Apple TV dropped Murderbot couple of weeks ago and Im just starting to catch up on some of the TV series, I wasn't expecting to get this hooked on a cyborg having an existential crisis but here we are. Its kinda different watching a Robot come up with so much drama, not your typical robot show where some shiny android learns to love humanity through heartwarming moments and cheesy dialogue or go totally rogue on humans, this is about a security unit that hacked its own programming and now spends most of its time watching soap operas while secretly wanting to avoid human contact at all costs, not only because he finds humans stressing but to not blow his cover. Alexander Skarsgard voices this antisocial killing machine with the kind of stealth although not dead man style that makes you forget you're watching a sci fi show, it feels more like listening to your most introverted friend complain about having to attend a work party or just been around others in the office cafeteria. The story could not be more simple but brilliant, take a corporate owned security robot, give it free will and watch it realize that freedom is way more complicated than just jail breaking himself, especially when you are stuck protecting the very species you find incredibly annoying. I found the first episode very entertaining as I can relate a lot to the introverted bot, the series doesnt try to be an action series even though there is some shooting and monsters but its more about how Murderbot tries to be as stealth as possible between humans, its neither about be profound or preachy about artificial intelligence, instead it just lets our reluctant hero bitch about everything while secretly caring more than it wants to admit.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18177528/
- Platform: AppleTV+
Rottentomatoes Rating
The episode starts with this cyborg finishing up a mining gig where the human workers treat it like garbage, using it as entertainment by making it raise its arm for no reason except to be assholes, I think this was the OG flashbacks he kept getting before going full murderbot, he mention several times how they get recycled so I wonder if a little piece of that falty software or material stay with him. Six months of been treat like crap and our future murderbot finally cracks the code on its governor module, the thing that forces it to obey every human command no matter how stupid or degrading and suddenly it's free to make its own choices. But instead of going on a killing spree or escaping to some distant galaxy, it does something weirdly human, it goes back to work because the alternative is getting melted down by the corporation that owns it. He self named Murderbot, he then gets assigned to a new team of scientists from some hippie commune called Preservation Alliance and right away you can tell these people are different because they actually feel bad about essentially renting a sentient slave for their expedition. Dr. Mensah and her crew are describe as these well meaning environmental researchers who hold hands and hum together to make group decisions, which obviously makes our cynical cyborg want to crawl into a corner and die from secondhand embarrassment, I think we going to get a lot of context and character development on this series as how they started describing every other person that comes up going through the entire team.
Things get interesting when a giant centipede creature attacks two of the scientists during their survey work, forcing Murderbot to spring into action and save them even though it technically doesn't have to anymore but all he wants is to continue downloading content and avoid humans, does this cyborg goes full pirate on the humans downloading all kind of content? a moving Piratebay? jajaja thats hilarious. This rescue scene is where we see the real conflict at its core, our rogue bot could have just stood there and watched these people get eaten but instead it throws itself into danger to protect them, getting seriously injured in the process and the aftermath is even more complex because when one of the scientists freezes up in shock, Murderbot removes its helmet to show its human like face and tries to comfort her by basically saying "everything will be alright, you got my word", something it learned from watching too much television. Taking off his helmet make him look vulnerable and ends up being a huge mistake because it's completely outside normal security behavior, leading to suspicion from the team's tech expert who starts questioning whether their protection is malfunctioning or worse almost blaming Murderbot of them not getting proper secure data about their maps or worst been it operating outside of the system control. Right from episode one there seems to be this perfect balance between the action sequences with character development, never felt one sided, showing us that beneath all the sarcasm and misanthropy, there is something heroic about this character that it doesn't even recognize in itself. You can feel the internal struggle as Murderbot grapples with having choices for the first time while still being trapped by circumstances beyond its control, creating this perfect metaphor for anyone who has ever felt stuck in a job they hate but can't leave.
The mystery element kicks in when the team realizes their corporate supplied maps are missing crucial information about dangerous wildlife which explains why nobody warned them about the giant death worms lurking underground, but then again their tech leader Gurathin, who is a human with implants that enhance his capabilities, still believes there is something wrong with their security cyborg when in fact was never his fault, you will grow a grudge against this Gurathing for sure. There is definitely some corporate conspiracy building up, probably involving the same company that manufactures security units and then deliberately creates situations where they are absolutely necessary for survival. While all this is going on the core of the series starts to heat up as Murderbot is dealing with fragmented memories of its previous assignment, seven seconds of footage showing what appears to be a massacre involving security units and dead humans but it can't tell if he was the perpetrator or just witnessed the violence. These flashbacks add a dark enigma to the character that keeps you guessing about whether our security unit might actually be dangerous, even though everything we have seen suggests it's more likely to quote soap opera dialogue than hurt innocent people. The social relationship between the team members create additional tension as they debate whether to trust their obviously unusual security unit, with some seeing it as a person deserving of kindness while others view it as a potentially lethal piece of equipment that needs to be shut down immediately. The episode ends with Dr. Mensah checking on Murderbot's wellbeing, a gesture of genuine care that completely terrifies our antisocial hero because it's never experienced anyone treating it with basic human decency before, all he does is day dream how he kills every human around him to not blow his cover.
I know this show is going to be so relatable for many, I actually do a 100% from the point that most of the time I enjoy been alone and not having people around me but there are sometimes when I do want to go out and do it to feel different for a moment until I go back to the same capsule mode, this time combine those circumstances with a literal cyborg assassin, every awkward social interaction and desperate attempt to avoid human contact feels like watching someone with severe social anxiety trying to navigate a workplace full of extroverts. The series has this perfect balance between humor and emotions, making you laugh at Murderbot's internal monologue while also feeling sorry for a being that's trapped between two worlds without belonging to either one. Alexander Skarsgard brings exactly the right energy to this role, delivering the kind of dry, self deprecating personality that makes you forget you are watching someone play a robot instead of just a really antisocial person. The production values are solid without being flashy, creating a believable future world where corporate capitalism has extended its reach across the galaxy and turned sentient beings into rental equipment. This first episode sets up what promises to be a fascinating exploration of identity, freedom, and the question of what it means to be human when humanity itself seems pretty questionable most of the time, all wrapped up in a package that's entertaining enough to make you forget you're getting a philosophy lesson. I'm giving this one an 8 out of 10 because it manages to be funny, thoughtful and truely engaging while avoiding most of the pretentious bullshit that usually comes with AI stories, definitely worth watching if you just want to see a robot complain about having to give speeches.
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