The issue with anthology series is that, with every episode handled by a different team, there are bound to be a few duds. For every few episodes that appeal to you, there is bound to be some that don’t. This is the problem with Love, Death and Robots. Don’t get me wrong, all the episodes are enjoyable, but due to a few absolute standouts, some of the others feel a bit underwhelming.
As someone that enjoys watching a series from the beginning when they release new content, I decided to compile a list of, in my opinion, the five best (and worst) episodes from volume one. This way, if/when volume three appears, I can watch a highlight reel of the previous 32 episode before diving into the new one. Beware minor spoilers ahead:
This is very much one of those episodes I was talking about earlier. It’s not a bad episode; it’s short and punchy in-fact, but there are much better episodes in the series. I would say, that given the subject matter of the episode, the ending left a lot to be desired: If I wanted to watch a woman struggle in space and fight insurmountable odds, I’d watch Gravity again.
This delightful little romp on post-apocalyptic Earth (presumably) tells the tale of three unlikely robot friends on a sight-seeing tour. This episode is rife with humorous quips and montage moments; very reminiscent of a late 90’s buddy comedy. The animation is stunning, the rich earthy tones clashing with the bold colours of the bots and the voice-acting is incredible. This is hardly surprising with a cast of Chris Parnell, Gary Anthony Williams and Josh Brener. I feel like this episode could be expanded into a feature-length and still be enjoyable.
Anybody who’s watched Love, Death and Robots might be surprised by this episode’s place on this list: It’s certainly got an engaging story. However, I feel that where Beyond the Aquila Rift falls down is that it’s not quite long enough for me to care. The subject matter seems too complicated for a seventeen-minute runtime. When you’re dealing with humans trapped in deep-space and the implications of the ending, I need to have fully invested in the characters, which I can’t. Especially not considering they all live in uncanny valley.
Oh my, this is one of those standout episodes that I was talking about. The one that puts the other episodes to shame. Netflix apparently tinkered with the running order of this series, sending out a different arrangement for different subscribers. For a lot of people, this episode was the first episode, and I can see why. Pokemon meets Cyberpunk 2077 with just a dash of Peaky Blinders. It is bold, it is brash, and it is beautiful. The ending was one of the most mind-blowing of the series, I feel and it’s definitely worth a watch.
I have very little to say about this episode. Someone heard the phrase Dog Soldiers and ran with it, apparently. With animation residing firmly in the uncanny valley watching men transform into Werewolves is oddly grotesque. If anything, I feel like this episode could have been half as long and still conveyed the story it was trying to tell.
This is a marmite episode. You’ll either love it or hate it. This Kafkaesque vision set in a sort of neo-Tokyo follows a girl who witnesses a murder and is chased through the city by the perpetrator. The 3D visuals are an incredible feat, to the extent that you would be forgiven for thinking it’s live action. The only criticism I have for this episode is that it contains a lot of gratuitous nudity and by extension some amount of sexual violence. Which isn’t cool, but we all have a story to tell, so I’ll let it slide.
Where do I even start with this episode? Multiversity is a place where you can ‘change the course of history’. It’s a good principle, nice play on the multiverse. However, all we experience in this episode are five increasingly unlikely ways that Hitler could have died early and what would happen as a result. The absurdist humour falls flat, in my opinion, and the animation feels a little kitschy. I’d give this one a miss next time round, for sure.
Ever wished the T-X from Terminator 3 could also morph into a fox? Before this episode, me neither. Now I’m thinking the Terminator franchise could do with a reboot… Based on a short story of the same name, this episode follows the son of a spirit hunter and his relationship with one of said spirits. Set in Hong Kong during the height of European Imperialism, the backdrop of industry feeds very heavily into the narrative. VERY heavily. If you don’t know what Mechaphilia is, don’t google it.
By far the worst episode of Volume One. The writers of this episode clearly took most of their inspiration from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and A Scanner Darkly and created something seriously lack-lustre. In fairness, it is pretty but even good animation can’t save a bad story.
This was the last billed episode for me, and boy, do we go out with a bang. Following a journalist who’s finally been invited to interview the renowned artist Zima, the story is sublime. Zima blue is the artist’s signature colour and as you might expect for an animation about a signature colour, the visuals in the episode are astounding. I have zero criticisms for this episode; poignant and bittersweet, I just wish every episode could be this good.
Preferring the company of fictional characters to living, breathing people; it should come as no surprise that Hannah is a connoisseur of all things geek. Whilst their body resides in the capital of Wales, their heart resides in Middle-Earth and their mind remains firmly lodged in the memory of that embarrassing thing they did when they were eight.
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