Cinematic Point Of View

Murderbot is an Apple TV+ adaptation of the Martha Wells space opera book series “The Murderbot Diaries” about a cyborg security construct called a “SecUnit” (Alexander Skarsgård) who hacks its governor module and gains, in essence, free will. SecUnit hides this fact from everyone in fear of being destroyed.

The first season of the show covers the first book called “All Systems Red”. It’s about a team called the “Preservation Alliance” who have been contracted for a survey mission to explore a planet for terraforming and scientific development. Their contractors force the team to bring along a SecUnit to protect them and the costly mission. All the SecUnit wants to do is watch TV and be left alone.

The first time I tried to watch Murderbot, I turned it off after about 15 minutes. Having listened to 4 of the audiobooks, my idea of what SecUnit sounded like was not Alexander Skarsgård and it wasn’t working for me. I moved on.

A month or so later, I decided to give the show another try. Once I got over my expectations and into what the show was doing, I loved it. Just like the books, Murderbot is fast-paced, weird, thoughtful, cynical, and a lot of fun.

The show touches on many diverse themes like culture, identity, slavery, anxiety, race, and sexuality. Thanks to the honest and sarcastic narration of SecUnit, the show mostly manages to keep these conversations comical and light while still maintaining a thoughtful perspective.

I found SecUnit to be incredibly likeable and relatable. If you’re an introvert you will instantly connect with it’s perspective. It has a series binge-watching habit it uses to escape from it’s “feelings.” Sometimes you just don’t want to people.

And the rest of the crew’s diverse and quirky characters all bring something interesting and engaging to the table. At first you might find them annoying. I did. As the show goes on though, you really do start to appreciate and care about this “found family”. Until you get to know us, we’re all probably slightly annoying to someone aren’t we?

Noma Dumezweni, who plays the Preservation Alliance’s empathetic leader Dr. Mensah, is a real standout. She grounds the show with her heartfelt performance and gentle touch. She’s fantastic.

The special FX are beautifully done, like most Apple TV+ shows, and it makes great use of some natural settings. They go out of their way to make each world feel familiar, but with just a dash of alien plant or creature.

Another thing this show has going for it is its running time. At a brisk 25 minutes, each episode flies by and ends with a cliffhanger. You could watch the entire series on a Sunday, which I did.

If you’re looking for an offbeat science fiction series with heart, give this one a shot.

I am really looking forward to a second season and beyond. I would love to see all of the books brought to life. It’s one of those rare series that gives you more with each continuing story but also manages to keep each individual book it’s own complete thing.