Love, Death, and Robots, Volume 4
A Gloriously mixed bag
Love, Death, and Robots is a Netflix series of animated shorts based on original stories by various science fiction authors. If you are a science fiction reader, you will recognize some of the authors’ names listed below. Volume 4 consists of ten episodes ranging in length from 6 to 17 min. You could easily binge-watch it, but I wanted to savor it, so I’ve watched one episode a day since it came out 15-May-2025, and sadly, I have now watched all of them. There is no central story. Each episode stands alone, as does each volume. Each episode is the work of a different team. You don’t need to watch the previous three volumes to understand volume 4, but you should! They’re excellent. I will not tell you that every single episode is brilliant, but more than half are, in my opinion.
Warning: these shorts are not for children or intolerant adults.
Here are the ten episodes of Volume 4. I will list the authors (cribbed from IMDB) for each. You will notice that, although I give Volume 4 as a whole five stars, I rate many of the individual episodes lower than that, consistent with my opinion that a work of art should be evaluated at its peaks.
★★★☆☆ Can’t Stop
Tim Miller
Can’t Stop is a recreation of a 2003 performance of “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. All the people, audience and performers, are puppets: marionettes, to be precise, and you can see the strings.
★★★★★ Close Encounters of the Mini Kind
Robert Bisi, Andy Lyon, and Tim Miller
An alien invasion of Earth, probably, except everything and everyone is shown in miniature, It is extraordinarily violent, and one sees a variety of surprising sexual encounters. But it’s all played for laughs, and it’s very funny.
★★★★☆ Spider Rose
Bruce Sterling, Joe Abercrombie, Tim Miller
A story of a lonely, grieving woman who is given a pet.
★★★★☆ 400 Boys
Marc Laidlaw, Tim Miller
A new gang comes to a city. The old gangs want it off their turf.
★★★★☆ The Other Large Thing
John Scalzi, Tim Miller
A couple buy a household robot. Their cat makes use of it in a way they didn’t intend.
★★★☆☆ Golgotha
Dave Hutchinson, Joe Abercrombie, Tim Miller
This was my least favorite of Volume 4. An alien visits to negotiate with humanity, in the person of a vicar. I felt this was far too obvious and predictable.
★★★★★ The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur
Tim Miller, Stant Litore
My favorite of Volume 4. It’s a thrilling gladiatorial battle.
★★★☆☆ How Zeke Got Religion
John McNichol, JT Petty
A World War II bomber bombs a church where an unholy rite has taken place. The bomber crew faces an unexpected opponent.
★★★★☆ Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners
John Scalzi
This one is very simple: It’s a series of appliances complaining about how stupid and disgusting their owners are. Pretty funny.
★★★★☆ For He Can Creep
Siobhán Carroll, Tamsyn Muir
Tamsyn Mur tells a story of cats fighting Satan. Need I say more?