Love, Death & Robots is hit-or-miss in many ways, which isn’t surprising given the anthology format, with each episode telling a completely new story. Still, one episode truly blew me away—because the writing is exceptionally good.

That episode is “Bad Traveling” (Season 3, Episode 2).

The story follows a ship’s crew member who strikes a deal with a monster from the deep, and the way the narrative unfolds is nothing short of genius. Looking at the track record of writer Andrew Kevin Walker, you’ll find absolute bangers like 8mm, Se7en, and Sleepy Hollow. The other writer, Neal Asher, is mainly credited for his work on the show itself, at least according to IMDb.

The episode runs for just 23 minutes, yet it delivers multiple twists you won’t see coming. The protagonist is perfectly fleshed out in that short amount of time, and the ending is deeply satisfying.

I can only describe the writing as brilliant.

There is so much to learn from this twenty-minute short if you want to become a better writer. I highly recommend watching it if you haven’t already. And even if you’re not looking to study storytelling, watch it simply for pure entertainment.

To Andrew Kevin Walker and Neal Asher: congratulations, gentlemen. I’m genuinely in awe of the masterpiece you brought to life.

It’s now official: there won’t be a fourth season of The Wheel of Time (source). Amazon has pulled the plug due to a significant drop in viewership. The remaining audience simply doesn’t justify the production costs. This means the series will remain unfinished—essentially rendering the three existing seasons pointless.

After watching the first episode of season one, I already had a feeling this would be yet another streaming misfire. Just like The Rings of Power, the creators seemed convinced they could outdo the original author. Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t.

Why is it so hard to respect the vision of the original creator?

Robert Jordan crafted a rich, immersive world beloved by millions. Why would anyone think they could take that world and improve on it? All they had to do was follow the source material, and the fans would have supported it wholeheartedly. A perfect example of this approach working is Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. He remained faithful to the books, and fans rewarded him for it—both critically and financially.

But no, the “creatives” at Amazon Studios thought they could outshine not only Peter Jackson, but Tolkien himself with their Rings of Power abomination. And now, they’ve done the same to Robert Jordan’s work. What a joke.

The cancellation of The Wheel of Time was well deserved. The Rings of Power should be next.

Maybe—just maybe—these studios will finally learn: if you want to tell YOUR story, then write one from scratch. Don’t hijack someone else’s creation just to piggyback on an existing fanbase.