Tales From the Loop [Amazon]

pixelburp

This is an odd one, a series based off paintings of all things; Simon Stålenhag to be exact, whose work mixes futurism with rural, countryside settings. I'd seen his work here & there on my internet travels but wouldn't have been "Aware" of them either. Not sure if this will be an anthology or what, but looks intriguing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htuNZp82Ck

Slydice

1: I think the trailer gives a decent impression of the show based on this episode.

• It's not action packed, not sure if it's a huge mystery. Feels maybe like a story that will just unroll each episode.
• The music is very gentle.
• It feels like gentle and relaxed story. Handling some complex elements like the scifi time travel involved but also including
  maybe-lucid dreams
  .
• It looks and feels well made. Like the setting, solid structured buildings and the Robots. It's filmed well though I found my attention focused on some background robots when I think I was supposed to be listening to the characters.

I liked what it had though so will continue. There is enough mystery there.

pixelburp

Oh, I'd forgotten about this one. I'd heard its pace matches that trailer. Slow and dreamlike. Must take a gander at it, could be a good palette cleanser

Slydice

2: lol, I was like: No Way! WTF! but it makes sense! Awe wow! Yeah why not.

Slydice

3:

D'Awwwwwweeee.

Though I'll say this much, that was a bunch more

sex

than I'd have been expecting outta this show!

Can't wait for the episode that deal with the guy on the bike with the hat!

Morris Moss

It's a really good show, fairly slow and the episodes are individual stories so it's not really leading to any big conclusion at the end.

Also the soundtrack is brilliant

pixelburp

Caught the first episode and it's certainly its own beast. Not sure what you could compare this to by way of description; it's arguably the most interesting and original SciFi drama I've watched in a while. Having taken a look at some of Stålenhag's paintings, the mood & atmosphere of the art has been captured quite effectively. Slow, dream-like pacing with a simple moral and emotional core. All felt very human but also detached at the same time.

The SciFi elements of robots & tech are very much background assets to the piece, again much like the paintings used as inspiration. There's no action here, and I could easily see this boring some folk to tears. But I'll keep watching, in small doses 'cos it's a fascinating watch. There's nothing else like this out there.

Slydice

4: NO!

You're getting all choked up!

Beautiful episode!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Watched the first 2 eps today, really liked them. I was thinking "gentle" and "dreamy" while watching them so I'm glad to see other people using the same words and it's not just me

I saw an article on twitter about this being one of the best new things on streaming services lately so I thought I'd give it a look, but I'm sure it described it as an anthology series? I watched the first 2 in order but I was thinking if you watched 2 before 1 then..

Cole is throwing stones at his own brother in the woods when he meets young Loretta?

Do you get an entirely different experience depending on which order you watch them in?

Slydice

So far.. to episode 4.. it feels like it's better to watch them in order for things like that.

Won't know for sure until the end though. Probably can be different.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Slydice wrote: »

So far.. to episode 4.. it feels like it's better to watch them in order for things like that.

Won't know for sure until the end though. Probably can be different.

Yeah, I just watched episode 3 and it does feel like there's some kind of order to them.

stesaurus

You need to watch them in order. They all have an element of recurring characters and events that continue in an overall arch. Nice show overall with a very slow pace to it.

pixelburp

Episode 2 and you can add "melancholy" alongside the generally meditative mood. A sad little story really.

Has to be said there's no way this would ever get made on a conventional TV network. It would have been hacked into something a lot more plot driven, maybe some winking conspiracy at the heart. Instead it's these haunting vignettes, a quasi anthology. Props to Amazon for taking a punt on it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

pixelburp wrote: »

Has to be said there's no way this would ever get made on a conventional TV network. It would have been hacked into something a lot more plot driven, maybe some winking conspiracy at the heart. Instead it's these haunting vignettes, a quasi anthology. Props to Amazon for taking a punt on it.

I just watched episode 4 and I was thinking the exact same thing. There's no way any standard TV network would look twice at this.

For anyone whose seen ep4

the grandad just dies, right? Like there was no sci fi magic at all in the episode. Which was probably the point, even with all the possibilities The Loop brings, you can't beat death

Slydice

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I just watched episode 4 and I was thinking the exact same thing. There's no way any standard TV network would look twice at this.

For anyone whose seen ep4

the grandad just dies, right? Like there was no sci fi magic at all in the episode. Which was probably the point, even with all the possibilities The Loop brings, you can't beat death

I think so.

Slydice

5:

Phew! That was going downhill so rapidly I was getting pretty anxious!

Slydice

6: Ah they did that one nice. Looks like they put money into it but maybe the technology is easier these days. I remember back in the day when

having the same person on screen at the same time was a big deal.

I found it a bit wierd that

May from the stasis episode was going around fixing things. Like she has a job now. Gave me the impression some time has passed.. or she's using the stasis device.

I guess that's the

end of Gaddis in the show now unless he gets brought back somehow.

Also, I think that was the first petrol station seen in the show so far.

Slydice

7: That was just a plain ole nice episode.

Guessed it was gonna be him when his younger self got bit.. but didn't matter, the episode wasn't really about that

Slydice

Finished! Overall, this was an excellent fresh science fiction series!
It's not an action show. Don't come looking for that.
It is a lovely show though!

Definitely agree with what was posted earlier about needing to watch them in order. It can be complex.


8: Directed by Jodie Foster no less! Wow! Great episode.

Awe wow, that really packed in the feels. Time can really gut you when it's done like this. Jakob just gone...

I haven't seen anything about a second season. Like there could be one I guess. It'd just be difficult to put together.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm up to episode 6. I really like how the scifi stuff is barely mentioned, it's a backdrop really, and the focus is very much on the human stories.

Side note, Amazon starts playing the next episode far too quickly, especially on something like this with such a beautiful score.

pixelburp

The only quibble about the score is they overplay that one "title" track constantly which dulls the mood a litttttttle for me...

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

pixelburp wrote: »

The only quibble about the score is they overplay that one "title" track constantly which dulls the mood a litttttttle for me...

Yeah, after a couple of episodes I did think they could have done even a slight variation on it, but a minor gripe.

cdgalwegian

As I love sci-fi, this has been on my radar thanks to the thread; it's seems a mood piece, so I've set it aside for, well, being in the mood.
As it's on my radar now, I saw this about the Russo brothers snapping up an illustrated novel from Simon Stålenhag:
https://deadline.com/2017/12/the-electric-state-andy-muschietti-russo-brothers-simon-stalenhag-1202227395/

Zak Flaps

pixelburp wrote: »

The only quibble about the score is they overplay that one "title" track constantly which dulls the mood a litttttttle for me...

The title track sounds very familiar....it's very similar to the Leftovers soundtrack and another one that I saw/heard recently (which i currently can't remember)....maybe the same composer.

Sad Professor

Really good show which seems to have gone under the radar. Definitely watch the episodes in order.

Parts of the soundtrack sound like Philip Glass rehashing his own score to The Truman Show.

Slydice

Heh, they put this on youtube.

At first I was surprised the bar looks to be just a set. I thought they might have just rented one.

Then in the loop, the realistic 3d view turning into painting 3d view is kinda cool.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Episode 7 - I was really getting into that and then it just ended!
[
I assume the scene where

the lady in The Loop was telling him they have never, more up to date, arms meant there are newer, more up to date, robot people walking around.

Just watched episode 3 yesterday. I find this show fascinating! And Philip glass for the soundtrack!

Slydice

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I assume the scene where

the lady in The Loop was telling him they have never, more up to date, arms meant there are newer, more up to date, robot people walking around.

I just got that

she was offering him a newer more modern.. maybe sleeker? ..version of his arm.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Slydice wrote: »

I just got that

she was offering him a newer more modern.. maybe sleeker? ..version of his arm.

I know but....

the fact his old arm fit the robot on the island means it was developed around the same time, for that reason. So, if they have newer more modern arms they presumably have newer more modern robot people too

Sad Professor

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I know but....

the fact his old arm fit the robot on the island means it was developed around the same time, for that reason. So, if they have newer more modern arms they presumably have newer more modern robot people too

I don't like having to say this, but

you should keep watching

.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Sad Professor wrote: »

I don't like having to say this, but

you should keep watching

.

I watched the whole of the last episode going

which one is the f**king robot!!

I enjoyed that whole series but I really couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was that I liked. It was so slow paced and light on dialogue in a lot of episodes and if I was recommending it to someone I have no idea what I'd use to sell them on it, and yet.... I really loved it.

pixelburp

I've kinda stalled on the series; I've loved what I've watched so far, genuinely and honestly, but have never been quite in the right mood or frame of mind to jump into another story. Its almost somnambulant pace makes it a little tricky to find that measure of enthusiasm.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

pixelburp wrote: »

I've kinda stalled on the series; I've loved what I've watched so far, genuinely and honestly, but have never been quite in the right mood or frame of mind to jump into another story. Its almost somnambulant pace makes it a little tricky to find that measure of enthusiasm.

I'd agree you have to be in the right mood to watch it. Some of the episodes you could sum up what happens in literally 2 minutes, and yet they're all at least 50 minutes in length. It's definitely not a binge watch. I think it took me about 3 weeks to get through it. I would think about watching another episode and then not bother but then sometimes I'd just sit down and watch one without thinking. I'm genuinely perplexed by the whole thing

Slydice

Agreed. Someone needs to make a proper poster for the show with BIG MOOD written on it or something.

pixelburp

Picked it back up with Episode 3 and yeah, any sense this might be suitable for all ages went out the window there with a lot of nudity and sex. Not going to spoiler it because that's less a plot point & more an indicator of age-appropriateness

One thing I admire is how it emphasises visual language over dialogue: there's not a lot of chatter (and TBH, some of it so far has been a bit trite), but the lingering cameras lets scenes play out and really illustrate the mood or emotion of characters. A tiny moment like a car radio being turned off conveying so much more about the state of a marriage than any piece of dialogue.

Tristram

This lost me about the half-way mark. I really didn't enjoy the last few episodes and found it be quite annoying to watch. Just finished the last episode there and left with a mostly a feeling of frustration at wasted potential.

I'm on episode 8 now. Still really love this show. So introspective or reflective or something.
Philip Glass is probably always recognisable for being arpeggio man. My favourite track is the "walk to school" one.

You definitely need breaks though, you need to be in the right frame of mind and couldn't binge it


Eta: that was so amazing what an ending

qwabercd

Up to episode 5 on this, rally enjoying it so far. Think this has been underrated/under the radar a bit, one of my favourite shows of the year so far although for me it's been a pretty weak year across the board thus far.

pixelburp

Episode 4 recently finished ourselves, and yowsers; definitely a series to watch in stages - cos otherwise I'm not sure how those who binged weren't emotional wrecks by the end. "Bittersweet" would undersell this series, and that fourth episode was a tough watch.

stesaurus

Amazon kind of made me binge it in my defense. Most nights I would have planned to watch only 1 episode but the damn quickness of Amazon starting on a next episode forced my hand.

Very different pace and tone to most other things on TV. I'm not sure I'd want to watch more but I enjoyed the series overall, strange one

eviltimeban

I love the artwork by Simon Stalenhag, and have a framed print of his on my wall.

I find Episode 1 pretty slow, it look me two evenings to get through it. I did enjoy the mood but it took me a while to get into the fact that it was so paced and not just about the sci-fi elements.

Episode 2 blew me away though. I was transfixed. The ending literally made me gasp.

Can't wait to get stuck into the rest of it.

youngblood

Finished it, had to watch it with breaks, its atmospheric, captivating and very moody!

I didn't need lots of explanations, I like the off the cuff resolution of some things like

you crossed the stream when it had frozen/thawed

but I did expect a more clever ending, something that would tie the series together and either leaving us wanting more or completing an arc, it did neither I felt and for that I'm a little disappointed

But there was Jodie Foster directing at the end and that made me smile, bizarre I know

Mr.Nice Guy

I finished the series and enjoyed it a lot. I liked the focus on the characters and how they weren't just a backdrop to the sci-fi aspects, which can happen in these types of shows. I also admire the fact it was pretty uncompromising in terms of what happened to the characters. Also, as already mentioned, the soundtrack is excellent and adds a lot.

Episode 2 was probably my favourite but one thing bugged me:

Why does Jakob get so mad at Danny kissing his crush May when he had done the same thing by kissing Danny's love interest first? Talk about a hypocrite!