I’m a humongous fan of Black Mirror. Almost every single episode occupies my mind from time to time in the fascinating future dystopia of technology/bleak storytelling from the prolific series. So a few years back when I caught wind of Love Death & Robots, an “animated Black Mirror“, I gave it a shot. I was blown away from Episode One by how lasting the tales could be with such a brief runtime of around 10-15 minutes. At long last, Season Two is upon us, so was it worth the wait?

Where Season One had eighteen episodes, Season Two has only eight. This is both a good and a bad thing, based on the viewer’s opinion. Obviously, this is a binge-worthy, high-quality show, so we’d want as much as possible. On the flip side, I can’t even remember half of the stories from Season One without looking them up because there were just so many episodes. Contrast this with Black Mirror‘s three-episode Season Five with a lasting impact, and I can see why they decreased the episode count for Love Death & Robots‘ sophomore run.

Diving right in, “Automated Customer Service” reeled me in after not watching an episode from the series in two years. The man vs. machine, ten-minute in-house caper, boasted the relevant dread of modern autonomy and how a human touch is necessary sometimes. Next up, “Ice” ramps up the action and takes some great artistic shots, but fails to deliver a compelling story like its companion episodes, making it the weakest drop from Season Two.

“Pop Squad” was animated by the fantastic team from Blur Studio, who were responsible for the likes of Halo 2 Anniversary‘s gorgeous cutscenes and several animations for Riot Games’ properties. This one tugs at the heartstrings and provides a very human element to Season Two, arguably the best of the bunch. “Snow in the Desert” will please fans of post-apocalyptic franchises like Mad Max and Fallout but could have benefitted from more time to flesh out its characters to create viewer attachment.

“The Tall Grass” plays on the fear of being lost with no way out quite well, but I feel that the protagonist got off way too easy compared to what he was up against. The shortest and seemingly most buzzworthy episode, “All Through the House,” provides a horrifying take on Xmas Eve and hikes the gross-out meter to new levels. My personal favorite, “Life Hutch”, is even more claustrophobic than “The Tall Grass”, and shows the protagonist earn his victory in a much more heroic, exciting fashion.

Season Two concludes with “The Drowned Giant”, serving as a Planet Earth-esque documentary style of a deceased goliath with intelligent dialogue piquing the scientific interest of viewers. Overall, it’d take about as much time to consume Season Two of Love Death & Robots as it would any movie, and it’s a wonder how much can be packed into a fraction of an hour of screentime. While I want more, I respect that eight episodes will stick in my mind better than eighteen, and give Season Two of Love Death & Robots a sign of approval.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj2iCJkp6Ko

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Love Death & Robots Season Two

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Top-of-the-Line Visuals
• Variety in Art Styles
• More Hits Than Misses

Cons

• Just Too Short
• Some Forgettable Episodes
• Half The Episodes Of Season One