I owe Murderbot An apology. To be honest, I was not acquainted with its gameplay. Despite being a large-scale, silly, violent science fiction mystery adventure set in space, it surprisingly delves deep into emotional aspects through the complex bond between its main character and its arch-nemesis, who ends up teaching them about love.
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No, seriously! This episode primarily focuses on the connection between Murderbot and Gurathin, the enhanced human who has voiced opposition to the rogue SecUnit robot from the beginning. before the start, even, dating back to before the mission, when he expressed his concerns that any such robot would be a threat to the team. Those doubts have only deepened since he learned this The SecUnit had bypassed its programming and freed itself from the obligation to follow human orders. For Gurathin, the numerous near-fatal disasters during their mission serve as almost conclusive proof of his concerns. It’s irrelevant that Murderbot has also been a victim in this situation, just like everyone else, and has saved everyone's life numerous times as well.)
Despite this, Gurathin must rely on the SecUnit to ensure his survival. If he wishes to go back to their abandoned habitat with the rest of the team, they will require the robot’s assistance to detect any hostiles—individuals affiliated with an entity known as GrayCris, as revealed in a message from their leader. This mission is crucial for returning Gurathin safely to the medical bay where his health can be restored.
However, what captures their attention the most is that both Gurathin and Murderbot come to understand nearly at the same time that the robot could offer substantial assistance. An individual grappling with addiction, who was forced into servitude by the Company due to his reliance on their exclusive medications, Gurathin firmly rejects all forms of analgesics. Yet, should Murderbot utilize his computer implants, he would have the ability to deactivate this person’s pain sensors, thereby enabling the required medical procedure to proceed.
Next comes an even greater surprise. Out of sheer pique, Murderbot delves into Gurathin’s mind and discovers that the organic memory banks resemble some kind of psychedelic goo, making them easy to become disoriented within. The vision of Dr. Mensah captured by Gurathin immediately catches Murderbot’s attention, and they hear the man’s internal thoughts expressing his affection for the scientist. "I love you as my equal, as someone superior," he muses. "But why can’t you return those feelings?"
Why can't you return my affection?" Murderbot repeats incessantly, voicing these words aloud with genuine feeling. This marks the first instance where it appears to genuinely comprehend the messy human emotions it usually dismisses, despite consuming thousands of hours of highly emotive science fiction dramas in its mind. Soon enough, even Gurathin becomes aware of this development—but everyone opts for a discreet silence about it.
Yet, right as you start to empathize with Gurathin, he surprises you. As Murderbot was searching through his brain, he was rooting around in Murderbot’s He has finally gained access to the sealed information: Murderbot terminated 57 miners who were its clients before being reprogrammed. By the way, it refers to itself as "Murderbot." Despite claiming these events are unconnected, Murderbot's assertion carries little weight among the human population.
You appear most relatable when crafting explanations, which holds for Murderbot just as much as for anybody else. It's possible that this recollection was inserted artificially. Perhaps it was compelled to target those individuals, similar to how the malevolent black SecUnit nearly made it attack the Preservation Alliance squad in previous episodes.
Perhaps you're simply flawed," Gurathin growls. "A faulty model that's merely one thought away from massacring everybody nearby.
Following a brief respite, Murderbot stammers "Yes, perhaps," before striding out of the habitat and out of their lives.
Gotcha! It resurfaces after wandering for several minutes, during which it considers seizing control of its existence by ditching the humans just like a genuine renegade SecUnit would do. Maybe it decides to come back because it’s beginning to develop some attachment to them, despite finding them foolish, insane, and repulsive. Or perhaps it’s simply due to the ingrained discipline instilled in it as a Security Unit. Who knows? It might have actually absorbed a valuable lesson from this situation. Sanctuary Moon The most recent episode includes a scenario where a reprogrammedandroid turns against its crew, leading them to their demise. It genuinely appears worried about the well-being of Jack McBrayer’s character, at least.
(It's important to remember that the series' android mentions that learning to experience love, which it refers to as a "disease," led to its madness. Keep this in mind, Murderbot!)
Regardless, Murderbot hasn't been eliminated just yet, which turns out to be fortunate. Collaborating with each other—despite their acknowledged high intelligence but perhaps lacking real-world savvy—the humans develop a plausible explanation for the situation at hand. They come to understand that the Company is not behind all these troubles since "slaughter doesn't benefit profits," according to Gurathin. Nevertheless, the Company could potentially take a sufficiently substantial payoff to ignore the issue and refrain from alerting the crew to an opposing, perilous mission taking place on the planet.
So, what exactly is this expedition after? Why would they go as far as wiping out an entire outpost? And why haven’t they harmed the Preservation Alliance yet, considering that final Black Security Unit could have taken them down instantly? The reason is straightforward: Their target is the alien artifact discovered by Mensah. They require the survival of the team to locate where it’s hidden. Once they find it though? Say goodbye, gentlemen.
Amusingly, the looming specter of death provides this threesome with an opportunity to uncomfortably address their emotions towards one another. The issue lies in Ratthi developing romantic feelings for Pin-Lee without realizing that Arada has fallen for him instead. As for Pin-Lee, I'm uncertain about their sentiments toward others; however, they might end up pairing with Bharadwaj before everything concludes. Keep in mind that Bharadwaj shared her unreciprocated affection for Pin-Lee in the previous episode, which can almost be seen as a kind of Chekhov’s Crush.
I'm curious if a comparable situation is developing or has developed. Gurathin's affection for Mensah was evident even before Murderbot accessed his thoughts, but Murderbot didn’t just observe this; it genuinely experienced the intensity of those emotions. Whether these feelings will be deeply ingrained in its memory systems like some advanced space-age medical procedures remains to be seen. House or The Pitt that it’s been watching?
No matter what happens, I'm amazed by how much use we've gotten out of it. Murderbot It has moved beyond its basic concept, limited ensemble, and short duration. Many aspiring science fiction mysteries could benefit from incorporating a Keep It Simple, Stupid principle.
Sean T. Collins ( @theseantcollins He or she writes about television for Rolling Stone , Vulture , The New York Times , and anywhere that will take him , truly. He and his family reside on Long Island.