Episode Guide
Three Robots: Exit Strategies – | Review Score = 3/5 Bad Travelling – | Review Score = 4.5/5 The Very Pulse of the Machine – | Review Score = 4/5 Night of the Mini Dead – | Review Score = 4/5 Kill Team Kill – | Review Score = 3.5/5 Swarm – | Review Score = 4.5/5 Mason’s Rats – | Review Score = 4.5/5 In Vaulted Halls Entombed – | Review Score = 4/5 Jibaro – | Review Score = 4/5 Love, Death & Robots has been one of the more consistent anthologies in recent years. While season 2 was a definite step down from the enthralling first, one could argue that a certain worldwide virus had a hand in that drop. Season 3 completely dispels any doubts, with an enthralling and incredible display of animated talent and storytelling prowess. With 9 more chapters to digest and noticeably longer run-times for most episodes, Love, Death & Robots steps up its game to deliver a brilliant season of entertainment, chock full of unusual, interesting and thematically deep chapters. This time around, the stories range from a stunning duel between a deaf knight and a siren, a cutesy version of a zombie apocalypse, a sequel featuring our favourite three robots and a deliciously sinister voyage out at sea. With a vast array of different animated techniques used once more, the show continues to excel artistically, with some of these stories very easily ascending to the realm of excellence. Make no mistake about it, volume 3 manages to craft some of the best stories out of the whole three seasons. And given how many memorable efforts there were in season 1, that’s quite the achievement. The voice acting all round in this is great too, and unlike season 2 there’s a lot more consistency to the ideas. While seeing household appliances turn on their master is an amusing story, it’s also one that’s not particularly original. Likewise, creatures chasing a guy through a field of endless grass, only to be saved by a train, are simple storyboarding ideas that don’t really stretch the imagination. When you compare that to season 3’s narrative depth, there’s really no question that this is a step up. Take ‘Bad Travelling’ as an example. Without spoiling too much, the story immediately makes you believe an assumption about the ship’s captain, which is played with across the run-time until the end, when the narrative takes a sharp turn for the unexpected, and makes you refocus everything you thought you knew about this man. Moments like this make Love, Death & Robots much deeper than it initially seems. ‘Jibaro’ is likely to be the chapter that gains the plaudits though and on repeat watches, it definitely holds up. Much like ‘Bad Traveling’, the chapter has a lot of thematic depth to it, stretching all the way back to Puerto Rican folklore and tales. It would be mad not to expect a fourth season after such a strong showing here, and Love, Death & Robots is definitely one of Netflix’s most consistent performers. The show has an energy about it that’s somewhat unrivaled from other animations – or anthologies for that matter. The only other anthology right now as consistent as this is Inside No. 9, so that’s some good company to share! Ultimately, Love, Death & Robots is a return to form, with an excellent showcase of animated talent and sharp, refined writing. With nine chapters to choose from, Netflix’s anthology hits another homerun.
