If you have been watching the show, you are well aware of the startling twists and turns that are frequently in store for the audience. Love, Death, and Robots is not known for its peaceful moments, and the third season has not let us down yet. However, we have rarely seen an episode begin on such a threatening note.
Dealing with a vicious crustacean monster – the Thanapod!
The first scene gives you a glimpse of the horror that is about to unfold, and you get to witness the fearsome creature, the Thanapod – a giant crustacean. The story is premised way back in the past, and it is told that ships would often go Jable shark hunting in dangerous waters. The crew and their vessels often vanished because of the treacherous nature of the ocean and the deadly weather conditions, and it was generally classified as ‘bad traveling’.
On this particular ship, the crew seems to be dealing with a torrential downpour and rough seas. It is the dead of night, and to make matters worse, they are suddenly attacked by the Thanapod. It seems to be an unstoppable killing machine, and the desperate efforts of the crew fail miserably as the creature takes down a few and descends into the decks below with some of the bodies.
Everyone is in a state of shock, and they decide to pick out straws to determine who would fall prey to the creature next. However, the strongest among them, a muscular hulking dude takes charge and declares himself the leader. He seems to dislike Torrin, and sends him down the deck to see what’s happening – or to become Thanapod dinner! However, Torrin descends down to find out that the creature is surprisingly intelligent.
The Thanapod uses a corpse to speak and reveals its desire to be dropped by Phaiden Island. Torrin might not be the strongest fellow, but he is the one with brains. He quickly strikes a deal with the creature and agrees to comply, while slyly mentioning that he is the only one who can keep the ship on course. Apart from this, he also gets the creature to puke out the remains of someone with a key and grabs the key before moving up to the deck.
Everyone above is shocked to see him alive, and he quickly makes way to what looks like the captain’s cabin. It might be safe to assume that the Thanapod had previously consumed the captain, who was the only one with a gun on board. The key was for the case that contained the gun, and the power of the weapon soon makes Torrin the unquestionable leader of the pack.
The previous self-acclaimed leader is sent to his death below the deck, and the others are made aware of the creature’s plans. Torrin, however, has other plans, and he reveals how he wouldn’t comply with the orders of the Thanapod because Phaiden Island is populated and the people would have no idea what hit them.
He proposes voting by secret ballot, where members of the crew could voice their opinions. They could either vote for abiding by the creature’s orders or vote for Torrin’s counter plan of getting rid of the Thanapod on a deserted island. It is soon revealed that the voting process was merely a trick to identify those who were cowardly and selfish enough to get rid of the creature even at the cost of innocent human lives.
The two who voted for that are shot dead, and the Thanapod has more snacks on the journey. As they start to get nearer to the Phaiden Island, the creature summons Torrin one more time, using the same bizarre method of speaking through a half-eaten rotting corpse. The Thanapod is getting restless because it has given birth to numerous tiny offspring and now has more mouths to feed. It only makes Torrin’s resolve stronger, but the crew starts showing signs of mutiny.
That night, they attempt to kill Torrin in his sleep, but the man was simply too smart to fall for their plans. He ambushes them all, and there is now a solitary survivor who was locked up in a chest because he refused to participate. Even the last man is soon pushed below the deck by Torrin and sent to his miserable fate.
This is when he reveals the biggest twist so far. Apparently, everyone had voted for carrying out the orders of the Thanapod, and Torrin was the only one who dared to think differently. Now, it is just him against the might of the powerful creature in the middle of nowhere!
The final act is an adrenaline-pumping moment when the ship is agonizingly close to Phaiden Island. Torrin walks down to the decks below, and in an act of great bravery uses the shark oil stored in the barrels below to cause a massive fire. He barely makes it out of the ship on a boat as the vessel explodes into flames, presumably killing all the babies of the Thanapod and the mighty creature alongside!
A little something about the Thanapod:
The Thanapod has been presented as a mythical monstrous creature lurking around the unknown oceans. It resembles a giant crab, bigger than three men put together, and the body is covered by an almost impenetrable shell. It seems to have multiple legs and is surprisingly fast for its size. The attacks are swift and deadly, and the opening in front acts as its mouth to suck in the prey.
It probably developed a taste for human flesh after attacking the vessel, and now, it seemed determined to have more. Phaiden Island would be the perfect destination, with several victims to feed its offspring. The Thanapod also comes across as remarkably smart, and it is not just some mindless creature. Its ability to strike a deal with Torrin, using a corpse to speak is testimony to its intelligence, and the creature was almost indestructible until it finally was!
The perfect creature flick:
This has to be the pick of the episodes that have been released for Season 3, and the sheer build-up to the shocking climax will keep you on the edge of your seats. It is the first episode to be directed by the executive producer of the series, David Fincher, and we believe he needs to seriously consider his directorial skills. The characters all have shades of gray, and their flaws make them all very believable.
You don’t have a hero, not even Torrin, who saves the day for many others on Phaiden Island. He takes the opportunity to get rid of those he hated, and those who disagreed with his plans of putting an end to the Thanapod – which turned out to be just about everyone. Yes, he saves the lives of those on the island and destroys the creature successfully, but these don’t make him the perfect hero by any means!
The element of fear is omnipresent throughout the narrative. It becomes very clear that the creature is far too powerful for the primitive weapons of the crew. Forget about the swords and spears, even the solitary pistol on board wouldn’t have done any damage to the impregnable shell of the creature. This makes you feel the vulnerability of the crew, and even the safety of Torrin after he planned to disobey the orders and trick the creature.
Eventually, it boils down to a very satisfactory climax, as you watch the Thanapod and her numerous babies burning to death. The story is so gritty and engaging that you wouldn’t mind the 20 minutes of screen time. In fact, we secretly wished this was made into a bigger movie with more details and a proper background story. Watch out for this episode while you breeze through the third season – it will be totally worth your time!