Season 2 Finale: Questions, Theories, and Frustrations

I will preface this by saying: I binged both seasons over two weekends and I am just so frustrated with the Season 2's finale. The show had me on the edge of my seat until David 2.0 dies in Maddy's arms. Everything after that made me just want to punch the monitor. So, I wanted to vent here.

So, this is my understanding of the show after perusing through reddit and youtube. Everything I say after that will stem from this understanding, so correct me if I am wrong.

My Understanding:

So, the entire f**king show is a simulation, a retelling of what had happened in a prime reality so as to rescue a simulacrum of Caspian and David 2.0 prior to their deaths. Said simulation is created by the evolved SafeSurf as a gift to Caspian or Maddie or humanity?

Questions, Theories, and Frustrations:

Is this understanding even correct or are there time travel shenanigans involved where the evolved SafeSurf went back in time to nudge the prime timeline in a different direction by intervening and making Caspian say that number that inspired Maddie to become a god? I don't think there were any time travel shenanigans hinted at, so I am reluctant to accept this.

So what happened in the prime reality? So, everything happens the same but SafeSurf took over and left on that intergalactic voyage? Obviously Caspian doesn't say that number inspiring Maddie to become a god, so what happens to Maddie in the prime reality? She just dies of old age and grief?

Why was Julius Pope the Luddite? That made no sense. So, what if he can't legally upload? He could just upload on a private server without the internet? All the convicts could be on a separate server. Pope being the Luddite just made no sense and this was one of my frustrations. They had that guy who was stalking Maddie and broke into her house, he could have been the leader of the rebels. It just makes more thematic sense. I understand they wanted to throw in the moral dilemma of who gets to decide who is uploaded, but this could have just been done as a throwaway line in the penultimate episode in the exposition dump.

What was Julius Pope's plan? Dude was clearly shocked when SafeSurf killed him. Like wtf was he expecting? Honestly have no idea how to interpret this or why SafeSurf even went against the embodied humans to exterminate them.

Honestly just f**k the ending. All the suspense, thrill, and sacrifice are just meaningless because the whole thing was just a simulation of a roided up AI trying to atone for its sins. Season 1 was far better. Show should have ended at episode 7 of season 2. Episode 7 should have just been the epilogue where MIST fully heals Caspian because she had enough time extract out the AI and they just explain the aftermath of the utopia instead of Julius Pope's dumb ass plot - which should have been axed.