Can't Stop

I never thought I'd be this let down by Love, Death & Robots, but Season 4 kicks off with a total misfire. Episode 1 isn't really an episode at all - it's just a glorified Red Hot Chili Peppers music video. Seriously.

There's no story, no characters, no dialogue, no twist - none of the things that made the previous seasons so memorable. It's just a four-minute CGI trip set to a track that, while decent on its own, has absolutely no place masquerading as part of an anthology known for groundbreaking animation and provocative sci-fi.

I get that the show likes to experiment, but this feels lazy and self-indulgent. It's not "artsy" or "bold." It's a bait-and-switch. We waited years for a new season, and this is how they open it?

If this is a sign of what's to come in Season 4, then we're in for a rough ride. Here's hoping this is just a one-off stumble - because right now, this show looks like it's losing its edge.

If I wanted to see a music video I would've watched something on YouTube, this is a waste of a spot that could've gone to a wonderful studio instead we got this .. it's long for no apparent reason and the animation although some sections were cool was rather a bore and basic, no individuality instead opting for a realism style that doesn't add anything to the episode, they just chose realism to for the sake of it. The puppetry was cool but besides a couple of sections nothing was done with it instead it just there. Just like this episode, it's just there. Disappointing especially as a season opener.

This episode is not the worst in terms of the technical compartment, in fact it is well done and I enjoyed it very much. The factor that makes it the worst episode, however, is that it has nothing to do with Love Death and Robots. There are no robots, there is no death, there is no love. There is no plot, no invented characters, no narrative twist. There's just the Red Hot Chili Peppers singing. This episode, ladies and gentleman, is just and only a trivial and very stupid music video that they could just as well have uploaded on youtube instead of putting it in the episode list of this series. I would rather have had one less episode than this.....

I'm disappointed with the first episode of Season 4 of Love, Death & Robots, as it failed to live up to its potential. "Can't Stop" felt like a straightforward recreation of a puppet show with CGI, without any meaningful depth or exploration. The episode's potential was wasted on a predictable and unoriginal narrative. A twist, such as the puppets realizing they're being controlled by strings and experiencing an existential crisis, could have elevated the story to something more profound. Alternatively, if the goal was to replicate the concert experience, the episode could have benefited from a more dynamic animation style, blending different techniques and styles to keep the viewer engaged. Unfortunately, this episode felt like a weak start to the season.

This was such an incredibly lazy episode. No imagination, a wasted effort. What was the point of it? Was there a clever hidden meaning that I failed to understand somehow?

No idea who signed off on that as the first episode but after 3 years off screen, they couldn't have done a worse reintroduction. If that was my first time watching this show it would've probably been the last time too. Absolute worst episode of the show so far!

Seriously though, a Red Hot Chili Peppers puppet music video? Save that for YouTube! Luckily therse episodes are so short or I probably would've turned it off at this point to avoid wasting my time.