UPLOAD This Into Your Brain

Article first published as TV Review: UPLOAD on Seat42F.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the first three episodes.

Greg Daniels, co-creater of The Office and Parks and Recreation, is back on television with the new Amazon Prime half-hour dramedy, UPLOAD. Set just over a decade in the future, it tells the story of a world in which the dying can upload their consciousness into the digital realm – for a fee. And like the apps of today, it’s connected very closely with anyone you want to interact with (even back in the real world), and has plenty of in-game purchases available. But there a dark underbelly to the satiristic story.

Robbie Amell (The Flash) stars as Nathan Brown, the protagonist who is killed in a malfunctioning self-driving car. He ends up in the app thanks to his rich girlfriend, Ingrid Kannerman (Allegra Edwards, Briarpatch), who wanted to marry him, but whom Nathan was trying to work up the nerve to dump. Once there, Nathan tries to accept his new status while feeling more and more isolated in the real world. Complicating this are missing memories and unanswered questions surrounding his demise.

Nathan is aided by Nora Antony (Andy Allo, Chicago Fire), the customer service representative that serves as his ‘angel’ in the afterlife. Nora is frustrated with her job and lousy corporate culture, but is drawn to Nathan, despite his unavailability, and finds personal motivation in building a relationship with him. (Jim Halpern, anyone?) Nora notices strangeness in Nathan’s case before he does, but is she really in a position to do anything about it?

UPLOAD is funny. One might even add a very to that statement. There are many visually humorous aspects to the situation present, and there’re some biting observations about modern society, especially concerning tech and corporate culture. This is a meaner, more raw version of what Daniels was saying in The Office, and it’s easy to appreciate the thought process that went into the making of this show.

However, sometimes believability is sacrificed for a laugh. Take, for instance, the scene in the pilot in which Nathan is shockingly uploaded. It’s hard to believe a hospital would have a window and allow family to witness such a thing, or that those who did witness were not prepared for the sight. We also are expected to believe that Nora suffers no direct repercussions for some of the acting out she does on the call center floor? And Ingrid unfortunately only becomes more cartoonish as the series unfolds.

One such thing that struck me very odd on the first viewing was Nathan’s behavior just before upload, but this has been explained away by further plot developments.

I like this show quite a bit, and it’s easy to devour in twenty-five minute chunks. (The pilot is double-length). The actors are universally charming, and the mystery adds a compelling through-line to a very interesting take on a man-made afterlife. Elizabeth Bowen (Resident Alien) may just out-Melissa-McCarthy Melissa McCarthy as amateur investigator Fran Booth. Owen Daniels (Space Force) is soooo creepy as the A.I. servant. There are also lots of answered questions that beg to be explored. A lack of aging and development in the app, for one.

But I do wonder just how amazing it could be with a few of the wrinkles ironed out. With just a bit more development time to really figure out those weak spots, I think this might even rise to the level of The Good Place, created by fellow Office and Parks alum Mike Schur (though of course the content is vastly different, despite both being about the afterlife). It is so close to being one of those shows you tell all your friends about. But it falls just slightly short, which doesn’t make it unwatchable, but definitely sparks a bit of longing for what might have been.

UPLOAD’s first season is available now to stream on Amazon Prime.

The Office ends season with another shakeup

NBC's The Office presents "Free Family Portrait Studio," the season eight finale. All of the turmoil over who is in charge seems to finally be dying down. After a year of uncertainty, with Andy (Ed Helms) being selected as manager, only to lose the position to Nellie (Catherine Tate), who just takes it, Andy is left back in charge as the smoke clears. This probably won't change again, considering that David Wallace (Andy Buckley) now owns the company, having bought it back from Sabre.

This is a relief. The Office has suffered this season from not having clear leadership. Whatever kind of manager Michael (Steve Carell) is, he keeps things running, somehow. His absence is felt heavily, as season eight shows viewers that Dundler Mifflin does not run itself. Without a strong person in charge, it flounders.

Will Andy be that person? Probably. He isn't at the beginning of the season, but that is before he is fired. He has to fight hard to get back into the head office, and now that he's there, it's likely to be a different kind of leadership. He no longer has to prove himself. He is the one that gets David to buy the company, and so his position is secure for the time being. His co-workers didn't fight for him all that much, so he doesn't owe them anything. The Andy who will run the show next year should be a markedly different Andy than season eight contains.

If Ed Helms stays with The Office. And if The Office is renewed. Which it probably will be, but has not been yet. Helms' contract is up, and he has not signed on for another year. One presumes, since his character is the boss once more, the actor will want to stay. But television is a fickle industry, and one never knows for sure.

One thing is certain: Robert California (James Spader) is gone. Spader only wanted to do The Office for one year, and with "Free Family Portrait Studio," his tenure is complete. How his character convinced Wallace to foot the bill for three years of seducing young, vulnerable Eastern European and Asian college girls is a mystery, but he is just that smooth a talker.

Dwight (Rainn Wilson) will also not be returning, as he gets his own spin-off, likely to premiere in January. Hopefully Wilson will be in a couple of episodes to tie up the character's arc, and it would also be nice if Angela (Angela Kinsey) goes with him, once the parentage of her baby is outed. Who else might join that cast? Surely, Nate (Mark Proksch)? And Mose (Michael Schur)?

Similarly, Kelly (Mindy Kaling) will be departing, though her new sitcom is looking at a fall schedule spot, which might not leave time for her to offer much of a goodbye.

Not yet signed for next season are Jim (John Krasinski), Pam (Jenna Fischer), and Ryan (B.J. Novak), the rest of the characters featured in the theme song. If they all choose to leave, too, there is no telling what next season will look like. If they depart without any closure, with season nine premiering and they are just gone, it will be a betrayal for millions of fans of The Office, who have followed the series so closely. They don't have to re-up for the season, but they do need to make some appearances.

But for now, let's get back to "Free Family Portrait Studio." It's a fun little episode, with David's tardiness spoiling Andy's big moment. Then Nellie spoils it further, knocking the wind out of Andy's gloating, so much so that he agrees to make her Head of Special Projects. Does he even have the power to do that? Anyway, it's sad, because Andy is once more screwed up by fate, putting himself out there, and being disappointed.

There are some very funny moments in this episode. One is when Jim fears Dwight will hurt his children. Another is Erin (Ellie Kemper) starting to believe that Andy may be hallucinating David Wallace. And, of course, there's Robert's announcement concerning the new "career" he is about to embark on. This is the kind of funny that The Office excels at, and even with the many changes that have come up, the show can still deliver.

Perhaps most triumphant in "Free Family Portrait Studio" is Darryl (Craig Robinson). Not only do a couple of his former warehouse employees come groveling back to him after squandering their lottery earnings, but by making a vocal declaration of his feelings for Val (Ameenah Kaplan), he wins her away from her boyfriend. The Office features many characters who just don't get what they want in life, slaving away at a paper company they care little about. Victories are few and far between. To see Darryl really get to a good place in "Free Family Portrait Studio" is incredibly satisfying.

If renewed, The Office should return to NBC next fall.

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