The unique world of The Tales From The Loop. Photo courtesy of Geek Culture.
**This Review is a spoiler free take on the show based on the three episodes provided to us by Amazon Studios**
Tales From The Loop is a new anthology series coming from Amazon Studios. The show takes place in a fictional town built over a machine called The Loop—a machine that was built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe. The real focus comes into play on the people that inhabit that town, and the experiences and stories they have to tell. The cast includes some big names, such as: Rebecca Hall (The Town, Iron Man 3), Paul Schneider (Channel Zero, Parks & Recreation), and Jonathan Purcell (The Two Popes, Game of Thrones).
You may be wondering how this show differs from something like Black Mirror, or the recent Apple TV+ show Amazing Stories. Tales From The Loop doesn’t try to be any of those, or any of the other anthology series out there. It’s not a cautionary tale of where we are with technology. Each episode doesn’t present you with an entirely new world to be introduced to. Instead, its unique premise relies on following a different member of the town for each installment. Or at least, that’s what I could surmise from the three episodes I was given in advance (episodes one, four, and six). There is somewhat of an overall narrative—or at least a skeleton of one. The same characters and world are seen throughout all of the episodes, but each episode ends up focusing heavily on only one in particular.
Your everyday friendly robot. Photo courtesy of Geek Culture.
Now with all that said, is the show any good? Honestly, it’s just alright. In the three episodes I watched, I was never truly in love with any of them. This being the sampling they want the show to be judged on, then it would seem I’d likely feel the same for the rest of the episodes—however it is an anthology, so I won’t truly know until I’ve seen the rest of the season. There was nothing particularly wrong with any of them, it’s just there wasn’t anything particularly amazing about the stories being told. Episode one didn’t quite hit as hard as they thought it did, episode four never fully embraced its uniquely sci-fi elements, and episode six managed to never truly reach the heights it was aiming for. Though the sixth episode was the strongest of the bunch, and it presented a truly thought provoking scenario.
It wasn’t all just average though. Something that the show does flawlessly is it’s soundtrack. It really brings an intense sense of wonder and discovery to the proceedings. It never lets up, and it’s energy and drive pull you through into the credits roll. Another super intriguing aspect of the show is its world and design. It’s all done very well, and it makes me really curious to know more about it. Somehow in the three tales I watched, none of them ever really got close to satisfying any of my curiosities when it came to the inner workings of the world the show lives in. It’s not set in the world we live in today. The design of the world is a unique blend of decades old designs mixed with the modern era. It tries hard to not be pinpointed to any specific year or time period, something that adds to its unique look.
Jonathan Pryce as Russ. Photo courtesy of Geek Culture.
In the end, Tales From The Loop has interesting elements and a fantastic soundtrack, but it never manages to hit any notable highs. Would I still recommend it? Sure, it’s worth a shot. The soundtrack alone is worth giving it a try. Who knows, maybe all of the episodes I wasn’t given will hit me in a way that these three didn’t. Guess we’ll have to wait until April 3rd to find out.
