Love, Death & Robots is one of Netflix’s best animated series, and Season 3 is a perfect example of this anthology’s consistent quality and variety. Covering a wide range of genres, including sci-fi, horror, and even a bit of fantasy, Love, Death & Robots Season 3 brings even more wild animations for viewers to enjoy. Much like we did for Love, Death & Robots Season 1 and Love, Death & Robots Season 2, we’ve whipped up a list of every episode in Love, Death & Robots Season 3, ranked from worst to best. So, if you’re diving into Season 3 of this acclaimed series and want a good place to begin, this ranked list should help you get started. As always, this list is purely subjective and based entirely on personal opinion, so let us know your thoughts if you think we got it wrong.
Every Episode of Love, Death & Robots Season 3: Ranked from Worst to Best
9. Three Robots: Exit Strategies
Synopsis: Following an apocalypse that wiped out most life on Earth, three robots continue to explore the remnants of humanity.
This is a cheeky follow-up to the Season 1 episode, “Three Robots”, and while pleasantly comedic, it doesn’t offer too much new. It’s entertaining to see the robots come across various survival shelters, including an underground bunker and an old oil rig, but the episode treads old ground. Poking fun at things like colonizing Mars and humanity’s inability to work together to save their dying planet, this episode of Love, Death & Robots makes some good points, but the message is lost in favor of a continued cat joke.
8. Kill Team Kill
Synopsis: A hardened group of mercenaries encounters a cybernetic threat while out on a mission.
Kill Team Kill falls into a particular sub-set of Love, Death & Robots episodes, that I simply refer to as “dumb fun”. Bloody as can be, this cartoon-like episode follows a group of foul-mouthed soldiers that run into a jacked-up grizzly bear and won’t rest until they defeat it. The ensuing chaos is the entire point of Kill Team Kill, and while the gory violence is fun to watch, don’t expect any thought-provoking science fiction amid this mostly juvenile episode.
7. Night of the Mini Dead
Synopsis: Watch as the zombie apocalypse tears through the world, presented in cutesy, miniature form.
Another case of dumb fun, Night of the Mini Dead is a five-minute episode that shows us an entire zombie apocalypse from beginning to end, but with distinct, forced perspective visuals. There’s no meaningful dialogue, but we get to watch as tiny humans flee from the brain-hungry horde, jumping between various moments of mayhem across the world. This all leads to a hilariously unceremonious end, which elicited a hearty chuckle upon my first viewing. Short, sweet, and just the right balance of stupid, Night of the Mini Dead is my guilty pleasure episode of Love, Death & Robots Season 3.
6. Mason’s Rats
Synopsis: A farmer tries to control a rat problem that spirals out of control, leading to an unexpected alliance.
Similar to Kill Team Kill, Mason’s Rats is mostly dumb fun, as it tracks the constantly escalating battle between a humble farmer and the rats who occupy his barn. To do so, the farmer purchases fancy, high-tech solutions, which predictably lose control. There’s an underlying theme about understanding your enemy and coming together to overcome mutual evil, but really, Mason’s Rats is a nice excuse for some bloody battles between rats and machinery.
5. In Vaulted Halls Entombed
Synopsis: During a mission in the desert, a squad of American soldiers comes across a cave containing an otherworldly entity.
With vibes reminiscent of Aliens, In Vaulted Halls Entombed is a straightforward sci-fi horror episode that hits all the right notes, delivering fast-paced action in its 15-minute runtime. From its bloody beginning to the bitter end, this episode is packed with grotesque creatures and grisly deaths, with a dash of cosmic horror for good measure. Though it doesn’t leave you much to ponder on, In Vaulted Halls Entombed is a succinct mix of Call of Duty action and Lovecraftian inspiration, elevated past the “dumb fun” crowd thanks to its unwavering horror, brutal imagery, and bleak-as-hell ending.
4. Swarm
Synopsis: While researching an alien collective in their native hive world, two researchers uncovers the terrifying truth of the Swarm.
Swarm is thoughtful in its sci-fi and offers another story of intergalactic human expansion, with a few ethical dilemmas to unpack. This tale of two researchers exploring a bustling alien hive of insectoid species maintains a constant air of intrigue, especially as things get darker. With a signature Love, Death & Robots twist that subverts the episode’s slightly whimsical beginning, this episode reminds you just how tiny we are in the grand scheme of the cosmos. There’s a lot of setup to this story, but the pay-off is worth it in the end, putting the Swarm higher up on our ranked list of Love, Death & Robots Season 3.
3. Jibaro
Synopsis: A deaf conquistador meets a deadly siren of myth and the two become entangled in a dance of life and death.
This artful episode of Love, Death & Robots was good enough to nab the show two Emmy Awards, thanks to its calculated tone and extremely impressive visuals. Out of all the episodes on our ranked list of Love, Death & Robots Season 3, Jibaro is arguably the most realistic looking, further heightened by a notable feeling of energy and immersive audio design. Though the plot feels occasionally buried by symbolism, it’s a visceral yet layered viewing experience that speaks on heavy themes, if you’re able to pick them out. At the very least, Jibaro features award-winning visuals, flashy shots, and plenty of love and death.
2. The Very Pulse of the Machine
Synopsis: While exploring an alien world, an astronaut experiences psychedelic visions as she races for her survival.
One of the more thought-provoking episodes in Love, Death & Robots Season 3, The Very Pulse of the Machine is full of evocative, colorful visuals, matched by an intriguing story of mental uncertainty. Following a crash, a lone astronaut drags her fallen soldier across a ruined alien planet, but hallucinations and otherworldly visions continue to arise. Subtle in its execution and consistently beautiful, this is a sci-fi story that’s left open to interpretation and is all the better for it. A highlight of the series as a whole, The Very Pulse of the Machine is easily one of the best episodes in Love, Death & Robots Season 3.
1. Bad Travelling
Synopsis: Sailing across the unforgiving sea, a ship full of sailors encounters an unspeakable horror from below the waves.
When it comes to horror and science fiction, I’m always entranced by stories of the deep sea or tales of cosmic horror. Bad Travelling combines these two sub-genres with an ample dose of blood and guts, creating an episode that’s both incredibly memorable and deeply unnerving. Without giving too much away, Bad Travelling excels in its thoroughly dark tone and terrifying creature design, traits that any fan of Love, Death & Robots should enjoy. Like Season 1’s “Beyond the Aquila Rift”, Bad Travelling is an extremely potent episode that will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
