it was so ridiculous how the show hides Joel Kinnaman's dick. James Purefoy put him to shame.

In this Joel looks like the lovechild of Mathew Goode and Thomas Jane.

Joel has a great body plus he is tall. He towers over the little Latino badass gal pal.

Joel was showing nice bulge on WWHL. His hair killed my boner though.

Joel's head is small compared to the rest of him. I loved the first episode.

This really was the step-child of Blade Runner and much better than BR2049 in terms of everything- plot, world building, fight scenes. Yes, it's Sci-fi Noir, and you can guess whodunnit, but it's fun getting there.

Loved Poe as well and r22- gay couple? I thought they were brothers.

Has anyone read the novels?

I just noticed that Joel has tattoos. Apparently he lost a bet on Suicide Squad and let Will Smith tattoo him:

R45 No, they're a couple. For starters, if they were brothers, wouldn't the other one also address Purefoy as "father"? There would also be a mention of his inheritance. And then there's the hand holding and Purefoy's son pleading Kovacs to hurt him instead of his boyfriend.

Purefoy is also driving home the point about having coddled his son too much and that's why he turned out the way he did - soft. And as we all know, that's usually the code word for "homo" in fiction.

I wouldn't go so far to say this is better than Blade Runner 2049 but it is damn good.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was actually pleased about how normal it was to have all races included (instead of tokens), and surprised with the actors playing mothers (the tattooed twin is great with accents), but was disappointed at the lack of gay/lesbian characters.

R50 Yes, that was very refreshing to see. Although, as some reviewers are pointing out, it does little to address the racial politics. It's nice to see a society get past race almost completely in the future but why then have the two richest people be played by Caucasians? And what of the cultural heritage that comes with different ethnicities? Is that all just abandoned? Amalgamated? What *are* we if we're not the ethnicity and the sex of our bodies?

Those are some pretty terrifying questions and I'm on the side of those who say we're nothing more than societal conditioning and a collection of memories, and that's exactly what that alien technology records.

The first novel came out in 2002 so I'm disappointed, but not surprised by the lack of gay and lesbian characters. Can't even be bothered to kick up a fuss over it anymore.

**** S P 0 I L E R S *****

SPOILERS!!!!!

r52, Well the creator/discoverer/Falconer of the sleeve technology was a black woman, who could've been the wealthiest woman in the world if she wanted to, but eschewed it for ethical reasons. She's (and the daughter) literally the "Magic Black" trope in cinema. Had the Bancrofts been black, the SJWs probably would be screaming that they're portraying black people as grasping deviant degenerates-notice that there is no black bad character, only gray (the thirsty lawyer who redeems herself). Other than that, It seems like they try to balance out the other races with good/bad dichotomies.

2002 is very recent to me- there has been gay/lesbian characters by established sci-fi authors since the 60's, so that's why I was surprised that there wasn't a stronger representation.

Your comment is very thought provoking, thank you.

[quote]they're portraying black people as grasping deviant degenerates

Yeah, I can see how that would be awkward, if not downright problematic - "Give black people money and power and this is how they'll end up." Although I have to say, I barely registered Purefoy and his wife as white people. They just seemed like gods to me because they've lost so much humanity throughout the ages. Purefoy especially reminded me of Odin and his restorative Odinsleep. I also didn't perceive Quell as a black woman, but as something divine and transcendent as well.

I suppose it really depends on what kind of racial preconceptions (baggage?) people bring into this show and how immersed they allow themselves to get into this post-racial world. However, some say this post-racial concept itself is just a convenient excuse not to cast an Asian in the leading role.

Regarding gays and lesbians, I will never understand why showrunners can't just insert them into their TV series or movies, regardless of the (older) source material. All-white shows today look weird and dated. Can't wait until the same is true for all-hetero shows.

Well to be fair, r53, Tak was written as waking up in a Caucasian sleeve in the novel, which I just started reading. But I agree with you how "raceless" the world was-perhaps because it was never mentioned and everybody seemed so damned comfortable with it.

R53 Trangenderism would be introduced before gayness in this show. I wish I had been joking but I'm not. Two trannies getting together would get on this show. Which is a SYFY Channel show on a much larger budget. A lot of weird looking Canadians are on it.

In other message boards, people were offended that there was no portrayal of a white person choosing a black 'sleeve'. Even the latino grandmother was given a criminal's white man sleeve.

The actress playing the cop is horrid. How did she even get cast in this. She can't say a single sentence without sounding like it's her first words of English ever spoken. She even looks stupid holding a gun.

It was weird hearing her speak for the first couple of minutes but I really started to enjoy her English speech pattern after that. This is exactly how a lot of ESL speakers sound like, especially those of us who use it mainly in written communication. It's refreshing to see people on my TV struggle with English for a change and not butcher other languages. Netflix is catering to a global audience, after all.

She's wonderful but I'm seeing these accusations of bad acting mainly from American reviewers and bloggers. She's speaking Spanish perfectly, yet they accuse her of being a bad actress because she can't speak English flawlessly. That in itself speaks volumes, really.

Delivering lines when you have a thick native accent and having it come across as competent as other actors around you is a great challenge. Just ask Salma Hayek, Shohreh Aghdashloo, or Michelle Yeoh. I wish people would open their minds a bit and cut them some slack for that. Lord knows you don't accuse actors who regularly butcher grammar with ghetto talk or Southern accents of being bad at their job. And that shit could barely be counted as English.

The ultra-violence in the pilot not only turned me off; I found it boring.

I didn’t know Tahmoh from Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica was in this. I think he is hotter than Joel.

Maybe that is enough for me to push forward after the first episode.

[quote] She's wonderful but I'm seeing these accusations of bad acting mainly from American reviewers and bloggers. She's speaking Spanish perfectly, yet they accuse her of being a bad actress because she can't speak English flawlessly. That in itself speaks volumes, really.

What speaks volumes exactly? Sofia Vergara has a very thick accent, but she does sound choppy and like she's reading every line from a cue card like Martha. She also knows how to breathe & deliver her lines with effect (comedic, emotional, etc), unlike Martha who is consistently flat. Martha takes very shallow breaths and doesn't seem to know how to deliver lines that are more than 3 words. Breathe from the diaphragm, girl. It's bad voice coaching and bad acting - and probably not her fault because someone should've worked with her on this. It's not racism, if that's what you are implying by "it speaks volumes."

I learned Spanish in High School, but would it "speak volumes" if they didn't cast me in a telenovela for a Mexican audience? I read comments from native Spanish speakers saying that Wagner Maniçoba de Moura sounded bad Narcos, though most didn't say he was a bad actor (they just said his Spanish accent was bad). Likewise, B.D. Wong has been criticized by people who speak native Chinese. Those characters were still able to act and speak well, though. Plenty of people have accents in plenty of shows. This is a different situation. She need a vocal coach to stop with the staccato, shallow breathing, weak sounding voice. She's also not believable as a cop at all, particularly when she can't communicate clearly & talks with 10% of her lung capacity.

Anyway, r59, I agree Tahmoh is hotter than Joel... he aged a lot since BSG when he appeared in Dollhouse, but he looked good here.

Sofia Vergara has a very thick accent, but she does NOT sound choppy and like she's reading every line from a cue card like Martha.

R58 Those three actresses you mentioned are not winning any awards any time soon. Their diction is rather horrid(especially Shoreh). If you used an example like Isabelle Huppert(who has a very prominent French accent but acts quite well in English and is quiet fluent in the language even though she has lived in France all of her life) I could get behind your theory.

Peter Dinklage's English accent is absolutely rancid on Game of Thrones. That ruins his act on that show for me. PD is a good actor but he needs to work with a voice/accent coach if he hasn't.

R61 I think Martha is that terrible. She is a decent looking woman but she sounds terrible in English.

It got really good at ep 7-8... interesting reveals. I'm sort of even more depressed now over things that are coming out. Damn this show- I hate when I get in a binge and lose sleep, but it happened.

The worst of the worst was Battlestar Gallactica. I think I didn't leave my sofa for 2 entire days and nights.

Rotten Tomatoes seems to be unhappy with it at 66% - I think I need to watch it a second time because there is a shitload of info in this world that isn't really explained. They basically treat you like it's season 5 of star trek & the terminology isn't new anymore.

I still don't know wtf a "dipper" is or why that guy was all scared - outside the cargo containers.

Oh and I've had to rewind AND put subtitles on! I think it's partially the audio mixing and also the mumbling or something. They also talk very fast. The accent is only a tiny part of that. The accent isn't what bothers me, as many actors have accents. It's just her choppy speech pattern & weird emotional range - like she has 1 emotion basically.

Seems like they're skipping the second book as it would be just too cost-prohibitive to film.

[quote]Then there’s “Altered Carbon,” which may have finished telling the first of Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs novels with its first season, but has two more novels to plow through for hopeful second and third seasons.

[quote]That said, showrunner Laeta Kalogridis made alterations to Morgan’s characters from the start, so the pattern would continue considerably in any seasons to come.

[quote]“Richard has a very big-budget brain,” she explains. “The second book involves a worldwide war with nuclear explosions, some space travel, a giant alien dreadnought and an interstellar fight between aliens. It is prohibitively expensive in scope.”

r63 I peed in a bottle when binging Battlestar Galactica; couldn't spare a minute to go to the toilet. It's an anonymous board so I'm not ashamed to admit it. Probably slightly destroyed my eyesight permanently as well. That shit is the worst TV crack [italic]ever[/italic] but I still just want to remove the memory of it from my brain and repeat the experience all over again. In my mind, heaven is literally just that.

[bold]'Altered Carbon' Renewed for Season 2 With New Star Anthony Mackie[/bold]

[quote]Captain America star Anthony Mackie will take over the leading role of Takeshi Kovacs, stepping in for season one star Joel Kinnaman. Additionally, Alison Schapker (Scandal, The Flash, Fringe, Alias) has joined the drama from Skydance Television as co-showrunner alongside Laeta Kalogridis. A season two episode count or return date have not yet been determined for the pricey, effects-heavy drama.

What do we think?

It's an exhausting show.

r66 In what way?

R67, densely layered plot, excessive action/violence, overly rendered visuals. It's the most exhausting things I've seen in about the last year. Too many characters who are themselves or who they used to be in another life. Just fucking ugh.

Interesting, that's all the things I loved about it.

The dark lighting and art direction are largely stolen from Blade Runner. Good show but the darkness is tiring on my eyes.

I've got my doubts about the recasting. Replacing a strong lead actor is tricky

Hmm, couldn't find a thread for Season 2, and I'm too lazy to start one. I've been recently watching the second season and I like it better than the first one since I serious disliked that boring piece of wood Joel Kinnaman. The show looks a bit cheap and the writing isn't all that good but there's so little ambitious sci-fi around you have to take what you get.

The biggest problem so far is the TOTAL lack of chemistry between Takeshi Kovacs and Quellcrist Falconer, a love story that's supposed to be the center of the show. I mean seriously, didn't the production team catch this when casting the show? It's like watching a gay guy pretending to be in love with his sister. I'm just not buying it. I'm ok with Mackie, although I've never found him sexy, since he at least manages to bring some depth to the character. However bad writing is making it hard to keep liking him. The woman playing Quellcrist is probably a fine actress elsewhere but here she just seems miscast.

No swinging dicks this time, which is disappointing since James Purefoy really brought it last year. The sexiest guy in the show is absolutely Colonel Ivan Carrera, played by Torben Liebrecht.

Such a shame they made him shave his gorgeous fur for the show. His chest is now totally hairless in a topless scene. So silly.