The first season of Love, Death, and Robots provided eighteen high quality animated shorts all dealing with themes of love, death, and robots, or a combination of the three. New almost two years later Season Two has finally arrived but is significantly shorter than Season One coming in at just eight episodes. Has this reduced episode count yielded an even higher level of quality, or is it a sign that the show is already running out of ideas for its anthology format?
Thankfully I can say that Love, Death, and Robots Season Two is just as great as the first season, though none of the episodes top my favourite episode from Season One, Beyond the Aquilla Rift. This time around it’s also considerably less gory and sexually explicit, making it slightly more palatable to the everyday person. But it does retain its below twenty minute per episode anthology format, meaning every bitesize episode is entirely different from the one that precedes it.
First up is ‘Automated Customer Service’ which sees an elderly lady fighting for her life as she becomes the target of her robotic vacuum cleaner. It’s a darkly comedic spin on the robots gaining sentience and trying to wipe out their creator’s trope and it works very well. The inventive ways the robot tries to kill its target are simultaneously terrifying and hilarious as it progressively ups the ante.
Thankfully I can say that Love, Death, and Robots Season Two is just as great as the first season, though none of the episodes top my favourite episode from Season One, Beyond the Aquilla Rift. This time around it’s also considerably less gory and sexually explicit, making it slightly more palatable to the everyday person. But it does retain its below twenty minute per episode anthology format, meaning every bitesize episode is entirely different from the one that precedes it.
First up is ‘Automated Customer Service’ which sees an elderly lady fighting for her life as she becomes the target of her robotic vacuum cleaner. It’s a darkly comedic spin on the robots gaining sentience and trying to wipe out their creator’s trope and it works very well. The inventive ways the robot tries to kill its target are simultaneously terrifying and hilarious as it progressively ups the ante.
Next is ‘Ice’, a gorgeous 2.5D animation that works primarily with deep blacks and freezing blues. It tells the story of a group of teenagers who venture outside of their habitat on a frozen planet to watch some whales. The story isn’t particularly gripping but the animation is so beautiful I simply couldn’t pull myself away. Mixing elements of 3D and 2D and with such striking colours made it a truly incredible experience to behold.
‘Pop Squad’ was my favourite of the episodes. Almost identical in mood and look to Blade Runner, Pop Squad explores the divide between a rich social elite who live forever but choose not to have children for that luxury; and those who defy the laws to have children, live in appalling conditions and fear execution just to experience the joys of having a child.
It’s an idea that I’d love to see fleshed out more, but what the episode offers is enough to leave you speechless.
My least favourite episodes were ‘Snow in the Desert’, ‘The Tall Grass’, and ‘Life Hutch’. Snow in the Desert follows an outlaw on a desert planet as he fights off bounty hunters trying to kill him, The Tall Grass is about a man who gets lost in a field with otherworldly monsters, and Life Hutch sees a man and machine stand off on a desolate moon as the astronaut awaits rescue. These episodes felt narratively lacking to me, and whilst all were visually impressive, they lacked the flourish of Ice to really make them stand out to me.
‘Pop Squad’ was my favourite of the episodes. Almost identical in mood and look to Blade Runner, Pop Squad explores the divide between a rich social elite who live forever but choose not to have children for that luxury; and those who defy the laws to have children, live in appalling conditions and fear execution just to experience the joys of having a child.
It’s an idea that I’d love to see fleshed out more, but what the episode offers is enough to leave you speechless.
My least favourite episodes were ‘Snow in the Desert’, ‘The Tall Grass’, and ‘Life Hutch’. Snow in the Desert follows an outlaw on a desert planet as he fights off bounty hunters trying to kill him, The Tall Grass is about a man who gets lost in a field with otherworldly monsters, and Life Hutch sees a man and machine stand off on a desolate moon as the astronaut awaits rescue. These episodes felt narratively lacking to me, and whilst all were visually impressive, they lacked the flourish of Ice to really make them stand out to me.
‘All Through the House’ was an excellent short that twisted the myth of Santa Claus into monstrous nightmare fuel. It felt very reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas to me, and whilst it leaves a lot of questions, they’re ones I’m not sure I’m comfortable knowing the answers to.
Finally, there’s ‘The Drowned Giant’ which was visually remarkable, appearing live action in many places. It’s a deep philosophical take on life, death, and impermanence. Whilst some may find the episode slow and boring, personally I loved the insightful questions it posed about the inevitable demise and decay of all living things. I know, cheery.
So, Love, Death, and Robots Season Two does have a few dud episodes, but they’re still enjoyable. Much like Season One, all the episodes are good, but the ones that are great really outshine the others. If you liked Season One then you’ll similarly enjoy Season Two, and if you weren’t keen on Season One because of the excessive violence and sex, then Season Two may also win you over. It seems as though Netflix and Tim Miller have hit it out of the park once again.
Finally, there’s ‘The Drowned Giant’ which was visually remarkable, appearing live action in many places. It’s a deep philosophical take on life, death, and impermanence. Whilst some may find the episode slow and boring, personally I loved the insightful questions it posed about the inevitable demise and decay of all living things. I know, cheery.
So, Love, Death, and Robots Season Two does have a few dud episodes, but they’re still enjoyable. Much like Season One, all the episodes are good, but the ones that are great really outshine the others. If you liked Season One then you’ll similarly enjoy Season Two, and if you weren’t keen on Season One because of the excessive violence and sex, then Season Two may also win you over. It seems as though Netflix and Tim Miller have hit it out of the park once again.