Tales from the Loop (TV Series) Transpose (2020) User Reviews

Pivotal Episode

[dcmackdon · 9/10 · 6 April 2020]

This episode is pivotal in the series. Jakob and Danny, two best friends, find a capsule. While playing around, Jakob steps into the capsule and sits back into the darkness and suddenly both boys are waking up. Jakob starts to freak out noticing he is not in his body and so they try again and switch back. Danny suggest they trade for a day. Jakob as Danny finds himself in awkward situations where he has to make out with Danny's girlfriend, he has to communicate with Danny's little sister, who is deaf, but ignores her and he is asked about his future plans, which leads to his parents arguing. Jakob wants to change back, but Danny refuses, cause he realizes Jakob's grandpa owns The Loop company, it's where mostly everyone goes to work and he lied about getting offers. They fight and Jakob goes to the capsule by himself but he doesn't wake. Everyone is looking for him, but Danny is nonchalant and doesn't care, until the second day. He finds him and runs for help. Now Jakob (in Danny's body) is in a coma. Feeling bad Danny tries to go back to the capsule and try to fix, but it is too late they are breaking it down. He wakes from his sleep to find Jakob is the body of a robot. And it ends.

I liked this episode, but am not sure if there was a message, Danny was the one with on the physical attributes and coast thru life with his charm, but when it came time all he wanted to do was work at The Loop, but he wasn't smart enough and he took it from Jakob. When Jakob was smart and a talented artist with plenty of options and all taken away. This episode is pivotal because the repercussions of this episode spill into four other episodes later. Cole is affected by that fact that he and Jakob had a tight bound and he was a soothing voice for Cole and a mentor, Danny as Jakob enters into a relationship with the girl Jakob has a crush with as favor but it doesn't end well and Danny not being there for his family causes issues. It all leads to a bittersweet and surreal ending.

"I want to be me again."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 15 February 2022]

With this episode, it becomes clear that the series has a continuity of sorts rather than being an anthology of unrelated stories. Too early to tell which approach I would have preferred since there are six more to go that I haven't seen yet. This one left me with a bad feeling over the character of Danny (Tyler Barnhardt), switching identities with his friend Jakob (Daniel Zolghadri) and refusing to transition back because of his own selfish motives. Any attempt at reconciliation is voided when Danny (as Jakob), sees the metal sphere that accomplished the body switch being taken apart. The robot from the first episode makes a second appearance early in the story, if only by way of the 'real' Jakob's sketch pad, but shows up near the finale when Danny calls out for his friend. Who should show up? And is Danny's body now merely an empty shell?

Two episodes in and 'Tales from the Loop' doesn't appear to offer much to cheer about. Both stories were humorless, and seem to take a mind bending turn just for the sake of doing so, rather than offer any sense of closure or satisfaction. For an ongoing series, I guess that's par for the course, but I would like to see things lighten up a bit and make more sense as the series progresses.

Digging Deeper

[pixiegrrrl · 9/10 · 29 December 2020]

Wow, what a creative aspect to show the element of a body transposition. I just adore this idea, and then bringing it to life. I also love how each of the Jakob and Danny characters must now adapt to their own situations in their new bodies, in their own respective houses and parents. Good acting chops for both of these two and an overall interesting premise.

Good episode with a great ending, loving the loop.

[djvalis · 10/10 · 3 April 2020]

I found this episode took me back to the times I had with my best friend when we were young. Very nicely done -- with a very powerful ending -- loving how we stay in town for all the stories and the characters keep crossing paths --- ultra cool episode should be rated higher.

Original stuff

[andyhayman01 · 10/10 · 28 July 2020]

Love this series and especially loved this episode. Dont understand the negative comments. The visuals are great, the writing is great and so are the performances. I do not agree that the pace is too slow and I think the music works well. It makes a change to watch a programme where the quality shines through. Have bought the book of paintings that the series is based on and found that it added to the enjoyment. Fingers crossed for a second series.

Caution: intense creativity ahead

[pranderson063095 · 10/10 · 4 April 2020]

We're becoming fans of this series very quickly. "What would do if?" The stories so far lend us to speculate and envision ourselves in the stories. This is especially true about Episode 2. It must be watched to the very end. Multiple viewings may help understand certain plot elements and why a few of scenes are in the episode.

Excellent with a twist

[moyetbear-224-584960 · 10/10 · 3 April 2020]

Good acting and direction, intermixed from previous episode.

Th title says it all, how would you handle it. Life throws curves, Catch them or loose your way.

If the characters learn nothing, the lesson is a failure, and so is this episode.

[ginger-111 · 6/10 · 30 August 2020]

I've put my finger on what's wrong with this series, the total lack of empathy these people have for one another.

The countryside is littered with bits and bobs from what is obviously Loop experiments. You'd think that people would know better than to start messing around with anything they found lying around. Everything is a disaster waiting to happen. But no, so that's what makes these stories happen - human stupidity.

The biggest suspension of disbelief in this entire series is that this junk is just lying around waiting to cause trouble. The big theme is that no one is held responsible for anything in this town. That becomes more and more obvious as the episodes go by.

This episode is the typical story of thinking the grass is greener for someone else. Then finding out it's not. Then appreciating what you have and wanting it back. Or not.

The twist at the end came across as the writers patting themselves on the back for being edgy and nonconformist. I guess we see now where the lack of empathy comes from.

The bottom line is that the two main characters of this episode learned nothing, the familiar and predictable parable did not play itself out and so the entire exercise was pointless. If I'm supposed to have sympathy for these two characters, this is a massive fail. Danny is a despicable human being and Jakob is a sweet, but miserable loser.

In what universe would two teenagers just shrug and accept something as traumatic as this? Or carry on being friends as though nothing happened? I guess we're supposed to accept that their relationship with their parents was so bad that they'd rather it end the way it did.

Like I said... in what universe? This one, apparently.

Dark and every detail counts

[robloxworld · 9/10 · 25 August 2023]

The story telling of this show is really weird and interesting at the same time, it's like an anthology and also it isn't. This episode focuses on two boys who switch bodies thanks to a machine and we get to know why this isn't a good idea. The pacing, the world and the details are cruical since the twist at the end is built on a detail that if you noticed you will get.

This episode was better than the pilot since it focused more on morals and it made me think how weird this would actually be to experience. This show so far really giving me Dark + Black Mirror vibes and I am all for it, I love how this show also tells everything and tells nothing at the same time.

9 out of 10 since they didn't show enough of the other guy's POV (Danny)

Want to like this more

[TheTruthofItIs · 6/10 · 10 May 2020]

"Tales from the Loop" S01E02 "Transpose" again has the feel of a Twilight Zone or even a Black Mirror ep but continues with the sllllloooowwww pacing. I fell asleep twice, had to rewind, rewatch, it's a chore and watching a show shouldn't be a chore. This second episode had an interesting "Freaky Friday" twist but it lacks plausibility, especially with kids involved. It's clear the series proceeds serially now, it's not an anthology, the eps are connected though it appears loosely, not like a typical US series where it's the same characters ep after ep, this one introduces new ones but keeps prior ones on deck. Just wish the pacing was picked up, lingering for artistic sake is tiring, not special.

The first one was better

[drpunkrock · 6/10 · 10 June 2020]

This episode still has all the elements that make Tales from the Loop so great.The acting, the music, the cinematography and the pacing are very pleasing. It just feels like poetry, like a piece of art without being too artsy. What I did not like was the story in this one. It does not really make sense. Teenage boys would not switch bodys with their best friend. It seems very weird. Also the reason why Danny does not want to switch back is a little far fetched. It was just not believable. It took me out of it. The ending went a little more into Black Mirror territory which kind of saved the episode for me but it still was not as good as episode one.

I liked the Pilot better.

[Okfreedom · 5/10 · 2 April 2021]

The Pilot was an amazing episode with slow pacing and great characters. Maybe a bit too slow, but it made up for the shortcomings with the second act. Overall, it was a great episode to get invested with our characters.

Episode 2 started off on an ok note but goes downhill when the Body Swapping element shows up. The pacing is even slower than the Pilot, nothing much happens, the characters are even less likeable, and I nearly fell asleep a couple of times.

Beautiful visuals, fun ending, but a little slow.

[anderson-ian-p · 6/10 · 29 April 2020]

Probably could trim out 50% of the episode and still tell the same story. Very enjoyable though and am looking forward to how these characters develop now that I have a the backstory.

Jakob???

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 7/10 · 7 October 2020]

Okay so I can see a pattern we're going to open with the superb musical piece which is the theme for this show.

Okay so here we have boy Danny and his buddy Jakob.... and they are friends who do a lot of stuff together, and they find this old metal ball with a hatch. It looks like an escape pod or an underwater mine or something.

So apparently when one of them gets inside it, they both pass out. And when they wake up, they switch bodies? Switch places? It's weird as hell.

+1 for Weirdness factor.

So they switch back and all is cool...but then these two idiots decide they are going to do it again!! Switch bodies with each other for a day!!! Hahaha. What could possibly go wrong????

LOL , so they just happen to run into RUSS on the street. Funny coinkydink there. That's like 2 Twilight Zone stars running into Rod Serling on the street, imo.

So the geek guy goes home to the 'athlete's' house . He deals with his sister, his mom, and then finds dude's PET TARANTULA wandering around his room. Okay who lets a TARANTULA ROAM around their room?? No one.

-1 STar for Roaming spider...

When they meet back up the next day at school, they decide to let the switch go ANOTHER DAY. Haha , like nobody saw that coming! Then Geek boy sees Athelete boy making out with his girlfriend! Ruh Roh! There's gonna be trouble in Paradise now!! Geek Boy goes home and tells Athlete Boy he wants to switch back, and Athlete Boy says he doesn't want to. He prefers the life he's got in Geek Boy's body.

What does Geek Boy do. Oh no, he went back to the Pod alone. What did he transpose to? A Squirrel??? There was no one else around to switch with. And then... Athlete boy, he goes back to the POD and workers are dismantling it. Oh dear.

+1 Star for the mess Athlete Boy has created for himself....

And then Athelete Boy, he hears noises outside and goes out there and finds the ROBOT from the WOODS. The AT AT ROBOT FROM STAR WARS!! JAKOB IS NOW THE ROBOT!!! And he runs off!!

+1 Star Loved the ending...

7/10

Unintentionally the epitome of #NoHomo

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 29 September 2020]

It's always incredibly peculiar & pitifully heteronormative when creatives within the industry choose to adapt a voluntary body swap storyline without also delving in to the blatant homoerotic subtext within.

Here, we have two apparently straight young men who clearly enjoy being inside one another's bodies for days on end - with one even going to far as to admire the other participant's appendage whilst stood naked in the shower - & yet none of this eroticism is even acknowledged, let alone explored? It just seems like a noticeably major missed opportunity, considering it's a subtle analogy for homosexuality - but nobody involved in the show's production seemed aware of this at the time of this episode's making? Yes, the idea was adequately handled but the poetic execution doesn't negate the stubborn unwillingness to tackle concepts head on. Everything was simply a bit too "safe".

Too obvious, too predictable

[PestVolk · 5/10 · 14 November 2022]

I like the concept of the series, the science and mystery with episodes having a mostly standalone story but being connected in some way.

But the plot is too thin and the twist shouldn't surprise anyone over the age of 12. It's too obvious and the writers expect you to be blown away or something.

There's also so many other ways to resolve this situation for person B. In a town where everyone is aware of scientific mysteries happening they could have just gone to anyone working the Loop and explain what happened.

And in a town where everyone knows about scientific mysteries and reality bending events happening they would never just scrap the object in question without any investigation.

Stupid, poorly written and the series so far feels like a grade C student ripoff of Black Mirror, a series that actually has pacing, twists and interesting ideas that don't come out of a childrens horror book.

Is anyone in this town happy?

[petewood-59951 · 3/10 · 9 July 2020]

I am done. The show ends with one of two teenage boys in a coma which reeally isn't much of a stretch, because everybody in the whole blessed town seems catatonic to begin with. Nobody laughs. Nobody seems to enjoy life. People kinda shuffle around like they are in the old Soviet Union and desperately need psych meds. I wouldn't want to hang out with any of these people. The second episode committed the same sin as the first. It stretched out a twenty five minute story to at least double that length. Nothing about this episode held my interest. Nothing. Not the tired plot, not the boring characters. Nothing. The story was just meh. Freaky Friday did it better, much better. I really wanted to like this show. I really did. But I am done.

Slow and obvious.

[rob-sadler · 2/10 · 19 May 2020]

I really wanted to like this more. I do love the style of the setting, but this is just so slow paced with sleep inducing music and the plot is way too obvious.

Interesting ideas terrible execution

[bburton-59015 · 1/10 · 22 May 2021]

Not an original idea, but still an intriguing world to present it in. Unfortunately the way they progress and ultimately resolve (or don't) the story leaves much to be desired.

I finished this episode with a bad taste in my mouth and no desire to finish the series. That should say enough. I would give it one extra star foe the great music but since it started at a 0 that's still 1 star.

More of the same

[Opinion02122 · 1/10 · 13 June 2020]

I was hoping that the second episode of this would be better, But, unfortunately, it was more of the same. The same unbearable music, the same dull pace. Horrible, awful, terrible now show. I found no entertainment value at all. I won't be watching another episode! I'd rather watch reruns of old TV shows.