Are cartoons not the same anymore? Netflix has released season 4 of «Love, Death & Robots», and it seems that there are less emotions left than in an old toaster. It seems to be beautiful and technologically advanced, but something went wrong — because most of the episodes leave a void. But don’t be too quick to run away — this season has its own interesting moments, including an unexpected live action episode and a bloody madness near the end of the season. Let’s figure out where the soul of the series still lives on and where — is just empty CGI.
Genre fiction, satire
Project manager Tim Miller
Starring Dan Stevens, Graham McTavish, Braden Lynch, Mr. Beiste, and others.
Premiere May 15, 2025, Netflix
A few years ago, «Love, Death and the Robots» seemed like a breath of fresh air: something between «Black Mirror» and surreal dreams flavored with incredible animation. But with each new season, the feeling crept in that the creators were starting to repeat themselves, and the best ideas were already behind them. The fourth season only reinforces this impression. And although there are still technical wonders, interesting stylizations, and, it seems, a little more experimentation than in the previous one, there is less and less sense.
Out of the ten episodes, only three can be called truly apt; the rest either tries too hard to be deep or just buzzes with special effects into the void.
The season begins with «Can’t Stop» — a short, bright and plotless story about… a band performing at a concert. The description tells us: just enjoy the song, and it’s really more like a music video than a full episode.
«Close Encounters of the Mini Kind» continues to fall — an attempt to film a comedic clash between micro-aliens and stupid humans looks like a TikTok sketch stretched out over several minutes. The message is clear, and the presentation seems original, but we’ve seen this 150 times before, just in different interpretations.
Only the third episode — «Spider Rose» — finally sets the right tone. The plot of — centers on a lonely woman in her own ruined world, fighting her own personal battle with memories and enemies. It’s a restrained, melancholic, and rather atmospheric live-action movie. Not a breakthrough, but a nice change of pace. The episode gives you a chance to reflect, although sometimes it brings you back to the story when everything around you starts to explode.
«400 Boys» could have been a deep dystopia about a new generation that grew up after the catastrophe. But the idea is lost in the rush: the characters are cardboard, the plot is torn apart, and the dialogues are presented as if we should know the backstory from some other TV series.
«The OtherLarge Thing» — is already a complete pleasure. An absurd story about a cat who wants world domination and the robot that helps him realize it is an example of a perfect combination of humor, surrealism, and social satire. Everything is in place here: the script, the rhythm, the right lines, and the series’ absolutely signature style.
«Golgotha» — a landmark episode for the season, as it was filmed in live-action for the first time. In full. However, the new format does not save it from banality — the story of a priest who encounters a strange alien religion looks and feels like an expensive student movie. New — yes. Interesting — not really.
The seventh episode, «The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur», is the opposite extreme: hyperbole, brutality and beauty. The gladiatorial battles of genetic monsters in the space arena look impressive, but there is not much content here. An interesting fact: YouTube star MrBeast appears in the episode. Not that it affects the quality of the series in any way, no, just know that and that’s it.
«How Zeke Got Religion» — bloody thrash on religious themes. Brutal, loud, pretentious. But in general, — is pretty good and not boring.
«Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners» — is a satirical and very funny series based on an interview format. But this time, the interviewees are… household appliances. They complain about their owners, recall their stupidest actions, share their experiences and even give advice. There is a toothbrush with a crisis of meaning, and a smart toilet with a trauma after use, and I won’t write about the shower trauma, you probably understand why. The series doesn’t try to dig deep, but as a short humorous sketch — works perfectly. It’s a light, witty commentary on the topic of «smart technology — stupid people».
And finally, — «For He Can Creep». The last episode that saves the whole season. The dark tale of a cat who fights the devil himself to save his poet master looks like the lost brainchild of Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro. It’s — perfect: visually, semantically, stylistically. And it reminds us of what Love, Death & Robots was like at its peak.
The problem with the whole season is exhaustion. Most of the episodes either don’t know where to go with themselves or simply try to compensate for the lack of ideas with cool visuals. If we used to admire the plot, twists and turns, and depth, now we only admire technical tricks. And even they don’t surprise us as much as they used to. It seems that the creators are a little confused about their own concept of — and instead of filtering the best ideas, they are trying to give «something».