From a "pop squad" ofchild assassins to a giant drowning victim, the eight episodes ofseason 2 offered a diverse range of sci-fi stories; here they are, ranked from worst to best. The animated anthology, created by Tim Miller and David Fincher, highlights the work of artists from around the world in a series of thought-provoking shorts. Each six- to 17-minuteepisode tacklesa different aspect of science fiction.
Love, Death &Robotsseason 1 made a splash when it premiered on Netflix in 2019, shocking audiences with its cutting-edge animation and unabashed inclusion of adult content. In contrast, season 2 has drawn some criticism from fans who say the series has lost its edge by toning down the violence and sex that characterized season 1. While some viewers are pleased with thePG-13 content, many more are disappointed that the series hasn't stuck to its "animation for adults" ethos. ,drawingsome disapproval.At 18 episodes, the original season wasmore than double the length of season 2, offering a wider range of animation styles and stories.
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Love, Death &Robotsseason 2 may be concise, but it remains faithful to the show's original concept. Each animated short presents a different artistic style,sometraditional and some experimental. The stories, based on written works, all include elements of science fiction, some well-worn, and some novel. And, like season 1, the episodes of season 2 vary in quality.
The Drowned Giant
At 14 minutes, Tim Miller's "The Drowned Giant" is 13 minutes too long, especially for an animated short where nothing actually happens.Although there is stunning attention to detail in the animation of thegiant who's washed ashore, Miller fails to take advantage of television's visual format. Instead,he uses animationlike a series of images in a picture book, to add context to the lengthy narration. "The Drowned Giant" givesaudiences an extreme close-up look at life and death, but there's nothing overly unique or interesting about the visuals. With no action, the short issimply a meandering mediation on mortality. Although the scientist is fascinated, viewers are free to wander off.
Ice
Robert Valley's unconventional animationremains riveting in his season 2 episode, "Ice," but the storyit illustrates is a run-of-the-mill adventure with a predictable ending. The 13-minuteshortfollows teenage malcontentSedgewick as he attempts to fit in with a crowd of superhuman kids, including his younger brother. After surviving a dangerous rite of passage, Sedgwick earns their respect. The story, centering around familial relationships andsocial norms, could be set almost anywhere. Its science-fiction elements — theice-covered planet, frost whales, and human "modifications" — are hardly explored. Despitethe short's sharp edges and vivid colors, it literally pales in comparison to Love, Death & Robotsseason 1, episode 14, "Zima Blue," which pushes Valley's animation style to its limits andexplores the nature of humanity and art.
The Tall Grass
Withthe best linecoming right before the credits, "The Tall Grass" feels more like the prelude to a bigger adventure than a complete story in and of itself. Simon Otto takes his time with the first eight minutes of the short, slowing the pace to build suspense, only to packa mountain of expositioninto the last minute. Rather than tying up the story with a bow, the final 60 seconds introduce an entirely newnarrative for the audience to unwrap. "The Tall Grass" is redeemed in part by Otto's distinctive animation, which gives his characters a chiseled, wooden look. The story also takes a deep dive into the conflict between urban and rural, turning a natural setting into a horrific murder scene. Unfortunately, the short's speculative ending overshadows its earlier action.
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Snow in the Desert
"Snow in the Desert," while epic, is handicapped by its scope. The 18-minute short feels disjointed at times, withthe blossoming romance between survivalist Snow andthe mysterious Hirald interrupted by firefights and exposition. The beauty of the desert landscape is undercut by flashes of a bustling alien market that the audience never gets to fully explore. The peak of the short is its perfectly executed twist, where Hirald is revealed to be an immortal cyborg. The emotional rollercoaster of Hirald's apparent death followed by her reunion with Snow is well-written and keeps the audience thinking about the nature of immortality as the credits roll. At other times, however, the short feels like it's trying to do too much.
All Through the House
"All Through the House" turns theChristmastradition of sneaking downstairs tocatch a glimpse ofSanta Claus on Christmas Eve into a surreal nightmare. The tightly-written seven-minute short puts a clever spin on the magic of Santa, asking what the mythical figure would be like if he was truly equipped to dole out punishment to bad girls and boys."Be good or else," is a common epithet around the holidays. In this short, that threat becomes way too real for the characters.
Thehorrifying creature that emerges from behind the Christmas tree islovingly animated by Elliot Dear, who emulates the rigid stop-motion of TV specials likeRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.Surprisingly, instead of slaughteringthe family's two children, Leah and Billy,the creature regurgitates perfectly wrapped presents.While the ending is a little heavy-handed, with Leahquestioning the consequences for bad children, no moments are wasted. Every frame of animation in this short contributes to a story that is, at times, scary, funny, and bizarre.
Life Hutch
Despite being set on afar-away planet amid an intergalactic war, Alex Beaty's hyper-realistic "Life Hutch" still manages to feel relatable.For an audience used to technological mishaps, it's easy to imagine a future where the dangers of technology arise from malfunction rather than perfection. In "Life Hutch,"a simple quest for shelterturns deadly when a glitchy maintenance robot starts attacking anything that moves. Trappedwith the robot, an intergalactic pilot(Michael B. Jordan)is engaged in an unexpected battle to the death.
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The 14-minute short is a fascinating glimpse into the fight for survival, heightened by the uncensored violence/gore of thepilot's injuries.The pilot's struggle to avoid detection in the claustrophobic "life hutch" evokesthe terror ofA Quiet Place,where survival depends on a person's ability to suppress pain. The story is also told from an unusual perspective, that of a grounded pilot, giving a narrative about the perils of space travel a fresh spin.
Automated Customer Service
The trademark humor ofLove, Death& Robotsis captured only once in season 2, during the 13-minute short "Automated Customer Service." The story of a robot vacuum cleaner attacking an elderly retiree and her dog is a refreshing take on the classic sci-fi motif about the dangers of a high-tech society.There are several laugh-out-loud moments as the retiree, Jeanette, struggles to get reliable help from an automated customer service phone line (which ultimately condemns her to death).In a community that relies entirely on computers,Jeanette'speriloussituation is worsened by her isolation from other human beings.The short ends with a heartwarming connection between Jeanette and her neighbor, who helps rescue her, prompting thought about the social consequences of technology.
Pop Squad
Keeping audiencesinterested in astorywith a complexbackground is a challenge, especiallyin less than 20 minutes, but "Pop Squad" makesthe balancing actlook effortless. In the first few seconds, the animated short thrusts viewers into a world where having children is a crime and anyyoungsters found are summarily executed.The short keeps exposition to a minimum, relying on dialogue and visual context clues to show how "breeders" are prosecuted and the rest of humanitylives with immortality.
The short's carefully crafted lines speak volumes about each character,bringing their inner emotions and philosophies to light. In contrast, the mostly silent Detective Briggs acts as a proxy for the audience, bringing viewers along on hisexistential journey.With sympathetic characters, elegant symbolism, and an ending that makes viewers think, "Pop Squad" isa flawless example of how modern science fiction should be done.The short is the pinnacle ofLove, Death& Robotsseason 2, taking a deep dive into the moral conflicts that arise in a dystopian society.
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