TV Review: "Murderbot: Episodes 4-6"

The Apple TV series continues to delight with its blend of humor, action, and rich exploration of deep philosophical questions.

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Warning: Spoilers for the series follow.

Let me say upfront: I am loving Murderbot. It’s the perfect blend of science fiction and sitcom, with a rather bleak sense of humor that I find remarkably appealing. It also has a superb cast that works so well together that you could almost believe that you’re actually watching a killer robot and its human clients come closer together, all learning something about one another. It continues to be the perfect blend of science fiction and sitcom, and since each episode is under half an hour the whole thing just seems to fly right by.  

The fourth episode picks up right where the third left off, with our beloved Murderbot kidnapped by another SecUnit. Fortunately for him, he’s rescued first by Mensah and then by the others, but matters get more complicated with the arrival of Leebeebee (Amanda Konkle), who is a bit of a wild card. Making matters even dicier is the fact that someone is very clearly trying to kill them all. They reckon without Murderbot’s adaptability, however, as well as Mensah’s surprising skill when it comes to robot surgery. 

One of the things that gives this show its lovely bite is the extent to which it continues to highlight the absolute ridiculousness of humanity. Time and again Murderbot reflects on those aspects of human nature that perplex him the most, whether it’s the fact that they’re always so damn emotional–this is particularly true of the very messy threesome that continues to take shape–or the fact that they like to talk about their children. All of this comes to a head when Mensah has to cut into him in order for them to be able to repair their ship, a sequence that is somehow both very gross and yet also hilarious. Huge props to both Skarsgård and Dumezweni, both of whom have some truly special chemistry any time that they’re on-screen together. 

For all that Murderbot continues to hold himself aloof from his human companions, however, there’s also a hint that he isn’t nearly as distant from these humans and their concerns as he might like them to believe. He might be confused by them, yes, but he also feels what could perhaps be described as a grudging respect for them, and perhaps even a bit of fondness. How else to explain the fact that he repeatedly goes out of his way to protect them, even when it would be easier to just let them stumble their way into their own demise (as would surely happen if they were left to their own devices?) 

Particularly revealing is the moment in which Murderbot helps Mensah come down from a very acute and paralyzing panic attack. His method for doing so? Having them both watch one of his favorite episodes of the soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. The funny, and even poignant, thing about it is that it actually works. Mensah gets her body and her breathing back under control. This is one of those moments at which Murderbot as a show really excels. It reminds us that storytelling–even schlocky and silly storytelling like that parodied in this show–really does have meaning for a lot of people. Of all of the things that Murderbot learns about humans, it’s arguably the power of storytelling that continues to be the 

While Murderbot and Mensah are contending with all of this, the rest of the crew find themselves struggling to make sense of the very strange figure of Leebeebee. It’s clear that something isn’t quite right, though it’s not until she takes them hostage and shoots Gurathin in the leg to force them to give her the information that she wants that her full duplicity is revealed. Konkle gives a suitably deranged and unsettling performance, and it’s just a shame the Murderbot dispatches her so quickly.

Driving the plot in these three episodes is the underlying enigma: just who is responsible for the mishaps that have plagued both their own efforts and those of the others who are trying to extract  As Murderbot points out, it’s almost certainly not the Corporation, who would have nothing to gain by doing so. Unfortunately for all of them, he decapitates Leebeebee with a gunshot before they can get any information out of her. While his actions are certainly justified–there’s no doubt at all that she would have shot Gurathin if it meant that she was going to get away–it’s an action that sends shockwaves through his clients. 

Bharadwaj is particularly devastated by this revelation that Murderbot, despite his many efforts to protect them, is still capable of horrendous and abrupt violence. We’ve already seen how she is a true believer in the values of the Preservation Alliance. It remains to be seen just what she’s going to do with the fact that Murderbot is very different than she thought, particularly since, as she’s already made clear, she’s quite skilled when it comes to surgical matters. 

As is so often the case with this series, the sixth episode ends with quite the cliffhanger. Murderbot, having now taken the life of a human being–even one that was threatening the members of the team with almost-certain death–seems to have gained a great deal of pleasure from the act. This, the series makes clear, is the downside of a robot gaining elements of humanity. For all that humans are capable of remarkable acts of empathy and kindness and support of one another, we all know that it is really humanity’s collective desire to destroy others that is one of its most noteworthy attributes. We can only hope that Murderbot’s love of soap opera and its exploration of the foibles of humanity helps to pull him back from the brink.

I continue to be amazed at just how addictive this show is and how much it manages to pack into its short episodes. This show has it all: philosophy (this is sci-fi, after all), humor, and lots of explosive action. It continues Apple TV’s fine tradition of producing fantastic science fiction television, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.