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Love, Death & Robots volume 4 has released on Netflix on May 15, 2025. The adult animated anthology series has been created by Tim Miller and officially produced by Blur Studios. However, individual episodes have been created by different studios across the globe, which unique stories, spanning genres such as comedy, horror, science fiction, and fantasy.
Disclaimer: The following article contains the author’s opinion and spoilers from Love, Death & Robots volume 4 episode 2.
Titled Spider Rose, Love, Death & Robots, volume 4 episode 3 is based on an original short story written by Bruce Sterling. The titular character, who once went by Lydia Martinez meets a gruesome fate at the end, as she is eaten by her pet, Nosey. The show differed from Sterling’s original conclusion to the story, where Rose ends up consuming her pet while being stranded in space.
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Joe Abercrombie wrote the screenplay for Love, Death & Robots volume 4 episode 3, which is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. It has a runtime of 15:12 minutes, excluding the credits sequence.
The tale of Spider Rose in Love, Death & Robots volume 4 episode 3
The sci-fi story of Spider Rose is set in a universe where space-faring races Mechanists and Shapers are rivals of each other. The titular character belongs to the first category who lost her entire group, including her husband in an attack by the Shapers. Upon discovering a precious gem in space, she decides to sell it to a third, affluent race known as Investors, in exchange for weapons that can decimate Shapers’ colonies.
However, being bound by protocol which states not to trade with such tools of destruction, the Investor dealing with Rose leaves her their mascot, Little Nose for Profits, to keep as her pet. Rose was hesitant to accept the fluffball creature at first but agreed upon hearing that she would get a chance to return it in 96 days if she wishes. The two soon become very fond of each other, and Rose names it Nosey. She discovers that it has more genetic material than it requires, and falsely concludes that it adapts characteristics of its owner.
Nosey’s presence in Rose’s life has a startling effect. Since the death of her husband, Rose was surviving in space by herself, taking drugs to numb pain and suppress nightmares. With Nosey she experiences happiness once again. However, it is short-lived as a group of Shapers attack her base, led by her husband’s murderer, Jade.
A brutal fight ensues, where Rose manages to get her revenge. However, the destruction caused to her base leaves her and Nosey stranded without supplies, with days remaining till the Investors are supposed to return. At that moment, Rose gives Nosey her permission to consume her, which it does. Her death is cnfirmed by her floating bionic arm, which the Investor discovers upon their return.
At the end of the third episode of Love, Death & Robots volume 4, Nosey is seen emerging from a cocoon resembling a human child, with a marking similar to Rose on its body. The reason why the creature has more genetic material than required then becomes apparent, as it seemingly gets it from the living beings it consumes.
Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s opinion on the twist in Spider Rose
In an interview with TV Guide published on May 15, Love, Death & Robots volume 4 episode 3 director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, explained her decision to flip the original ending of Bruce Sterling’s story, where Rose ends up eating Nosey to survive.
"It's definitely a dark twist," admitted Nelson. “Diverging from the original short story's ending was not done lightly at all, but the thing that happens in the original short story was just very hard to show visually and not leave people feeling, you know, really, really upset."
The director further continued,
"The idea of flipping it so that Nosey is the one that actually survives was done very much because if this very short, compact, concentrated moment of bonding between these two characters is something that you buy into, that ending has to pay off on that," she explained. "And personally, I think that it allows it to be dark and horrible, but also it gives you a little bit of hope, and that's why it was switched over that way."
In the same interview, showrunner Tim Miller also shared that the conclusion of the episode was the one thing on which he disagreed with Nelson. However, he lost the argument and in hindsight, believes the ending is perfect as it is.
Follow for more updates on Love, Death & Robots volume 4.
