After a rather meandering sophomore season, Love Death and Robots returned with a new season. Not so surprisingly, it blew it out of the park. Almost every episode from the newest season is tremendous in every aspect. Whether it is in creativity in story or style or using mindblowing animation technology. Here is my take on all 9 episodes with a (not so important) ranking.
4.. Three Robots: Exit Strategies
This season begins with these three familiar characters from season 1. The three robots who wandered around the post-apocalyptic worlds are back with their similar sarcastic attitude. This episode pokes fun with tech billionaires and some current ongoing themes. And it ends in a quirky surprising way. Not serious SciFi but a good way to start the season.
3.. Kill Team Kill
Absolute beast! Trapped in a mountain, a group of soldiers faces a genetically mutated grizzly bear which ferociously attacked them and kills them one by one. Later they attempt to stop that killing frenzy. Whether they were successful or not, full-on gun show and explicit dick jokes were sure guaranteed here.
3.. The Very Pulse of the Machine
There was nothing quite like Zima Blue so far in the three seasons of LDR. But visually I think this one goes close to it. A psychedelic journey told through an astronaut who is in the limited capacity of oxygen and living through her dead friend's O2 supply. The captivating view and the surreal soundtrack will be the most highlighted side of this apart from the memorable ending. And the charm of Mackenzie Davis is clearly visible.
2.. In the Vaulted Halls Entombed
This is for the Lovecraftian fans. Trying to rescue someone but instead discovering something surprising is not a new trope. But it was undoubtedly fun to watch. The horror part is simply breathtaking. And the end shot leaves the audience just as shocked as it raises questions.
2.. Night of the Mini Dead
The most fun I've had in a while in a 4-minute adventure. Starting from having sex in a graveyard which leads to the zombie apocalypse, this short successfully managed to satire the zombie films, and big leader's dumb decision making during the chaos, giving us the idea of how tiny we are in the scope of this universe. The squeaky voices, ominous music, and hilarious dialogues made me roll on the floor by laughing.
2.. Swarm
It's not surprising that LDR often tried to showcase that humanity's worst enemy is humans themselves. Here it is portrayed once again. On a given opportunity, it's proven that humans lean to betrayal. Whether it is in a simple environment or in a whole another ecosystem. But the idea of getting outmatched by a different species is definitely beyond them. Which eventually brings the collapse on them with the help of stupidity. Swarm reminded me a lot of "Beyond the Acquilla Rift" but it is a completely new thing of its own.
2.. Mason's Rat
Written by Joe Abercrombie who is known for the First Law trilogy, Mason Rats clearly have the pattern of Joe's gruesome books. Set in a future world, where technology and nature evolved together. Rats have armed themselves and attacked the farmer named Mason on his farm. Seeing enough he asks for Pest control which has the state of the art killing machines. But things always don't goes like the plan as the battle becomes terrifyingly bloody between them, As it is about to be even gorier, an intervention makes it for a rather wholesome ending for two veteran soldiers.
1.. Jibaro
An Audio-visual masterpiece! It was something like I've never seen hence I couldn't give the second place, just tieing with the first place holder. From the first scene, I was engrossed by the unbelievably hyperrealistic animation. The screams by the gold-worn women, the earth-shattering killing dance of the soldiers from the sound of it, the violence between them, and the final revenge of fate all came through without any sign of dialogue. Although the visuals were one of a kind the themes behind this whole story were thought-provoking too. It successfully included Spanish colonialism, rapes, assault, greed, grief, loss, love, and penance in its short run time. The whole episode was a visually throbbing and painful experience altogether.
1.. Bad Travelling
For me, this is the best episode from season three. A complete story told in the most elegant way. Distant sea, isolated crews, a constant death threat of a creature living beneath them, eating them one by one. The plot demands certain ploys to happen and the story delivers. It puts characters under a moral glass and grasps the audience with visual mastery. It's a no-brainer it felt so gripping seeing everything fall according to the plan of the certain character as it was directed by David Fincher. It was dark and gory and it ends with a classic dilemma of whether the lead was a hero or a villain.
By the way, this season merged with the crypto world. Showmaker put QR codes as an easter egg which leads to NFT and there are guidelines for them to mint it in Etherium. So far 3 are visible in the episode themselves and the other 6 were supposed to be in the real world.