#totally go check it out on netlfix if you're into sci fi drama

[milder-manners]

Pantheon s2 thoughts (spoilers galore)

I think Pantheon did the same thing as Arcane where s2 has a different heart and focus than s1.

Season 1 of Pantheon was a sci fi drama that explored the concept of Uploaded Intelligence and the ramifications of their existence on the world.

I really enjoyed how the show delved into how UIs would work, that they truly don't think or exist as human beings and instead are able to process hundreds of times faster than a physical person and exploit entire online networks. It's told that everything shown in the UI world is a visual metaphor for the code that operates behind it; the UIs don't actually verbally "talk" to each other, they have near instant communication, but it's shown like that for the audience's benefit (or other characters). Another example are the fight scenes, the UIs punching and kicking one another is a metaphor for them trying to boot each other from the server. David splitting his hands to type faster (a la Ghost in the Shell) is a visual aide for him but that's not him actually hacking. It's firmly shown that UIs are different from the likes of Tron, where there's a digital world that people can exist inside like it's real-life.

The only reason UIs have "physical" bodies and talk is because they're based off of human minds. They have code that replicates their sense of smell even though they don't have bodies because UIs are replications of physical neurons just via transistors instead. It's amazing stuff.

Season 2 seems to be less about the UIs and more about exploring the human characters instead. The show also takes on a more action-heavy stance; literally Maddie releases an army of drones to save Caspian.

I think my personal distaste of season 2 is mostly from this honestly, the exploration of UIs and how they work takes a backseat to more character drama. The UI fights being visual metaphors of hacking and exploits isn't really there, instead they're more physical beat downs where the UIs fight like they have real bodies. The main exception to this is Stephen Holstrom, but I think that's more to highlight his genius in comparison to the other UIs.

MIST being born (another Ghost in the Shell reference) isn't really explored either. She's the first sentient AI CI in the world but the show doesn't take care to explore what she is and how she works like they did with the UIs (in season 1). Instead, they mostly focus on her being Maddie's new sister, and what that makes Maddie feel. Again, character stuff.

This all leads to the sci-fi aspects of the show feeling more like set-pieces to the action in season 2.

Also, I personally didn't like that Maddie and Caspian were paired up.

Either the show made a 14 year old get with an 18 year old, or they aged up their main female character and her only so that they could pair her up with a boy. That's, weird to say the least.

Also Maddie got strangely good at hardware and jury-rigging stuff, which, wasn't really set up at all in season 1. In season 1 at most she was experienced in how computer software worked.

Chanda also got shanked in s2 as a character. He had so much potential.