Compared to prestige anthology shows like Black Mirror and Inside No. 9, Tim Miller's Love, Death & Robots has always been more uneven. This isn't inherently a flaw; part of the series' charm lies in the ever-shifting tones, genres, and animation styles, and the inconsistent quality is a natural byproduct of this. Despite a strong start in its first season, season 4 is particularly frustrating as, despite its stunning animation, it's let down by pedestrian storytelling and a distinct lack of ambition.
Of the ten episodes of this season, only three stand out, with even the best entries failing to break new ground. Most disappointingly, the show seems to have forgotten its core premise: bold, experimental storytelling rooted in the titular themes of love, death, and/or robots. The season opener, ‘Can't Stop', is a baffling choice – little more than an animated music video, with no plot, no script, and no thematic link to the series' title. It's as if Black Mirror premiered an episode with zero connection to technology, like ‘Demon 79', but without the actual story.
The biggest issue with Love, Death and Robots is how so many of its episodes feel unfinished. Take one of the season's stronger episodes, ‘Spider Rose'. It starts promisingly enough, with stunning effects, a compelling lead, and some breathtaking action set-pieces, but then it ends before it can deliver any real payoff. Similarly, ‘The Other Large Thing' starts strong, bolstered by Chris Parnell's fun Maurice LaMarche-style narration as the imperious cat, but ends just as it's getting interesting. ‘Golgotha' might be the most infuriating of all; it has an elegiac, blackly comic tone, and the mix of live action and animation is intriguing, but the abrupt ending kills any goodwill it's built up. The failings of these episodes really prove the value of a strong ending, as without it, even the most impressively animated story falls flat.
For all the issues with the quality of the episodes, this could be brushed aside if the ambition was there. At its best, Love, Death & Robots is a showcase for bold, innovative storytelling. Instead, many of season 4's entries feel like facsimiles of earlier, better episodes and rely too heavily on style to make up for the lack of substance.
That being said, there are a few solid episodes within the Netflix anthology's fourth season. Best of all is ‘How Zeke Got Religion', a hand-drawn variation of the “Soldiers facing off against an eldritch horror” premise that the series does so well. It's beautifully animated, with visceral imagery and a disquieting, ethereal monster design worthy of Mike Mignola. Alongside this, the gothic and darkly comic cat-versus-Satan tale, ‘For He Can Creep', is played refreshingly straight, whilst the action and epic sense of scale within ‘The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur' presents a satisfyingly nasty finish that other episodes lack. Still, these bright spots are overshadowed by the sense of creative malaise that pervades the season. Where previous seasons took bold swings – sometimes missing, sometimes producing brilliance – this one plays it disappointingly safe. And in a show built on innovation, that's the real failure.
Love, Death & Robots has been one of the most inventive and genre-defying animated shows on TV. But season four is a low point. It remains a beautifully animated series, and there are moments of real inspiration, but it's ultimately superficial and a little inconsequential. Hopefully, the next volume remembers what made this anthology essential in the first place.
All episodes of Love Death and Robots season 4 are now available on Netflix.
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