Spoilers for Season 3 of Upload are ahead! If you want to catch up with the comedy, you can stream every episode with an Amazon Prime subscription.
By tossing a cheap bottle of vodka three times, waving it around his head while making a silly noise, saying “ahoy, ahoy” into it like a phone, and banging three times on the table, Luke turned the cheap drink into a fancy bottle of champagne in Season 3 of Upload. Kevin Bigley’s character then explained to Aleesha and her partner Karina that he’s figured out how to get “cigars, booze, caviar,” even free premium Lakeview with these silly little hacks. This little hilarious moment is one of my favorite things in the new season of Upload, so when I got to chat with Episode 7’s director, Sarah Boyd, I had to ask about it.
According to Luke, “the key [to hacks] is to do the unexpected, and then you got to get the order right,” and that’s exactly what the actor brought to set. Mixing his comedic talents with Boyd’s vision for the episode, they created one of my favorite moments in the season. The director explained this further, telling me during an interview for CinemaBlend:
So both Kevin and I, we come in with different ideas. So we each had an idea. And it was important to me, my marching orders were like he says, it has to be something unexpected. That's why the hack works is because you do something so bizarre, that it's unexpected. And then he had the physicality in mind of what he would do when he was like, [makes funny whistle noise] whatever it was. So he came to that, he came in with that. And, and it was great. So I didn't need to adjust it because it was squarely the kind of thing I was looking for.
Luke is my favorite character on Upload, and this scene really emphasized that. I think he’s so funny, and his whole mentality toward Lakeview is incredibly fun. He’s simply there for a good time, and not worried about the consequences. Kevin Bigley is able to play that perfectly.
He and the directors also work well together to create these funny moments. Like how he collaborated with Boyd on the hacks scene, the actor also worked with another director to recreate a Homer Simpson meme in a different episode. Between the creativity of these moments and how genuinely funny they are, it’s no wonder Luke’s scenes are some of my favorites.
Speaking about just how funny the actor behind Luke is, Boyd said:
Kevin is hilarious. And he really goes, you know, he really sticks his neck out comedically. I would say he has no shame. He's willing to make an ass of himself in the best possible way.
Boyd said that Bigley, and the entire Upload cast, are at their funniest when they are able to ad-lib in a way that is in character. This scene of Luke showing off his hacks is exactly that! Plus, not only was it on-brand for the character, but it also went on to have major consequences in the show. It's always amazing when silly little bits have such big impacts later on.
While Upload’s season on the 2023 TV schedule has come to a close, you can always go back and watch Luke’s hilarious hacks, as well as the rest of the show, on Amazon. So, as we ponder the end of Upload’s third season and wait for more information on a possible Season 4, you can check out Prime Videos' other magnificent shows.
