I had seen the haunting images of artist Simon Stålenhag on the internet many years ago and was not aware that these had been turned into 3 narrative coffee table art books in the same vein as the wonderful Terran Trade Authority Spaceship books of my youth.
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I was coming at the series completely blind having only having seen the imagery which according to Ståhlenhag was inspired by two of my favourite futurists Syd Mead and Ralph McQuarrie.
Tales from the Loop is an 8 episode series set in a late 1970s / 80s that never was. Each story focuses on a single character and their tale of living in a community dominated by a secret underground government research facility. Without plot spoiling here is how I rate each episode and my overall thoughts on the series.
- Episode 1 - Loop. The story of a girl (Abby Ryder Fortson) intrigued by the secret work her mother does at the Loop searches for answers with unfortunate consequences. A confusing but haunting 3 out of 5.
- Episode 2 - Transpose. Two boys Danny (Tyler Barnhardt) and Jakob (Daniel Zolghadri) discover a machine in the woods which allows them to trade places. A classic tale of envy which has life changing ramifications for them both. A predictabaly dark 4 out of 5.
- Episode 3 - Stasis. May (Nicole Law) is a genius tinkering teen unhappy with the direction her life is going in. She discovers a mysterious capsule on the seashore and manages to get it to work with surprising effects. A genuinely original take on a much used trope, 5 out of 5.
- Episode 4 - Echo Sphere. This episode tells the story of the twilight years of Loop Architect Russ (Jonathan Pryce) and the relationship he has with his grandson. A slow, beautifully acted but sad 3 out of 5.
- Episode 5 - Control - As Danny's family come to terms with his coma, his father Ed (Dan Bakkedahl) tries desperately to protect his family from a mysterious intruder and keep his marriage together. The stories begin to intertwine and truth unravels. A teasingly good 4 out of 5.
- Episode 6 - Parallel - Security Guard Gaddis (Ato Essandoh) has fallen in love with a man in a photo he found in an abandoned hover tractor. When he fixes the tractor he discovers the truth about both the man and himself. Inventive whatiffery with a rare hopeful ending (at last!!). 4 out of 5.
- Episode 7 - Enemies - Russ's son George is marooned on a mysterious island by his friends where he survives as best he can against a terrifying inhabitant. A naibiting and suspenseful 4 out of 5.
- Epsiode 8 - Home - Cole (Duncan Joiner), the youngest of Loretta and George's children struggles to cope with the loss of both his grandfather and his brother. When Jakob tells him the truth he goes in search of his brother only to lose everything in the process. Jodie Foster directed episode which tries to tie up the episode into a single arc. A melancholic 4 out 5.
This is a rare example of character focussed storytelling in a genre which typically obsesses over the what and the why things happen. Every epsiode is a cautionary tale about what could happen when technology is misused but more importantly focusses on how this affects the lives of the characters and what is going on inside their heads. The central premise of each episode is usually a well established trope, with the notable exception of the Echo Sphere. The series succeeds in taking that trope and heading off in a new direction with dystopian consequences.
I loved the way that the characters are gradually dripped into the series until we get to see their tale. Jakob's love May is introduced in episode 2 and her story is Episode 3, we meet Danny's family in episode 2 also and his father Ed's story turns up at Episode 5.
What I didn't
The slow pace is just too slow in places. I understand that the show is based on Simon Stålenhag's artwork which often looks like time is standing still. I get that the visual dictionary is those haunting swedish landscapes full of vintage anachronistic flavour. TV is a different way of telling those stories with a different pace and I think that the cinematography lingered too long to the detriment of the story.
This is a minor gripe really and as a whole I will score the series a 4 out of 5. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea and you need to be in a contemplative mood to really enjoy it, If they make a second series I hope they keep writing those intertwined stories but just up the pace a little.
The Roleplaying Game
The Tales from the Loop RPG has been around for a few years now and is reasonably well established. In fact I almost bought it at Dragonmeet 2019, perhaps I will pick it up and begin to write my own tales in a dystopian 80s that never was.
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Shameless Plug
You can watch the entire series on Amazon Prime. If you are not a member you can take advantage of the Free 30 Day Trial.
