SummaryThe sci-fi series based on the art book by Simon Stålenhag focuses on the people who live in a town above The Loop, a machine built by by a group led by Russ (Jonathan Pryce), that allows the impossible to be possible.
SummaryThe sci-fi series based on the art book by Simon Stålenhag focuses on the people who live in a town above The Loop, a machine built by by a group led by Russ (Jonathan Pryce), that allows the impossible to be possible.
Tales from the Loop is that rare sci-fi show: one that trusts us to breathe in deep the oddities of its world, accept that we aren’t going to know everything, and climb aboard anyways. That trust, built with its tactful scene-setting and human-sized troubles, allows for easy investment in deceivingly simple dramas. If the rest of the episodes are as touching, moving, and casually engaging as what I’ve seen from The Loop, Amazon already has one of the year’s sharpest pieces of sci-fi.
Halpern writes every episode of this first season and has a gift for keying into the eerie beauty of Stålenhag's visuals and finding stories that match their disquieting melancholy. "Loop" sets the tone.
This is masterful science-fiction. The show does not concern itself with elaborate explanations of how, or even why, the various technologies of The Loop work the way they do. So if you are looking for reasonable explanations for the various how’s and why’s of the show you will unfortunately be left disappointed.
I don’t find those details very interesting anyway. Instead, what the show focusses on are the effects that these technologies have on the lives of those that live above The Loop. It explores, instead, the central role that technologies play in our lives as conduits of control in the face of dramatic change. It reminds me of The Leftovers, where the premise of that show was not based on the issue of what happened to those who suddenly and dramatically went missing, but rather how what happened affected those whom were left behind. Similarly, Tales from The Loop explores compelling science-fiction narratives around time, transposition, stasis, etc., by placing the human experience front and centre. Oh, and of course, the show is stunning to look at! How could you want anything else from science-fiction?
I love the artwork of Simon Stalenhag. This show brought his art to life. I am grateful that Amazon funded this beautiful show with its deep cinematography. And the stories were haunting... still lingering to this day.
Episodic anthologies often struggle to replicate audience expectancy; that drive you feel to see what happens next. The sci-fi genre often uses extraordinary outward events to look inward. “Tales From the Loop” does the latter very well, but still struggles with the former; while it’s nice not to feel like you have to keep watching to solve the mystery, more urgency could help the series carry a more lasting impact. There’s a lot of beauty in this loop, for those curious enough to seek it out.
Nobody would accuse Tales from the Loop of being gripping, but it has other qualities, rare in a frenetic era: it is thoughtful, patient, and unafraid to leave its Big Questions open-ended. This is slow television for slow days, and for all the viewers who switch off after 10 minutes worried they are slipping into a coma, there will be others for whom this is a curious joy.
Tales From The Loop feels like something that should be hung on a wall, admired and interpreted rather than a show that a viewer can lean in, watch, and get involved in.
In all, the Loop has a striking look, but its stories — at least over the course of the three episodes sent to critics — are a bit too laconically told to justify the sit.
Weird. I guess my previous 10-Score Review got lost in The Loop. Lol. Disappearing reviews, Metacritic? I have since completed the series and it is Phenomenal. The series is slow yet rewards the patient viewer tremendously with moving, expansive and engrossing revelations. The subtle threads of storytelling interconnectivity are what really make for exciting viewing. This series treats the viewer intelligently so that we are able to put together clues and pieces with some meaningful guidance along the way. We are never overly spoonfed with this series and that makes it fresh. Gorgeous storytelling. Eager for more. The episodes entitled Parallel, Home, Transpose, Enemies, Loop and Echo Sphere stand out as favorites.
This series is far below Amazon standard. It pulls out just like Twin Peaks but has even more lame characters to offer.
It seems to be for a specific target group.