Main cast: Stefan Kapicic (Lt Nikolai Zakharov), Bruce Thomas (Sr Sergeant Kravchenko), Jeff Berg (Malenchenko), Antonio Alvarez (Jr Sergeant Okhchen), and Victor Brandt (Corporal Pogodin)
Director: István Zorkóczy

The Secret War refers to one that was fought by the Soviet soldiers during the winter phase of the siege of Stalingrad: one that pits these men against monstrous beasts.

Led by Lt Nikolai Zakharov, a bunch of soldiers are scouting the area when they come across a scene of massacre: an entire village, all wiped out in gory ways. They decide to follow the tracks to put down the monsters, even if there would be no reinforcements incoming because the bulk of the army will not be able to leave Stalingrad.

Lots of wonderful gore and carnage ensue, naturally.

This episode clocks in around 16 and a half minutes, but I’m impressed by how it feels so much longer and yet complete, like a much longer show. The pacing is solid, the fight scenes are well choreographed, and these people don’t disappoint when it comes to guts and glory: these guts are gloriously spewed everywhere.

Sure, the characters don’t have much depths and they are, in many ways, superficial stereotypes. The episode is also a pretty generic and predictable man-versus-monsters tale, and I’m sure most folks that have been around can guess early at the twist with regard to the origin of these monsters.

Nonetheless, it still offers a whole mountain of action, mayhem, gore, and pathos, just like every war story should with or without supernatural elements.

All in all, this is a most solid way to end the first season of Love, Death & Robots. This whole season is a blast to watch on the whole, and I am most eager to find out what the next season will have to offer!