“Time to party. I mean, if you’re a human. I’m a Security Unit. And I don’t party.” oooo Murderbot…I like both those things, especially in my science-fiction.
Admittedly, though: I’m a terrible nerd; I’ve never read the Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries novels.
So TV show it is. (The Murderbot Diaries kicked off with All Systems Red published on May 2, 2017. The seventh and latest book, System Collapse, was released on November 14, 2023. So yeah…7 novels is a lot to catch up on.)
As this isn’t my world I didn’t know what to expect.
I recently talked to Tamara Podemski who plays Bharadwa for hints but she was all coy. (This is technically my world. Murderbot was mostly shot in Toronto. Heh.)
Tamara Podemski revealed: “I’m allowed to say that I met Martha Wells. Martha Wells came to set. So…Martha Wells is the author, celebrated award-winning sci-fi writer. I’m on book six now of The Murderbot Diaries. It is an incredible, fascinating, beautiful, really…I love the world so much. Even though people call Outer Range sci-fi, it’s not like outer space sci-fi. This is my first real sci-fi genre TV show. I’m in love with it. I love everyone in it. We have an incredible group of actors. Chris and Paul Weitz are the show’s creators. They are a gift to storytelling and it’s been an incredible experience.”
First reactions from the trailer? Gotta say this echoes Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy sarcasm. That works for me.
Plus I’m a big fan of Murderbots. (I enjoyed Chopping Mall!) So yeah. I’m in the mood for yummy sci-fi.
I reached out to Apple TV+ who graciously sent me all the episodes.
The first season’s 10 episodes center on Security Unit 238776431(or “SecUnit” for fun) assigned to a scientific expedition run by self-involved space hippies on a bland Tatooine-like planet. Danger actively lurks because on this planet there are mysterious gaps in the survey maps. Why? How come? Is this a cover-up of some kind?
What the self-absorbed space hippies don’t fully grasp is that the SecUnit (played by the human Alexander Skarsgård) has hacked its own programming to gain free will. And renamed himself (it is now a he?) as Murderbot.
Unfortunately, revealing his free will would expose his sentient secret and he’d be shut down and scraped. Apparently, Murderbot doesn’t appreciate irony.
Thus it (now a he?) spends its time half-heartedly doing boring security jobs while watching hours and hours of trashy space soap operas – especially The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, (picture Futurama’s All My Circuits with heightened melodrama and starring humans. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon is portrayed in random snippets by a group of guest actors you’ll instantly recognize: one of the show’s best surprises. And a legit reason to tune into this Apple TV+ series.)
Viewers get to know Murderbot by hearing its internal thoughts in a monologue, where it confesses to hating prolonged eye contact with humans and wonders why the group it is guarding is so clueless.
A Murderbot example of his Wonder Years narrator voice: “Stupid humans. Stupid fucking humans trying their best to get killed. And who would get the blame? Who is gonna get scrapped?”
As the obnoxious space hippies discover an escalating series of deadly challenges wrapped in a bizarre conspiracy, Murderbot must decide if it’s in its best interest to actually help these hapless clients it (he?) can barely tolerate.
The series quickly establishes two ominous conspiracies:
Can Murderbot keep its free will a secret (think of it like a secret identity…Clark Kent and Superman) and avoid being melted down in acid? It doesn’t help the scientists are attempting to “humanize” the SecUnit. Or that David Dastmalchian who plays Gurathin an augmented human and scientist on this mission is getting suspicious. That’s the problem with free will; you can’t predict it.
And can the human-ish SecUnit assist the scientists in determining why there’s gaps in their survey maps?
Programming Note: 10 episodes for Season 1. It premieres with the first two episodes on Friday May 16 followed by new episodes every Friday through July 11. #SetTheVCR accordingly.
Sammy Verdict: This sci-fi series is freshtastic. Murderbot is a delight and Must See TV.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
