Ranking the Episodes of ‘Love, Death, & Robots: Volume 3’

Netflix’s mind-bending and ambitious anthology series Love, Death & Robots recently returned to deliver a new set of visually stunning and innovative stories. Volume 3 continued the series’ tradition of dishing out fresh, original tales that can make you laugh or shudder in fear. Love, Death, & Robots continually raises the bar for visionary storytelling and eye-dazzling animation with its latest set of stories.

RELATED: ‘Love, Death, + Robots’ Volume 3: Watch the First Episode Now

From a story about an astronaut’s trippy and psychological trek through an isolated planet to a stormy tale of betrayal, horror, and terrifying crabs, Volume 3 offers plenty of stories fans don’t want to miss, featuring the return of a fan-favorite trio of sightseeing robots and director David Fincher at the helm one of the shorts. So, without further ado, it’s time to see where each short in Love, Death, & Robots: Volume 3 stacks up against one another.

9) “The Very Pulse of the Machine”

It’s always refreshing to see a Love, Death, & Robots animated episode that isn’t CG, and “The Very Pulse of the Machine” showcases some psychedelic sci-fi visuals within its cerebral story.

The hallucinatory spectacle for astronaut Martha Kivelson (voiced by Mackenzie Davis), as she uses medicinal drugs to survive her trek across a desolate planet, is visually mesmerizing and kind of creepy with the detached voice that haunts her as she goes. The way the episode blurs the lines of reality is great, but the more philosophical story and themes make it tough to stay engaged through all its trippy moments.

8) “Swarm”

“Swarm” is a stunning sci-fi tale about aliens turning the tables on humans with horrifying conclusions, a staple for Love, Death, & Robots.

The episode delves into two human scientists studying a mysterious alien species called the Swarm to create a subservient army of creatures that humans can control, leading to unforeseen dangers. It’s a story that can hit the same beats as other cautionary tales about humanity’s quest for power in the universe. Still, its horrifying twist is super memorable, and the CG animation gives off some strong Avatar vibes.

7) “Jibaro”

Animation studio pinkman.tv crafted one of Love, Death, & Robots’ most prolific stories back in Volume 1 with “The Witness.” They return with another hypnotic, distorted tale with “Jibaro.”

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“Jibaro” showcases pinkman.tv’s signature hyperrealistic CG animation through a visually fascinating bout between a deaf knight and a dangerously mysterious siren. Although some of “Jibaro’s” stylistic ambitions in terms of its visual storytelling and sound design can be tough to grasp, it’s undoubtedly another stunning story from pinkman.tv that features some jaw-dropping thrills and action as well as an intriguing central duel between two unique characters.

6) “Kill Team Kill”

“Kill Team Kill” is the animated adult action/comedy you didn’t know you wanted. It follows a group of comical gun-toting soldiers as a cybernetic, kill-hungry bear derails their mission.

The group’s meathead-type humor might get old at times, but its stellar ensemble voice cast of Joel McHale, Seth Green, Gabriel Luna, and more make it a hilarious ride. The animated carnage is full of wild bloodshed and kills that are hilariously over-the-top and pretty shocking.

5) “In Vaulted Halls Entombed”

Although “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” does play around with the idea that’s pretty common for the series (a group of soldiers makes some horrifying discoveries on a mission), the horrors it offers are far from ordinary.

The creepy creatures that slowly decimate the group of soldiers are small but fearsome, and the final destination in their journey feels like they’ve entered a Doom level in the best way possible. The ending is especially haunting with how disturbingly gruesome it is. Also, “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” features a stellar lead cast with the likes of Joe Manganiello, Christian Serratos, and Jai Courtney, elevating the episode’s horror.

4) “Three Robots: Exit Strategies”

Love, Death, & Robots delivers its first sequel story as it sees the fan-favorite trio of robots from Volume 1 return in “Three Robots: Exit Strategies.”

This episode sees the trio of sightseeing robots continue to do more research and check out what happened to humans in a post-apocalyptic setting. While “Exit Strategies” might not be as funny as the original short, the comedic magic of this trio is still there, and it’s fun to see their satirical takes on how humanity destroyed themselves.

3) “Night of the Mini Dead”

With directors like Deadpool’s Tim Miller and Sonic the Hedgehog’s Jeff Fowler helming “Night of the Mini Dead,” a tiny and comical homage to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, it quickly nabs your attention with its chaotic hilarity.

“Night of the Mini Dead” basically lets viewers watch a small zombie outbreak unfold, and it’s full of hilariously bloody chaos and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nods that’ll please any viewer. Also, if you want more comedy, turn on subtitles to see some funny lines thrown in.

2) “Bad Traveling”

“Bad Traveling” is a slow-burning tale of betrayal and crustacean horror set on a dark stormy sea ride helmed by director David Fincher.

RELATED: David Fincher Talks Directing “Bad Traveling” for ‘Love, Death, + Robots’ Volume 3

As a crew attempts to figure out what to do about a gigantic flesh-eating crab that’s come aboard their ship, there’s this slow-building atmosphere of deceit that forms, testing the morality of the crew and keeping you on your toes. Fincher delivers some vital thrills with each scene that leaves shocked with its twists and turns and some chilling horrors courtesy of its central crab antagonist.

1) “Mason’s Rats”

“Mason’s Rats” delivers a perfect blend of what Love, Death, & Robots’ stories can offer with a bloody, darkly comic, and surprisingly warm, vividly animated story.

The episode takes viewers into a near-future Scotland where farmer Mason (voiced by Craig Ferguson) deals with a major rat problem in his barn, which leads to an all-out war. Their conflict literally escalates to a bloody and surprisingly gruesome war that’s hilarious and harrowing, and the way it eventually resolves is great heartwarming character writing at its finest. It’s part wholesome, part shockingly violent, but altogether a memorable small story that hits a great range of emotion.

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