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Tales From The Loop Review: Smart, Humane, & Emotionally-Driven Sci-Fi
The ever-growing number of anthological genre shows on networks and streaming services suggests the trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And while there have been numerous additions, including the likes of Black Mirror, Fargo, The Twilight Zone, Room 104, Love, Death, and Robots, and more, it’s safe to say not all of them are created equal. In fact, a great many of them seem to be chasing after the accolades heaped upon Charlie Brooker’s Emmy-winning technophobic nightmare, opting to approach technology and science fiction storytelling with a finger wag and a convenient twist (or two) to get the point across. This approach has become so prevalent that Amazon’s newest sci-fi anthology, Tales From the Loop, is not merely an antithetical breath of fresh air, it’s very nearly a complete and necessary reinvigoration of the genre itself.
Created by Nathaniel Halpern (Legion, The Killing), and based on the gorgeous art book from Simon Stålenhag, Tales From the Loop also boasts an impressive array of talent in front of and behind the camera. With a cast that includes Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3), Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Paul Schneider (Parks and Recreation), Ato Essandoh (Elementary), Jane Alexander (Modern Love), and more the series is already worth checking out. But it also has episodes directed by some truly talented filmmakers, like Mark Romanek and Andrew Stanton — and that’s just the first two episodes of the nine-episode first season.
Tales From the Loop immediately impresses, putting its best foot forward with a thoughtful, meditative series premiere that introduces the concept of the Loop, a strange and wonderful machine that has the power to change humankind and unlock the mysteries of the universe. It also tends to make things strange and sometimes difficult for the townspeople who live above it or, like Hall’s Loretta and Pryce’s Russ, work directly with it. But whereas strange and difficult means something easily understood for shows like Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone, those words bring entirely different and wonderfully unexpected narratives to the anthological table. The results are some truly moving, elegiac, and unexpectedly uplifting stories about childhood, love, loss, and even death. The show would be a refreshing change of pace under any circumstance, but given what’s going on outside in the rest of the world right now, the series does double duty as a necessary emotional salve.
The series begins with Romanek’s moving episode which fully embraces the concept of the Loop, undertakes a considerable amount of world-building, and gracefully handles character introductions with a powerful arc for Hall’s Loretta, whose past and present come together in a fascinating and elegant collision of dual storylines. Romanek’s direction is akin to his plaintive work on Never Let Me Go and it establishes an emotional and visual through-line for the series that is remarkably consistent as it moves forward.
To that end, Andrew Stanton’s episode explores the relationship between Pryce’s Russ and his grandson, Cole (Duncan Joiner), the son of Hall’s Loretta and Schneider’s George. The two share a tender and emotionally fulfilling bond, one that’s tested by Russ’s advanced age and recent diagnosis. Though loss is at the center of the hour, Tales From the Loop doesn’t dwell on the notion in a way that’s off-putting or upsetting. Instead, the Halpern and Stanton choose to focus on the boy’s relationship with his grandfather, and how the generational divide seemingly brings them closer, particularly when it’s made clear Russ and George’s relationship is strained, though the reasons why go mostly unspoken.
Unlike a lot of science fiction out there at the moment, Tales From the Loop understands those unspoken moments or even ideas can be just as powerful — if not more so — than the concepts that another show would relentlessly hammer home, as though afraid the audience might miss whatever is not made overly explicit. That, combined with a reticence to rely too heavily on prescribed twist endings or sudden shifts in tonality, gives the series advantage over its fellow anthologies. The emotional substantiveness of nearly every episode (at least the three that were made available to critics ahead of the show’s premiere) is such that the series is interested in rewarding the audience for investing so deeply in its stories and its characters — two things that are remarkably easy to do right off the bat. It also makes certain episodes more fulfilling upon rewatch, as they reveal hidden depths that might’ve been overlooked on initial viewing.
The series third episode, a delightful love story starring Assendoh, is a satisfying change of pace from the more melancholic episodes that come before. It’s also a sign that Tales From the Loop is more than a one-trick pony; it is capable of offering a wide variety of stories within its cleverly constructed and connected anthology format. As the world continues to deal with isolation and social distancing, Amazon delivers a thoughtful and humane sci-fi series exactly when audiences need it the most.
Tales From the Loop premieres Friday, April 3 on Amazon Prime Video.
