Nightmare Alley

### IMDb

**"Nightmare Alley"** is the third episode of Season Two of Netflix's *Altered Carbon*. It aired on February 27, 2020, along with the remainder of the second season.

## Promotional Synopsis

Kovacs contends with ghosts from his past as he's tortured by Carrera. Poe seeks help from a fellow AI. Trepp gets a lead on the man she's after.

## Recap

Our story continues from where we left off in Payment Deferred. CTAC brings Takeshi Kovacs before Danica Harlan but Takeshi refuses to talk. Takeshi insults Danica and Kemp with Danica calling him alone wolf. Danica give Takeshi an ultimatum either he talks and she dumps him in the ocean or he gets tortured in The Circle and they spin him up in VR and he has to relive 200 deaths as a stack. CTAC takes him away and puts Takeshi in the Circle to tortured.

At The Nevermore Hotel Poe is watching the news when he hears Takeshi will be executed he drops his glass and it shatters on the floor. Poe picks up the sticky notes and it reads "BIO TRACKER". Poe realizes Takeshi is in trouble so he calls AI Management Union.

Poe cast himself onto the array and he appears in what appears to be the AI Management Union except on Harlan's World they call themselves the AI Archaeologue Club. When Poe cast in one of the AIs mistakes him for a dartboard and calls him a bellboy which annoys Poe. Dig 301 saves him and tells him there has not been much work since Danica shut down the sites leaving them in limbo. Poe tells Dig that Takeshi will die in 24 hours in the Circle if they do nothing. Dig tells Poe he broke the one rule AIs are suppose to fallow "don't get attached to your guest". She also tells Poe if he wants to find Takeshi he needs a human. Poe thanks her for her advice and cast back to the hotel.

Inside CTAC Headquarters Takeshi is tied up Reileen Kawahara comes in and talks to him but turns out this is not Rei it is a false memory. Takshi wakes up and Carrera starts torturing him uploading his memories of everyone he loved or hated into synths who will kill him.

Back in town Trepp is having lesbian sex with one of the girls from the club when Poe interrupts her. Poe tells her he will need her help. Trepp says she can shut down the grid but since CTAC frequencies are encrypted her head will pop. Trepp hangs up on Poe and turns her coils off, but she gets another call this time on her ONI it is Shira her bail agent and she has a job.

Back at CTAC Headquarters CTAC is probing Takeshi's memories and making the synths they will cast into. They choose Kristin Ortega, Vernon Elliot, Rei, and Quell. Carrera finds out that he netted Takeshi and tells Danica. Carrera warns Danica she is playing with fire if she kills Takeshi he could release the Rawling Virus they would all be obliterated. Danica calls it a myth and Carrera tells her it is not a myth Takeshi is an Envoy and he has the virus flowing through his veins and his stack she has never met Takeshi and does not know what he is capable of. Danica plays her bluff and tells Carrera to kill him anyways.

Trepp goes to Mandrake Mines looking for her bounty a man named Anil who is a Quellist recruiter. Trepp contacts the miners but they get the jump on her and she is detained.

Back at the Nevermore Poe is working on his matrix when Dig comes in. Poe tells Dig he plans to crash the cities power grid, but Dig tells Poe what Trepp told him CTAC servers and frequencies are encrypted if he hacks in it will fry his core and he would never get past the firewalls. Dig tells Poe if they want to take out CTAC Headquarters they will have to shut down the main reactor. Before Poe can say anything he glitches again, and Dig volunteers to help him with his defrag.

Back at CTAC Headquarters the synths are ready and the CTAC vice commander tells them to change into their new forms. They do this expecting a bonus and a new sleeve with all the upgrades.

Carrera confronts Takeshi and reveals his true identity he is Jaeger his former handler and arch enemy. Jaeger drugs Takeshi with a powerful sedative which has Stiff and Reaper in the mix it will cause his to hallucinate and eventually kill him if the synths don't get to him first.

All over Harlan's World everyone is forced to watch the execution some turn their ONIs off. As for those crazy Meths they bet on him but Jaeger bets on Takeshi to win so he can kill him later. Meanwhile Quell plans to mount an operation of her own and bust Takeshi out of prison.

Takeshi is brought out and placed in the Circle and the first synth turns into Ortega. Takeshi takes it out with ease.

At the Nevermore Poe and Dig attempt to blow the reactor but if the plan is going to succeed Takeshi must defeat the synths and get out of there before the ship blows.

Up in control CTAC notices they are getting hacked and attempt to switch to the main grid but Poe and Dig are to cleaver for them .

The next synth turns into Vernon Elliot and the fake Elliot gives Takeshi a hard time, but Takeshi also takes this one out.

Poe and Dig's plan starts to backfire CTAC is on to them and they bypassed the core and are on the grid. Takeshi is on his own now he must win.

The next synth turns into Rei and this one is worse then the other two because she has weapons. Takeshi manages to dodge the blows and take the katana and take this one out too.

Before the final synth finishes her transformation Quell arrives and kills it and breaks into the arena she helps Takeshi take out the Rei synth but gets injured in the process.

Jaeger tells Danica to lock down the building and get everyone out while he musters the CTACs because this is not a synth filled with Merge9 or some other aggression drug this is Quell and she will kill them all.

With the last synth dead the room fills with CTACs. Quell and Takeshi will have to battle their way out. It is revealed that one of the technicians is a Quellist and says "Long Live Quell" and takes out the power grid.

With the last CTAC dead the ship goes on lockdown. Jaeger breaks into the locker room they find a body but this is not Quell. Sleeves are organic and bleed red and if the sleeve were dead and it had a stack it would fall out and your would see it. This is a synth the one Quell killed before she entered the arena because synths have artificial skin and bleed blue.

Back at the Nevermore Poe and Dig are toasting when an injured Takeshi with Quell in tow limps through the door. Poe is surprised Takeshi and Quell are still alive let alone Quell revealing herself to everyone. Quell says they are injured and need medical attention he takes them up to Takeshi's room.

Trepp's friend bails her out and she tells her she was looking for Anil. Trepp tells her friend she will take care of it.

Back at the Governors Office Danica and Jaeger are mad that Takeshi and Quell escaped and Jaegar gives her more bad news the Quellist are rebelling. Danica tell Jeager to find the Quillist and kill them but Jeager tells her that if Takeshi is allied with them the marker is disabled and they can't track them or him and Quell. Jeager leaves the room and tells one of his wedges to activate Evergreen and it is an emergency.

Back at the hotel Takeshi thanks Quell but somehow she has lost her memories and does not know who she is.

## Cast

### Starring

* Anthony Mackie as Takeshi Kovacs
* Lela Loren as Danica Harlan
* Simone Missick as Trepp
* Chris Conner as Poe
* Dina Shihabi as Dig 301
* Torben Liebrecht as Jaeger
* Renée Elise Goldsberry as Quellcrist Falconer

### Guest starring

* Ato Essandoh as synth Vernon Elliot
* Martha Higareda as synth Kristin Ortega
* Dichen Lachman as synth Reileen Kawahara
* Sharon Taylor as Myka

### Co-starring

* Britt Irvin as Lila
* Dalias Blake as Batu / Wedge
* Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen as Wedge / Morgaine
* Skyler Mowatt as Wedge / Finch
* Mitra Suri as Wedge / Simone
* Marilyn Norry as Shira
* Xander Hall as Cartel Meth #1
* Cecilia Grace Deacon as Cartel Meth #2
* Tori Katongo as Female Synth #1
* Brittany Mitchell as Female Synth #2
* Kat Ruston as Dead Female Synth
* Darien Martin as Male Synth
* Carmela Sison as Dig 682
* Jones Bay as Dig 957
* James Rha as Tech #1
* Naiah Cummins as AI Directory
* Mike Wasko as Mine Boss
* Sean Owen Roberts as Scratcher
* Karen Khunkhun as Newscaster
* Micahel Meneer as Newscaster #2
* Ray Thunderchild as Costumer
* Genn Love as Mine Foreman
* Kindell Charters as Miner