While Volume 2 of Love Death + Robots is only 8 episodes long (compared to the 18 episodes in Volume 1), it feels like Netflix took the best elements from Volume 1 to make Volume 2. Despite the shorter catalogue, Volume 2 manages to cover a wide breadth of themes and atmospheres, from the introspective and desolate (“The Drowned Giant”) to the fun but unnerving (“All Through the House”).
Similar to my list for Volume 1, I’ve ranked the episodes from best to worst and included what I thought was the strongest aspect of each: Excellent Story, Just Plain Fun, or Excellent Style. All the episodes are complete stories independent from one another, with unique art and animation. Interestingly, there’s very little of the hallmark nudity and sex that made for memorable moments in Volume 1. Instead, Volume 2 focuses more on story, character development, and world-building, which is why I like this volume more than the first.
1. “Snow in the Desert” – 18m – Excellent Style
Of all the hyper-realistic art in Love Death + Robots, this episode may be one of the most convincing. The story, characters, and world are beautifully made and conveyed to the audience as well, but the quality of the art (on top of everything else) makes this the top of the list. The world that it takes place in feels a lot like Jakku from Star Wars (Rey’s home planet), and the story feels a bit like the comic series Saga but much, much shorter.
2. “Pop Squad” – 18m – Excellent Story
I have a real soft spot for stories that use sci-fi or fantasy backdrops to talk about the importance of family and love. If you’ve seen What Happened to Monday, a movie you can also find on Netflix, “Pop Squad” has a similar premise except from the POV of someone killing excess children, and the moral implications there. If you haven’t seen What Happened to Monday (it’s a very mediocre movie in all honesty—you haven’t missed much), “Pop Squad” takes place in a world where societies must prevent overpopulation—at all costs. This episode does a wonderful job of getting you to feel for the main character.
3. “All Through the House” – 7m – Just Plain Fun
A very interesting take on the tale of Old Saint Nick, and also kinda gross.
4. “Ice” – 13m – Excellent Style
The art style in “Ice” is very similar to that in “Zima Blue” from Volume 1. On a surface level, “Ice” is a linear episode with no distinctive climax or ending, but it does a wonderful job of world-building. Instead of Tolkien-esque focus on setting details and explanations, “Ice” lets you know about its universe using breadcrumbs, implying a world through dialogue and clues in the background. It’s a lot of fun filling in the details of this episode’s universe on your own.
5. “Life Hutch” – 13m – Excellent Style
Michael B. Jordan stars in this episode! Kind of. He voices a hyper-realistic animated version of himself finding respite from war in a module known as a Life Hutch. Of course, the Life Hutch A.I. has been damaged, and he has to survive the very thing providing him safety. It’s a fun, thriller-esque episode. It also reminds me a bit of the movie Life, but less scary.
6. “The Drowned Giant” – 13m – Excellent Style
This is a surprisingly introspective story from Love Death + Robots. One day, the body of a giant washes up on shore, and the episode follows the thoughts of a researcher watching as it both decays and is vandalized by the people who go to see it. It’s chilling and a bit unsettling to watch, but memorable for its unique tone.
7. “Automated Customer Service” – 12m – Just Plain Fun
This episode is a lot of fun, once you get to the end. Until then, the story doesn’t make a lot of sense, and it feels like a series of bad things happen to the main character without any reason. She’s trying to leave her house? The doors lock her inside. She’s running away? Let’s have her trip. While the ending clears everything up, I didn’t really like the journey to get there. That might just be me, though; the people I watched this episode with really enjoyed it.
8. “The Tall Grass” – 11m – Excellent Style
I really wanted to like this one. The art is gorgeous, it has a terrific sense of atmosphere, and the main character is curious and just asking for trouble. But despite the promise in the beginning of this episode, the climax doesn’t deliver. Unfortunately, it ends up being a case of ‘spooky things happen for spooky reasons, and no one will believe you so don’t bother talking to others about it.’ Stories like this fall into the same category as ‘it was all just a dream’ tales for me.
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