With the release of its third season, Love, Death + Robots now has 35 short episodes to choose from for audiences in search of beautiful animation and unique stories. There's something for everyone in this Netflix anthology series, ranging from lighthearted fluff pieces about sentient yogurt to darker episodes that are most certainly a thinly veiled commentary on our current society.
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However, with the large episode count and every short feeling like it could be its own full-length movie, it can be difficult to know where to start and an overwhelming task to watch them all at once. However, viewers and longtime fans of Love, Death, + Robots agree that some episodes shouldn't be missed.
10 Kill Team Kill Nails Horror Comedy, Season 3
When horror and comedy come together, it can sometimes feel like the two genres are at odds with each other, but in "Kill Team Kill," the jokes never come at the expense of the tense atmosphere and high stakes.
The chemistry the cast has with each other, even when animated, makes the audience root for them from the first moment, though it's no surprise considering it boasts the likes of Joel McHale, Gabriel Luna, and Seth Green. They bicker and fling mud at each other just like a real unit of soldiers, and it makes for easy viewing despite how terrifying their enemy is. Just don't expect a happy ending.
9 Beyond The Aquila Rift Has A Killer Plot Twist, Season 1
When the crew of the freight spaceship, The Blue Goose, find themselves far away from their intended destination after a routing error, their captain Tom attempts to make the best of a bad situation by catching up with an old friend.
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"Beyond The Aquila Rift" has a brilliant twist that most viewers didn't see coming, or, at least, didn't perfectly predict. This episode, in particular, has no real profound meaning, but it's a stellar example of some brilliant cosmic horror.
8 Pop Squad Is A Grim Look At The Reality Of Immortality, Season 2
"Pop Squad" wastes absolutely no time setting up a grim vision of the future. The audience is placed in the shoes of a detective, Briggs, who is tasked with controlling overpopulation in the dystopian landscape by killing children – with the wealthy in this world being the ones who decide who can and can't reproduce.
What follows is an ethical and moral dilemma for Briggs, who suddenly feels overwhelmed by the reality of his work. "Pop Squad" is a thinly-veiled commentary on the powers the wealthy are given even in our society, and those seeking the darker side of Love, Death, + Robots shouldn't miss this season 2 episode.
7 The Drowned Giant Slows Things Down, Season 2
Told through the voiceover of a scientist called Steven, the man recalls his inner feelings and emotions around the time a dead giant washed up on the beach of a small seaside town. There isn't any action in "The Drowned Giant." Instead, Love, Death, + Robots chooses to slow things down and ruminate on the little things in this episode.
Episodes like "The Drowned Giant" help balance the anthology out. Rather than being faced with action or existential dread, the audience is instead allowed to bask in the aftermath of the giant appearing. No reason is given for its appearance, and it's left to the viewers to make their own conclusions.
6 Good Hunting Puts Human Depravity On Full Display, Season 1
Season one's "Good Hunting" follows Liang, the son of a spirit hunter, as he befriends Yan, a shape-shifting fox spirit called a Huli Jing. The pair find themselves living in China during a colonized modernization, with the increasing modernization greatly affecting the magic and reducing Yan's ability to shape-shift.
"Good Hunting" gets incredibly dark after that, and isn't afraid to comment on the issues of industrialization, poverty, cultural erasure, and sexual abuse. Through the eyes of Liang and Yan, viewers are forced to see the dark underbelly of high-growth nations, presented in a gorgeous animation style that perfectly off-sets the desolate vibe.
5 Bad Travelling Is A Moral Dilemma At Sea, Season 3
After a haunting, crab-like creature attacks a ship and seeks shelter on its lower deck, second-in-command Torrin is sent below by the other crew members to kill it. However, only Torrin negotiates with the creature instead, so a complicated tale of selfishness and morality begins.
The voice acting, animation, and atmosphere of "Bad Travelling" are superb. It leans heavily into its horror origins while respecting the more profound meaning it's trying to convey, with the result being a lesson about trust that viewers won't soon forget.
4 Three Robots Is The Lighthearted Fun Amongst The Noise, Season 1
Set long after the fall of humanity, "Three Robots" is a funny respite in a series full of critical social commentary. Viewers are treated to the witty banter shared between three robots, XBOT 4000, K-VRC, and 11-45-G, as they travel through a post-apocalyptic city to understand the humans that came before them.
RELATED: The 10 Best Marvel Robots"Three Robots" is silly in all the right ways and is full of interesting details. It's followed by its sequel, season 3's "Three Robots: Exit Strategies," for viewers who believe one dose of the comedic trio simply wasn't enough.
3 The Witness' Art Style Is Mesmerizing, Season 1
A highly acclaimed episode from season one was "The Witness," which follows a young woman's journey through the city after witnessing a murder in the building across from hers. As she flees from the murderer, viewers are treated to a visual marvel, the unique animation style springing to life during the high stakes chase.
While the story in "The Witness" is gripping, the animation has received special commendation. It embraces camera shake and angles typically seen in high-budget thriller movies and combines them with comic book quirks, such as text saying "bang" appearing when doors are slammed. As a result, the entire short feels like it's leaped straight from the pages of a graphic novel, and that's before viewers get sucked into the twisted plot.
2 Jibaro Shows The Anthology Has No Intentions Of Slowing Down, Season 3
Season 3's "Jibaro" is not for the faint of heart, and pulls audiences right back to that uncomfortable and bewildered state that the series is so well-known for. Its opening scene shows many soldiers fall prey to a jewel-laden siren, with one soldier finding himself immune to her charms and surviving due to him being deaf.
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With symbolism heavily leaning toward the dangers of greed, and a devastating depiction of what can only be described as trauma, "Jibaro" is full of hidden meaning. What makes it all the more impressive, is that it does all of this without a single line of dialogue.
1 Zima Blue Discusses The Meaning Of Life, Season 1
Opening with a journalist's voiceover explaining the history of the titular artist, Zima, audiences are told that Zima believed painting humans didn't provide his life enough meaning, so he moved into the world of cosmic murals. These murals, however, slowly became encompassed by one thing: a very particular shade of blue – "Zima Blue."
"Zima Blue" is one of those episodes that must be watched to be appreciated. It questions what life truly means for sentient creatures, how fame and fortune cannot replace innate desires, and if happiness is a much simpler venture than the world would make it seem.
