Tales From The Loop

Tales From The Loop is an 8 part sci fi series based on the art books by artist Simon Stålenhag. It’s hard to explain the genre of his artwork. It’s certainly sci fi but so utterly unique that whenever I come across his images on the internet they are instantly recognizable as his.

The TV series is a great evolution of that work. It’s a sci fi show at heart but the sci fi is just used as a device to explore human emotions and relationships. At this it does an incredible job. There are a couple of veteran actors who bring a great amount of nuance to their performances. The youngsters are great as well. The show is a slow burn. It is beautiful to look at with shots that linger for long stretches without dialog, just focusing on the characters and their emotions.

Each episode tells it’s own story with the focus on one central character. However they all exist within the same world, one where a machine called The Loop produces mysterious and unexpected effects when people interact with various objects in the town. The episodes are however connected thanks to the appearance of characters that sometimes get their own standalone episode.

This was a very interesting series that kept us captivated throughout. Every frame begs to be studied while watching. It’s pace is much slower than many would be used to. As such it might not work for everyone, but for me that was something that worked in it’s favor. For the kind of intimate human stories the show is trying to tell it’s pacing felt exactly right. And it also manages to have enough surprises up it’s sleeve as well. Most stories are on the melancholic side and might make it a difficult watch during these times. However they are all ultimately infused with hope and teach us that acceptance of loss is sometimes the best way forward.