Tag: Yvetta Fisher

Upload (2020) s01e08 – Shopping Other Digital After-Lives

The episode opens with Robbie Amell getting Andy Allo in trouble for their relationship. Except she can’t let him know she’s in trouble so when she gets sent home… he assumes she’s still at work. Only it’s her boss, Andrea Rosen, who shuts him down. See, he’s ready to commit to their romance.

He gets so upset at the rejection, he decides he’s going to leave the afterlife he’s in and shop around. He never wants to see Allo again. Also there’s the whole “fiancée Allegra Edwards pays for Amell’s afterlife and he wants to be independent” thing, which gets a lot of talk but never figures into much.

Until Edwards finds out Amell has left the afterlife of her choice and she teams up with Allo—who’s flown across the country (only a half hour though, right)—to let Edwards know about Amell “checking out.” So they confront his mom, Jessica Tuck, and try to get everything sorted out.

Even though there’s some shady person following them.

Sadly there’s no subplot involving Zainab Johnson. Instead it’s just Edwards, who’s not good, and Tuck, who’s not good. Edwards messes with Allo, Tuck messes with Amell. All the show ever tries to have going for it is Amell and Allo being cute together, looking like catalog models. Well, unless it’s Johnson. Then it seems to know it can do more.

But this episode isn’t just thin, it’s thin for “Upload.” It’s memorable because of the character team-ups, but we never really get to see anything interesting. When Allo starts perving on real-life and dead for a while now Amell’s clothes? The show doesn’t know how to make Allo cute when she’s creepy.

Because the show doesn’t really know how to do anything.

For “Upload,” it’s an engaging episode. It just never delivers on the comedy or the romance. And it really just puts the latter in a “do-over” position… the episode’s fairly pointless overall.

“Upload” would do better with less episodes.

Upload (2020) s01e07 – Bring Your Dad to Work Day

As a streaming sitcom, filler doesn’t feel the same way in “Upload” as it does in a regular sitcom. “Upload” is not chasing that syndication deal, which in theory wouldn’t affect the A plot—dead guy Robbie Amell falling in love with his living virtual—actual—assistant Andy Allo—much but the B plot involving Amell being murdered and his fiancée Allegra Edwards somehow being involved… the B plot seems like it’d be important since there are only ten episodes.

“Upload” doesn’t worry about it, instead turning in a more traditional sitcom episode. It fits the basic trajectory—Allo’s dad, Chris Williams, is slowly dying from his vape cancer (despite occasionally reminding, favorably, to the future news in Robocop, “Upload”’s predictions are usually basic and desperate)—and Allo has Amell show him around the virtual afterlife because she wants Williams to meet her potential fella.

It’d be amazing if they’d gotten someone with some charm for the Williams part. Or if they’d gotten someone with some chemistry opposite Amell, instead of the pair in a very forced class and maybe race clash and it’s unpleasant. “Upload” doesn’t have the capacity to ask hard questions; it’s outside the scope, something show creator Greg Daniels probably ought to remind the writers.

Speaking of writers… this episode’s script is from Owen Daniels, one of the regulars. He plays the virtual world’s A.I. assistant. It’s never as funny as it ought to be. Interesting how Daniels doesn’t give himself anything significant to do in this episode, instead plays it straight and subjects us to way too much Williams.

Some big subplot items this episode too, but the funniest thing ends up being Zainab Johnson. As usual. She loses a customer’s flash drive or whatever—containing the person’s data—and has to find it or else.

Allo’s got her investigating subplot, which is… eh. Though it certainly seems like it’s going to get moving given a sabotage subplot.

Allo’s been fine on the show—very likable, sometimes cute—but she has to carry her scenes with Williams and does a fairly admirable job of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make the episode any better. It’s just nice to see her developing as an actor. Someone ought to get something out of “Upload.” Other than William B. Davis, relishing his performance as an eternal, ever evil Koch brother.