9 more reviews

1. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep7 "Enemies" - An island holds a secret but it is not what most people think@dedicatedguy2109d

   

   The first thing I need to mention about this episode is that the premise sounds more intriguing than what it ends up being. This has been a constant problem with this series because most stories feel underexploited.

   In this episode, the mystery part is about an island where a monster is apparently living according to some people. The story begins with 3 teenage kids, they are hanging out and soon they decide to go and visit the island.

   It was a surprise because the island was very far and they only had a very small boat to make the trip, but they still decided to go there. On that island, one of the kids is going to have a traumatizing experience that will scar him for life.

   What he saw on the island scared him to death and years later he will be able to face his fears once again to finally overcome them. However, due to the mystery surrounding this island, he never knew for sure what had happened and why. In the final moments of the episode, he will finally understand and come to peace with his scary experience from when he was a kid.

   

   The main character of this episode is the dad of the smart kid from episode 2. In the previous episodes where he appears it was never implied he suffered some trauma as a child. He did have a robot arm and the reason why he has that arm is showed in this episode. For the viewers, I am sure that realizing he suffered a strong trauma would be surprising because he seemed like a normal mature man with a normal family.

   At the beginning of the episode, when the kid is beginning his traumatic experience, it reminded me of the movie Cast Away. There were some scary scenes but as is typical with this show, the main genre is drama and since this is an anthology show this has been making it a bit monotonous for me. Even though the premises are promising the final results are rarely exciting.

   This wasn't a mediocre episode like others, but it is also not the best episode for this show. This one is right in the middle. Recommending this show to scifi fans is becoming more difficult because scifi is never the main part of the plot. So I would recommend this episode to people that are looking for a slow drama with a bit of a scifi touch.

   

   The best

   • The story behind his robotic arm is finally revealed.
   • The story also has a final touching part.

   The worst

   • The topics explored are interesting, but the episodes felt a bit disappointing.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072194/?ref_=ttep_ep7 Review: AAA In numbers: 7/10

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2. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep6 "Parallel" - A man makes a special trip after turning on a strange tractor@dedicatedguy2112d

   

   I finally watched another good episode from Tales from the Loop. I was getting a little bit disappointed with the quality of the series but episode 6 was fortunately above average. At the beginning of the episode, the show implies the nature of the events that will take place by including what appears to be a temporary mini black hole in the ground, you can see this in the picture above.

   When I saw that weird thing I started to think this episode could be exciting, unlike the previous episodes I have watched which were boring. The mini black hole is just included as a gimmick because it doesn't take part in the plot but perhaps they wanted to symbolically toy with the concept of an event horizon or something like that.

   This same man appeared in other episodes and he was always working on some type of machine, perhaps it was this same truck but I can't recall. He is friends with the Asian girl who is the main character in episode 3 and she helps him fix what I think was a fuse so the truck can work. As you can see in the picture below, the truck isn't normal. It levitates.

   

   Once he turns that truck on his life will change forever. He will go to a place never knew existed and where he might not even have a place on his own. Although, the truth is that he was a very lonely guy with close to 0 friends and no partner. He was also gay in a small town so this might make things harder when it comes to finding a romantic partner. Perhaps this is the reason why he decided to experiment with this truck by turning it on knowing that all sorts of crazy things can happen when using these weird machines from the Loop.

   I recommend checking this episode out even if you don't want to watch all of the previous episodes. The stories are in order so this isn't an anthology like I thought before watching the series, but not every episode is strictly related to the previous ones.

   In this case, the only thing related to previous episodes is the friendship between the main character and the Asian girl but this fact is irrelevant so this could work as a standalone story. As is usual with this show, they use scifi to create dramatic situations which means drama is its main genre, this leaves the scifi part of the plot feeling unexplored and underexploited but in this case, I believe the situation was entertaining enough.

   

   The best

   • One of the best episodes so far in my opinion.

   The worst

   • All the scifi stuff are for these characters like thunders to the cavemen of the past. They just resign themselves and accept it as something unexplainable and uncontrollable.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072192/?ref_=ttep_ep6 Review: AAA In numbers: 7.5/10

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3. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep5 "Control" - A deaf kid saw someone in the middle of the night and her dad decides to buy a robot.@dedicatedguy2115d

   

   There has been more than a week since the last time I watched an episode from Tales from the Loop, so I decided to watch the next episode, which was number 5. This episode focuses on the family of the dumb but popular kid from episode 2.

   For the first time, the main character isn't a kid but an adult, his father. After the events in episode 2, the family is emotionally affected but they are trying to just go on with their lives. The smaller kid is a deaf girl so it seems she doesn't have many friends or perhaps she is homeschooled. I don't remember any scene with her sharing time with other kids, unlike her brother who was very popular and was always hanging out with people.

   The parents are in their 40s and both seem to be working class. They have a normal American house but the dad doesn't earn that much money. Problems begin when one night, they realized one mysterious person trespassed their home. The person didn't go inside the house, but he was walking around it and the daughter saw this person.

   

   When they asked the daughter in using sign language who was the person or how did he/she look, the daughter doesn't answer. Perhaps she is scared or traumatized or perhaps she is just hiding some information.

   Unlike other episodes, there is nothing to explain in this one. We eventually know who is the strange "visitor" and why is he/she visiting. There are no questions left to be asked, except perhaps the origins of the robot. Also, given the fact there are so many crazy and unexplainable things in this little town, perhaps the people should look for ways to monetize them all and improve their living standards. This isn't the first time we see characters with some financial difficulties in the series.

   So far, this series hasn't been that great. Most episodes are just normal stories with a little scifi element that doesn't receive much importance. This episode is the one with the least scifi in it, only the robot. There wasn't too much drama in this episode either. It felt like a watered-down version of something that could be much more exciting.

   

   The best

   • I liked the robot.
   • I also enjoyed seeing who the "intruder" was.

   The worst

   • This was probably the most boring episode of this series so far.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8741290/ Review: AAA In numbers: 6/10

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4. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep4 "Echo Sphere" - An old man teaches his grandson the magic secrets of a giant empty sphere@dedicatedguy2119d

   

   At the beginning of the first episode, we have an old man explaining the viewers some basic info about the Loop. He is the one that began all of the investigations about the unexplained events that happen in this place. This old man is the grandfather of the boy who befriends the lost girl in the first episode. So far, every single one of the episodes has involved some members of this family.

   This time, the story is mainly about this old man and his younger grandson. They have an excellent relationship and are very fond of each other, enjoying their time together and just having healthy fun between them. The only problem in this old man's life is that he is very old, and is having some health issues that will end his life sooner rather than later.

   The episode is about that, about life and death, and just making the best out of the time you have available. The scifi element in this episode was so small that it belongs mostly to the drama genre, not to the scifi genre.

   Once the kid learns his grandpa is dying he becomes very upset, he has never deal with the loss of a family member and doesn't really know how to handle this difficult situation. He wishes there was a solution but his family has pretty much accepted that the old man will die soon.

   

   The scifi part isn't very exciting so don't expect a strong twist in this episode, in fact, there are no twists, there are no major changes in the plotline and the story just evolves naturally. The decision from the creators to leave things unexplained might, in the end, be against their interests because there are just too many answers left unanswered that gradually reduces the enjoyment of the show.

   In this episode for example, besides the unexplained nature of the giant empty sphere, there is also a scene where a character sort of enters a weird and maybe supernatural device, and disappears. What happened to this character? No one knows, probably not even the creators of the show. I get that it is part of the nature of this show to just let weird things be and leave them like that, but I am not sure if that's the right decision.

   The episodes have a little bit of superficial scifi but they don't have deep dialogues or extremely deep topics. Superficial scifi is the best and more concise way to describe this show so far. And I am a big fan of scifi but I honestly prefer a more deep exploration of the topics, which is something that can be found in some Ghost in the Shell anime movies, the Devs series, Ex Machina movie, and some books from Asimov just as The End of Eternity which has a beautiful, deep and touching ending, "The final end of Eternity, and the beginning of Infinity" was such a powerful and beautiful moment in that book. By the way, I haven't read The Foundation books but I am planning to read them before Apple releases their Foundation series next year.

   So, if you are in tune for some relaxed, superficial scifi then check this series out. So far, the best comparison isn't with Black Mirror which is a masterpiece of the scifi genre, but rather with Apple TV+'s Amazing Stories. However, I think Tales from the Loop is much better than Amazing Stories which was mostly a very mediocre remake, but of the anthology shows I know of, these 2 are the most similar.

   

   The best

   • Very touching story.
   • I enjoyed the last scene.

   The worst

   • The episode was a little boring. The same happened in the previous episode.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072188/?ref_=ttep_ep4 Review: AAA In numbers: 6.5/10

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5. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep3 "Stasis" - "Why can't we stay in that moment, that feeling? Why can't it last forever like we wish it could?"@dedicatedguy2123d

   

   I am noticing a trend in the 3 episodes I have watched of Tales from the Loop, and it is that each of them has been with very young actors/actresses as the main characters. I have also noticed that episodes are getting worse, the first one is my favorite so far, I gave it 7.5/10, the second wasn't as good so I gave it 7/10 and this one was barely acceptable so I gave it 6.5/10. It is to soon to quick on this series but I really hope it improves in the next few episodes.

   In episode 3, the main character is the girl who in the previous episode ends up hooking up with the main character after the big change happens. An Asian looking girl that apparently is very smart but also a bit reserved as well. In this episode, we will learn a lot about her and how skillful she really is.

   In this town, everyone knows there are some weird things going on thanks to the Loop, but no one is able to explain why these strange things happen. This Asian girl one day finds a device on a lake while she was fishing. This device holds tremendous power and it was just floating there in the lake. This place is like that, it has incredible machines and devices and they are all scattered around like if they were junk.

   The girl doesn't know what this device can accomplish, so she begins to tinker with it and realizes something is broken inside so that must be the reason why the device isn't working.

   

   As the movie goes on, she is constantly having nostalgic thoughts about how love doesn't last forever, she isn't extremely worried about this fact but it does affect her and makes her a little sad. She begins to spend a lot of time with a new boy and she manages to find a replacement for the broken part of the device.

   At this point, once she tests the devices and realizes what it can do, I don't think anyone would react like here. She remains totally serene (just like the show itself) and calm, without losing her mind about what she just saw, she is probably used to live in a place where crazy things are always happening. The next day she goes to school and takes the boy in a scifi/fantasy semi adventure that none of them will ever forget.

   I still recommend this series but perhaps you should skip this episode if teen drama annoys you. The scifi/fantasy plot already exists in other productions so it is not anything new. The plot didn't have the intensity of the previous 2 episodes and a lot of time is wasted with these 2 teens just having fun. If this episode somehow relates to a future one then it might be worth watching it, but if it is completely independent then this episode might be the most irrelevant so far. Nevertheless, if you are intrigued about the Tales from the Loop's world, then you should check this episode and you should also see the episodes in the proper order.

   

   The best

   • Just as in the previous episode, the scifi/fantasy idea wasn't original, but the execution was acceptable.

   The worst

   • There was some boring teen drama in the episode.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072186/?ref_=ttep_ep3 Review: AA In numbers: 6.5/10

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6. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep2 "Transpose" - "... Then maybe I'd stay away from people..."@dedicatedguy2129d

   

   The main character in this episode is one we already saw in the first episode. He is the older brother of the kid who befriends the girl in the woods. He isn't very popular in school, especially with girls, but at least he has a friend and they do a lot of stuff together.

   This friend is very different than him, he is a bit more athletic, is not very bright and is very good with girls. It might look like a strange friendship but they do seem to care for each other and they also complement each other.

   One day, while they were walking in the woods, they find a strange capsule abandoned with no idea where it came from or what it is. Finding strange stuff in this town is normal, at the beginning of the first episode it is explained that some things simply cannot be explained. While in the woods, they also found a big robot that also made an appearance in the first episode.

   This world is very serene and calm despite the fact there are big mysteries everywhere you look. The people living in this place are used to this strangeness and some of them are even excited about the idea of working at the "Loop", which is the place where all the crazy stuff is investigated. The main character's friend is one of those people, he is obsessed about working in that place but his lack of intelligence might prevent him from achieving this goal.

   

   After they find the capsule, as the curious teens that they are, they try to figure out what it can do. This plot is a mix between scifi and fantasy and the simplicity of it reminded me of the Apple TV+'s show Amazing Stories, but this one is better and with more consistent quality.

   Both episodes I have watched so far have left me hungry for more information about this little town with this mysterious place called the Loop, but I believe this show is not the type of show that provides answers or explanations. It simply shows the viewer a few situations of weirdness and that's it. How these strange things happen will probably remain a mystery forever and this can become frustrating for some viewers.

   You can figure out what happens when they get in contact with the capsule just by checking out the episode's name. In the end, there is a little surprise as well. I now believe this series must be watched in order. It can be considered an anthology because the stories in each episode are different, but since characters tend to appear in recurring episodes it is important to know the events that a character previously went through.

   I recommend this show for those that enjoy the scifi genre, this isn't hardcore scifi but rather a more relaxed and laid back take on the genre. The setting is always very peaceful and there is a piano song that reminded me of the one from the Leftovers.

   

   The best

   • Interesting take in a familiar fantasy/scifi situation.
   • This show is really good looking, I love the visuals.

   The worst

   • The problematic situation could have been solved but being teens they were unable to do so.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072184/?ref_=ttep_ep2 Review: AAA In numbers: 7/10

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7. ›Tales from the Loop: Ep1 "Loop" - Good-looking scifi anthology@dedicatedguy2134d

   

   Anthology series has been enjoying a boom in recent years that I think was mainly caused by Black Mirror's huge success. These new scifi anthology series are usually compared with Black Mirror but so far none of them can match it, including Tales from the Loop.

   I have only seen one episode and fortunately, it was good. It was better than most episodes from Apple Tv+'s Amazing Stories anthology show, but it is far from being as good as Black Mirror. There are 8 episodes in the season and the common element will be an experimental underground facility called "Mercer Center" where people are investigating the "mysteries of the universe". Episode 1 begins with a little introduction about this place, so even though the show is an anthology I recommend going through the episodes in order.

   In the first episode, there were also a few cool looking robots alone in the woods but they didn't take part in the plot, there were just there for the eye candy and I am hoping a future episode brings more information about those robots.

   

   The story is about a girl living with her mother, who is always busy with work and doesn't seem to pay much attention to her only child. The mother works in Mercer Center and she seems to always have thoughts rushing through her mind. As a result, the child feels a little bit neglected.

   Something happens that makes the child start to look for answers and while walking around in the woods she finds a boy her age. Eventually, she tells him about her problems and the 2 quickly become friends with the boy wanting to help the girl solve her problems. The relationship between these 2 characters is deeper than what it seems at the beginning but neither of them knows.

   

   They go to the boy's house, where we see a glimpse of his dad wearing a robotic arm. The girl seems unable to solve her big problem until some crazy answer is revealed that would leave any person feeling very puzzled. This world certainly has the potential to host more entertaining stories and I am looking forward to watch the second episode.

   If you are looking for cool scifi stories I would recommend this series, at least the first episode for now. Have in mind it has a slow pace, and the inexplicable things are left like that.

   

   The best

   • Good introduction in what seems to be a promising scifi series.
   • Beautiful photography.

   The worst

   • The episode was very slow at times.
   • There are too many things left unexplained.

   More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072180/?ref_=ttep_ep1 Review: AAA In numbers: 7.5/10

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8. ›Tales from the loop: the concept of time@serialfiller2246d

   

   

   

   And science fiction, sci-fi, the great protagonist of this 2020 start. Devs, Westworld above all have been able to take the limelight. But not only Alex Garland and Nolan have had the task of revitalizing the genre. He arrived, quietly but with incredible class.

   TALES FROM THE LOOP

   to add another piece of the mosaic. The beauty of the science fiction genre is that it can potentially embrace a thousand other genres, it can have different tones, it can be narrated in a variety of styles, without ever losing power. Tales From The Loop is a very intimate sci-fi and very very particular. The choice is to bring to the public a product totally outside of commercial logic and for this very authentic. In this there is great merit for Amazon Video that, unlike Netflix, seems to have embraced a very authoritative way for its products. And Tales from the loop it is. It's a very elegant hybrid between the bucolic settings of Stranger Things and the delicacy of Arrival, with a Black Mirror-like but persistent anthological structure of protagonists that we find in all 8 episodes. Tales from the loop takes its time, it is made mostly of images and silences, interrupted only by celestial music that you will learn to love. The power of Amazon Video's TV series is to be able to give us back a science fiction really able to talk to us, to look into it. What we would do if we could change our lives, even at the cost of losing our face or our family. If time around us could stop, how much would we be able to enjoy the moment while the world around us is frozen. A time that flows but always comes back to itself what kind of folds it might have on our psyche. How strong is the pain of a mother abandoning a daughter or a daughter losing a mother. How powerful can love be? From this point of view Tales From the loop is a jewel. It is able to excite and touch very hidden strings in our soul. It's not perfect and it's not for everyone but it's definitely a TV show to put on the bulletin board.

   

   E la fantascienza, lo sci-fi, la grande protagonista di questo avvio 2020. Devs, Westworld soprattutto hanno saputo prendersi le luci della ribalta. Ma non solo Alex Garland e Nolan hanno avuto il compito di ridare nuova linfa al genere. E' arrivato, in sordina ma con una classe incredibile

   TALES FROM THE LOOP

   ad aggiungere un altro tassello del mosaico. Il bello del genere fantascientifico è che esso può potenzialmente abbracciare mille altri generi, può avere toni differenti, essere narrato con stili variegatissimi, senza perdere mai di potenza. Tales From The Loop è uno sci-fi molto intimista e molto molto particolare. La scelta è quella di portare al pubblico un prodotto totalmente al di fuori di logiche commerciali e proprio per questo molto autentico. In questo c'è grande merito per Amazon Video che, a differenza di Netflix, sembra aver abbracciato una via molto autoriale per i suoi prodotti. E Tales from the loop lo è. E' un elegantissimo ibrido tra le ambientazioni bucoliche di Stranger Things e la delicatezza di Arrival, con una struttura antologica alla Black Mirror ma persistente di protagonisti che troviamo in tutte e 8 gli episodi. Tales from the loop si prende i suoi tempi, è fatta per lo più di immagini e silenzi, interrotti solo da una musica celestiale che imparerete ad amare. La potenza della serie tv di Amazon Video è quella di riuscire a restituirci una fantascienza davvero capace di parlarci, di guardarci dentro. Cosa faremmo se potessimo cambiare vita, anche a costo di perdere il nostro volto o la nostra famiglia. Se il tempo intorno a noi si potesse fermare, quanto riusciremmo a goderci il momento mentre il mondo intorno a noi è congelato. Un tempo che scorre ma che torna sempre su se stesso che tipo di pieghe potrebbe avere sulla nostra psiche. Quanto è forte il dolore di una madre che abbandona una figlia o di una figlia che perde una madre. Quanto può essere potente l'amore? Da questo punto di vista Tales From the loop è un gioiello. E' capace di emozionare e di toccare corde molto nascoste nella nostra anima. Non è perfetta e non è per tutti ma è sicuramente una serie tv da mettere in bacheca.

   

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9. ›Tales from the loop - First Impressions@serialfiller2266d

   

   

   After talking to you about the most sensational series of the year (Devs), I'm here to tell you about another science fiction series:

   Tales from the loop

   Targata Amazon first video and taken from the story of the same name it stands out from Devs especially for the general tone. It refers a lot to a film like "Arrival" where Villenueve put us in front of our ability, and inability, to communicate with the different, with the world. Tales from the loop seems to have the same delicacy, the same incredible ability to make images and even music talk and let it enter inside us. From the very first episode it succeeds in getting us excited, in making us reflect and leave us also that pinch of anguish that only great science fiction can leave.

   

   Dopo avervi parlato della più clamorosa serie dell'anno (Devs), sono qui a parlarvi di un'altra serie di fantascienza:

   Tales from the loop

   Targata Amazon prime video e tratta dall'omonimo racconto essa si distacca da Devs soprattutto per il tono generale. Rimanda molto ad un film come "Arrival" dove Villenueve ci metteva di fronte alla nostra capacità, e incapacità, di comunicare con il diverso, con il mondo. Tales from the loop sembra avere la stessa delicatezza, la stessa incredibile capacità di far parlare immagini e anche musica e farla entrare dentro di noi. Sin dal primo episodio riesce a farci emozionare, a farci riflettere e lasciarci anche quel pizzico di angoscia che solo la grande fantascienza riesce a lasciare.

   

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