Netflix’s Altered Carbon Season 1 Rei Betrayal, Explained

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When Season 1 of Altered Carbon premiered on Netflix in 2018, it quickly became popular with science fiction fans, particularly those who enjoy cyberpunk. The show is set over 300 years in the future, in a world where the wealthy can transfer their minds into new bodies, essentially achieving a form of immortality. They can switch bodies as easily as changing clothes, choosing any body they desire to continue living and preserve their memories.

The sci-fi series Altered Carbon explores what it truly means to be human, highlighting the enduring flaws of our species even centuries from now. The show follows Takeshi Kovacs, a former soldier and revolutionary, and immerses viewers in a complex and emotionally gripping story with a particularly memorable plot twist that continues to resonate with audiences.

Altered Carbon’s Most Brutal Betrayals Can Never Be Undone

The series gradually reveals details of Kovacs’s history as a soldier and revolutionary through flashbacks. These flashbacks become more frequent as the story unfolds, eventually showing that both Tak and his sister, Reileen, were once part of the Envoys together. The group was later attacked and nearly wiped out after a betrayal, with the Envoys being killed during a raid on their base.

Both the founder of Envoy, Quellcrist Falconer, and Kovacs’ sister die in a ship explosion. This loss leads Kovacs to believe he’s completely alone, which explains his tough and cynical outlook on life.

While unconscious in Reileen’s apartment, a poisoned Takeshi relives painful memories. Viewers witness his difficult childhood, marked by an abusive, alcoholic father who killed his mother. This trauma led to a moment of intense rage when, at age twelve, Takeshi killed his father. As a result, he was separated from his sister and cryogenically frozen to accelerate his aging for military training with the Protectorate. He was told his sister would be cared for, but he didn’t know she had been sold to the Yakuza and forced into a life of crime.

The Real Enemy In Altered Carbon Hides In Plain Sight From the Start

Years later, after reconnecting as adults, Rei and her brother escaped the lives they’d been leading and both joined the Envoys. However, Rei wasn’t as dedicated to the group as her brother was. Her main desire was simply to be with him. She began to suspect that Quellcrist Falconer was manipulating them, and she felt a pang of jealousy as she watched her brother fall in love with Quell.

Rei desperately wanted Tak back in a time when she felt safe and secure with him, when he was her closest friend and protector. Driven by this desire, she made a shocking decision: she betrayed the Envoys, handing them over to the Protectorate. In a devastating act, she also killed Quell by destroying their ship, and in doing so, completely destroyed her own body. Tak was left believing he had lost everything and everyone he loved.

Finding out his sister was still alive finally made him understand Rei was the one who betrayed him. She was responsible for destroying the Envoys and had murdered the woman he loved, then manipulated him from behind the scenes. Throughout his investigation into Laurens Bancroft’s murder, she continued to harm people he had grown to care about.

Discovering Rei is Altered Carbon’s Real Antagonist Feels Like a Gut Punch

The shocking revelation of Rei’s true nature is deeply disturbing, both for the character Takeshi and the audience. Up until this point, all of Takeshi’s actions could be understood as motivated by his love for his sister, making her betrayal particularly painful. While she claims everything she did was for him, this doesn’t excuse her behavior – it actually highlights how unstable she is, something someone like Kovacs would certainly recognize and exploit.

Reileen’s life began with violence – her father was killed protecting her by Tak, leaving her deeply traumatized and without a safe haven. Her time with the Yakuza further blurred the lines between right and wrong, ultimately shaping her into a complex and dangerous villain.

Rei ends up representing everything Takeshi and his allies fought against. This means, despite his feelings for her, Takeshi is forced to stop her because of her actions. Her betrayal is a shocking and heartbreaking twist that makes Takeshi’s journey even more tragic. The show brilliantly weaves her into every major plot twist in Altered Carbon Season 1, keeping viewers completely surprised until the very end.

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2026-01-09 07:38