Tales From the Loop
Review
By Tyler Petrosino
The episode that grabbed me no glued me to my TV was episode two. But before I get that, Tales from the Loop is an amazon original series based on the work of Simon Stålenhag artist, composer, author and, general renaissance man. Set in the late eighties and focusing on the town and people around the Loop, an underground science research compound.
Now back to what glued me to my TV with this show, episode two Transposed. It’s a wholly original take on the body swap story following Danny and Jakob after finding a strange Ball, capsule, or what have you. Jakob is the nephew to the founder of the loop; Jakob is practically guaranteed a job there making good money where Jakob is not. As the two of them try navigating each other’s lives questions and challenges arise. First being strange dreams where a second Jakob sways back and forth second being that Danny is now enjoying being Jakob and having a future refuse to switch their bodies back, leading to an argument and Danny disappearing. Until Danny in Jakob’s body still goes looking for him in the woods back at the capsule only finding him unconscious in the capsule and then taken to the hospital. Danny’s girlfriend asks Jakob, “what was he thinking?” Danny goes back to the capsule in the woods only to find a crew of people dismantling it in the middle of the woods. I’m not going to spoil the end of it all because I genuinely do love this show and episode, I think the ending shows that this isn’t your average or typical sci-fi but something more.
That’s just episode two. I’m not going to go through the series episode by episode talk/writing about each. I more want to say/write about the series. While yes, some episodes are better then others the series as a whole is where it strives. Their are connections that link and threads that meet, but each by its self is unique and interesting in their own right. I’m no stranger to Simon Stålenhag work I’ve seen and admired his work for a long time now just through general browsing of the internet I’ve become familiar with his work. His influence at least in the “art style” is felt. But I can’t say in terms of storytelling I’ve not read his books. But his art is fantastic and the series oozes with his style. Of a retro 80’s sci-fi that I can only describe as optimistic in nature from the detailed decal paint on robots and other machinery. The show calls upon the same feeling that one gets from looking at his work.
The weakest part may be the pacing of the episodes and stories they can be slow at times. The show calls upon your curiosity to pull you through episodes, not always giving you much to latch on too. I think the biggest offender being the first episode called Loop following Loretta a young girl dealing with the disappearance of her mother figure. The episodes itself has some compelling visuals with anti-gravity, at least but doesn’t do the series any favors in terms of viewer retention. I found it a struggle to watch all the way through but with any anthology; there are stronger and weaker episodes. Their all slow burns the episodes moving at a snail’s pace sometimes slower pace.
Overall, Tales from the loop asks a lot of its viewers from the slow pace of episodes it requires one to watch with intent. While the stories are exciting and unique and with endings not always glum Tales from the Loop gives a look at what I can only describe as Swedish Sci-Fi that I’m left wanting more of. With a final score of six out of six beers, I highly recommend the show to any lover of sci-fi lover that wants something new and exciting to watch.
