Still Thinking About It

A Review of Love, Death, and Robots Season 4

Image from Netflix

Looking for a good anthology to binge? Look no further than Love, Death, and Robots. The show is an anthology animated series that deals with genres ranging from sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, horror, and black comedy. The episodes contain different animation styles, which makes sense with the episodes being produced by different casts and crews. I hate that, after my health decline last year, I missed out on season 4. I love that I was able to dive back into the fourth season of the show recently. Every season, I find episodes that make me think, with this season being no exception.

Spider Rose- After her loved ones had died in battle, an enhanced cyborg lives in isolation on an asteroid belt until she is given the opportunity to bond with a pet. I liked it because it reminds me of my own bout with social isolation. When tragedy happens, we tend to hide ourselves for protection. I have been doing that for the last decade. When my disability made it hard for me to go out into the outside world, I created a mental cage around myself. I was afraid of letting people see how far I had fallen. However, like the character in this show, I realized the importance of having multiple human connections. Being alone lets you ruminate in your dark thoughts. Engaging with others lets you see things from a new perspective and explore new possibilities.

The Other Large Thing- A cat, who thinks lowly of his human owners, forms an unlikely relationship with a robot his owners bought to take care of things around the house. I have a huge soft spot for cats. When I see one, I have to watch. I like this one because it gives voice to the grandeur of a cat. I am not sure if other animals think as large as the cat in this episode, but I do believe that animals do have emotions and are aware of their surrounding. They understand cruelty and do repay it in kind.

For He Can Creep- This episode takes a different approach than The Other Large Thing. In this story, a poet’s destiny is fought over between his pet cat and the devil. I like this one because it shows that animals can develop attachments to their owners and will go through great lengths to protect them. They are not that far off from humans when it comes to emotional attachments.

How Zeke Got Religion- A bomber crew during WWII is given a mission to bomb a church in France. I like that the episode has us question if there are some things beyond our understanding. I don’t think that humanity knows everything about the world and the universe that we live in. I would like to think that there are things of a supernatural nature that are left for us to explore.

If you like animation, I would recommend giving this show a try. It explores different storytelling styles, and it takes less than 2 hours to finish an entire season. I always like that at the end of each season, I have a couple of episodes to reflect on because they ask us good questions about humanity and society. If you watch, I am sure that there will be episodes that will stick with you long after the show is over.