Summary
“Home” is a satisfying conclusion to the Amazon sci-fi series as we revisit Cole and his quest to find his brother.
The finale of Tales from the Loop is intriguing, and I only wish the series were consistent in intrigue for each episode.
It begins with Cole; he is constantly asking about Jakob and wanting to ring him all the time – he works at the Loop. He ends up ringing his brother regularly – it’s clear he misses him.
So Cole decides to visit Jakob in his apartment, which adds that dynamic, knowing it’s really Danny. Cole asks his brother why he doesn’t come home anymore. Jakob insists he is not mad at him. Cole is intuitive, and it turns into a conversation about whether Jakob is his brother.
Jakob admits his real brother is now a robot and shows him a drawing, stating he is actually Danny. Cole walks out.
Cole heads out into the woods looking for Jakob. He finds the robot from the drawing and kicks a ball with it. Cole speaks to the robot, and it responds to Cole’s questions, confirming it is Jakob. Cole insists he can help Jakob get out of the robot.
While out with robot Jakob, another robot approaches them aggressively — Jakob and the other robot fight, and he destroys it. Sometime later, Cole runs ahead, but then he hears Jakob fall over. He tends to Jakob, whose parts are scattered on the floor — Jakob, the robot, dies, and Cole gets upset.
Cole makes a little memorial for him. The ice melts quickly around the area. As Cole looks at a spring water route, his football randomly runs down it. He picks up the ball and walks over the water route, and it ices over again.
At the halfway point of Tales from the Loop Episode 8, Cole goes to see Danny, but he is not in. He heads to the Loop and asks for his mother. In a twist that I was not expecting, Loretta walks out looking way older. She tells him, “I told you I’d always be here for you”. Flashbacks show Loretta seeing the dead robot Jakob with Danny, who has admitted the secret that he swapped bodies. Danny returns to his family, and it has an emotional impact on her, resulting in many lonely nights.
But why was she looking older for Cole? Well, older Loretta explains to Cole that he went missing for a long time because he crossed the stream when it was thawed. Cole explains that it did not feel like a long time and that it isn’t fair. An older Jakob (Danny) tells Cole that he told Cole’s parents the truth. Cole tells Danny that Jakob was not mad at him.
As we approach the end, Cole wants to take a photo of his mother; he asks her if she has missed him. Loretta wells up with tears and says, “More than anything”. He takes a photo and briefly sees a younger child version of Loretta. He looks up and sees his older mother again.
“Home” ends with Cole now much older with a family. He looks at the Loop blaring in the distance. He looks at his old house and tells his family that time has passed in the blink of an eye.
It’s a shame it ended here, because this series could have benefited from stronger anthological chapters like this.
Other-worldly observations
- Klara tells Cole it’s good to have space, but sometimes it’s just too much space.
- Older Jakob (Danny) introduces Cole to his daughter.
- After a lengthy absence, Cole returns to his school and asks his teacher, Sarah, why she hasn’t aged. She explains that she has taught her brother and his parents as well. She’s not part of nature; she’s a robot.
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