Binge-watching is something that seems to come easy to most people. You sit down, ignore every single one of your responsibilities and glue your eyes to a screen for hours on end. That said, there are things that can make a show easier to binge. For instance, an easy premise, chopped up into shorter increments works incredibly well. Why do you think The Office found such a great home on Netflix?
The shorter the length, the easier the binge. This, of course, is one of the biggest selling points of the latest Netflix original Love, Death & Robots. The anthology series sees a different animation company create a short, all typically under the 15 minute mark, dealing with topics of, well, love, death and or robots. As a general disclaimer, they are all similar in that they deal with some pretty heavy things, including gore and nudity. Not that this Game of Thrones-crazed society isn’t used to that, but it’s always nice to be aware going in.
The most amazing thing about the show is this format. You don’t know what you’re going to get going into each one, and if you end up not particularly liking an episode, lucky you, the next will have nothing to do with it. Plus, they’re all short, so even if you find your binge session stumbling, it’ll be over and on to the next in a matter of minutes.
Some of the episodes did inevitably rise above the others, five specifically. It’s not that the rest of the episodes were bad, it’s just that you most likely won’t remember the rest in a few months time. So, in no particular order, let’s get into the best Love, Death & Robots has to offer.
First and foremost, we have “Sonnie’s Edge.” While the order of the episodes were confirmed to be different for various people by Netflix, this was my first journey into the gritty worlds this show had to offer. This episode gave me my first plot twist, plenty of gore and a truly unique and interesting premise, backed up with some top-notch animation. Some of the dialogue came across a bit forced, but overall, we were given some very believable protagonists to follow.
Next up, an episode I see as perhaps the best of the best, is “Three Robots.” This episode followed, you guessed it, three robots as they travel across a post-apocalyptic America. It’s one of the few light-hearted, funnier episodes of Love, Death & Robots and for that reason, it really stands out. It has the best animation of the entire series, in terms of realism, and the best trio of characters to go along with it. The banter is realistic and gut-bustingly hilarious. This episode is one you won’t want to end . In fact, I could see a fully-launched series based on these characters.
Reaching the mid-way point of our group, we have “Good Hunting.” This is an episode that has some really good animation, not in terms of how realistic it is. It feels very classic and hand-drawn, with some super cool steampunk elements underneath it all. The science fiction narrative is carried out in a way that feels like a whole movie in a matter of minutes, and is probably the best in terms of world-building in the series.
Moving on, we have “The Secret War.” In a way, I give this one the classification of the guilty-pleasure episode, due to its vaguely cheesy plot and one-note characters, but it ends up being enjoyable. It is a little cliche, yes, but it’s done in the best way possible. The creatures showcased in this one are really some of the most terrifying seen in the whole show, and it all comes to life because of absolutely amazing animation. This episode is a simple, fun piece to sit down and watch.
Last, but certainly not least, is “The Witness.” Something that immediately stands out with this episode is the animation. It’s so realistic, often bordering uncanny at times, but it’s paired up with awesome comic book undertones, with phrases like “Crash!” popping up when a characters knocks something over. It doesn’t come off as cheesy either, it actually adds this really unique depth to the piece as a whole. And while I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending of this one, the plot will also stand out when it’s all said and done.
And that’s that. Love, Death & Robots is a really unique idea, even in the world of anthologies, and adds a breath of fresh air to the industry in terms of these types of series. Sure, these episodes stood out among the rest, but each of the 18 have something to offer to different audiences. Each person will likely take away something different from the series. So be sure to ignore your responsibilities for a couple hours and give Love, Death & Robots a binge.
Jackson Horvat is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree with his rankings? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
