Animation
Shape Island
Shape Island may charm little viewers and won’t bend their parents out of shape. But the show can also feel surprisingly flat.
Let me tell you about an unsuspecting little town called Mersa, Ohio. It’s not the sort of place you’d think about staying in for very long. It just sort of… exists.
Perhaps that’s why physicist Russ Willard decides to place the Mersa Center for Experimental Physics, known by locals as The Loop, beneath the town. A quiet little enclave like Mersa is the perfect place to conduct his not-so-quiet research.
There, he and a handful of brilliant minds work unbothered, conducting experiments at The Loop with one goal: to unlock and explore mysteries of the universe. And, certainly, they unravel many riddles. But as they do, they find perhaps the biggest mystery of all: Each person in town is somehow connected to The Loop–even if they don’t want to be.
And that’s where we’re going to start off: with a collection of people who are all affected by The Loop.
This sci-fi drama starring Jonathan Pryce is aptly named, Tales From The Loop, as each episode focuses on a different character, or set of characters, and their “tale.”
It usually begins with some sort of unexplainable event, like a young girl meeting her future self after her mother goes missing and her home disappears into a black hole.
But if you’re someone who enjoys resolution, don’t get too excited. See, the mysteries that set the main characters into motion aren’t ever fully explained. And that’s because this is less of a look into science fiction and more of a look into the human condition. Viewers aren’t there to figure out what’s going on at The Loop; they’re invited into each character’s story and asked more universal questions.
Because of that, there are many moments of this show that deserve praise. Not only is the writing and acting executed well, but oftentimes the scenery is just as enthralling. Topics such as protecting one’s family, the power of motherhood, brotherhood, love and desire are all present. And maybe it’s because I’m just emotional, but the first episode had me in tears, vowing to go home and tell my children just how loved they are.
But I can’t stop there. See, every episode holds a different viewer rating and that’s where the problems lie. Some episodes in this British show are for ages 7+, while others are 16+ and even 18+, which is the same thing as TV-MA. In any given episode, viewers could be exposed to sexual content, profane language and difficult topics such as depression, loneliness, abandoment and sexual desire.
Although I did not watch every episode, I saw and read enough to know that if you only watch the first episode, the series will be very misleading. In one episode, a woman is completely topless and the camera lingers on her upper torso and breasts. In another, a teenage couple have sex in the middle of the street. Although this is sometimes seen from afar, it’s clear what’s happening. And in another, a gay man and his lover have a sexual encounter.
What more can I say? Some episodes are indeed family-friendly while others are … definitely not. And while some families may want to take the time to decide which ones work for them, I have a feeling that more will stay away from the graphic sexuality, heavy topics and occasionally harsh language.
A young girl named Loretta, desperate for her despondent mother’s attention, is shocked when her mother goes missing and she meets her older self in the future.
A mother becomes obsessed with solving a mystery and neglects her daughter. In many scenes, she makes it clear that her young, elementary-aged daughter can fend for herself and that she’d rather not be a parent at all.
Loretta tells a boy to not be “a sissy.” She also tells her friend that she would never leave her own child alone if she was a mother. In a moment of anger, a woman kicks a vase and it shatters.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Shape Island may charm little viewers and won’t bend their parents out of shape. But the show can also feel surprisingly flat.
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