We’re off to the races! Can free planets handle themselves? Can Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) stand to be “stuck with these people and their pheromones in a small craft”? Although for someone who claims not to care about people, it sure does spend a lot of time paying close attention to them. Considering the books (which this reviewer has not read) are written in the first person, the pervasive live feed of every inch of the habitat is a great help in skipping dull plot exposition and also enabling Murderbot to know all the things it knows. Besides, anyone who has been unable to rush into work because a bored security guard is desperate for a chat understands how people-watching is a great way to pass the time.
But the greatest worry here, at least for the humans, is not just what they will find at the strangely unresponsive other habitat, but also whether Murderbot can be trusted. Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) attempts to mask his worries by being overly chatty, while Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) overdoes the politeness. In a weird way something seems to be building between Mensah and Murderbot, who seems to be responding to her confidences almost in spite of itself/himself. When asked why an emergency beacon didn’t launch, consider the word choice of its response: “equipment failures aren’t unknown.” A genuine machine would have no tact, either about the shoddy equipment supplied by its employer or for the feelings of the people around him hoping for the best.
The plot of the episode itself is paper-thin, but director Toa Fraser allows the interplay between the team members on the hopper to unspool, and for Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) to have a major influence on them even though he’s back at their own habitat. Mr. Dastmalchian plays Gurathin as a man who is so anxious about everything he says, thinks or does, people react to the anxiety instead of the human underneath. It’s poignant and quite sad. Ratthi’s equal inability to shut up or get weapons training in time is both very annoying and very funny, and also unbelievably human. These people might be wandering around a section of the planet crawling with glowing crab creatures, but they are still right at home with all their imperfections, as we all are no matter where we are in the world.
This is meant to be a light and fun show about a modern-day Pinocchio, a mirror to how young men grow up and figure out their place in society. By the episode’s end it’s unclear whether for Murderbot that place will only ever remain as a security unit, fighting in order that humans may live in peace. Amanda Jones’s soundtrack under the fight sequence adds a juddering, edgy feel to what might otherwise be called robotic, and enables the danger to be felt without being truly scary. This is not the world’s most mature show, but it’s very, very good at being exactly what it is. A lot of people will find this very comforting viewing.
Murderbot is now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes air on Fridays.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch, at the Apple TV+ site for the title.
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