Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Murderbot Episode 2.
The premiere episode of Apple TV+’s Murderbot, based on the popular novella series by author Martha Wells, wastes no time flinging viewers into the comedic sci-fi galaxy its titular protagonist (Alexander Skarsgård) inhabits. A lone Security Unit in a sea of other mass-produced cyborgs, Murderbot secretly becomes autonomous after disabling the governor module program that forces SecUnits into acquiescence. This walking weapon of a protagonist also happens to be an adorable, depressed curmudgeon who would rather binge-watch its favorite soap operas than endure its human clients and their insufferable habits, like small talk and eye contact.
Unfortunately, Murderbot’s freedom invites conundrums upon conundrums. If anyone discovers it’s pretending to be an obedient bot? Death. Maybe worse than death, however, is how Murderbot’s current batch of quirky clients already challenge its irascible perspective via the ultimate torture — feelings. Survey says Murderbot will keep developing its extremely reluctant fondness for its humans across the series’ 10 episodes, even though it won’t go without kicking and screaming. But first, Murderbot‘s characters have a mystery on their hands surrounding their innocuous planetary survey expedition. Episode 2, “Eye Contact,” written by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz and directed by the former, picks up soon after Episode 1’s closing scene, so let’s do the same.
The Survey Team’s Conflicted Feelings About Murderbot Lead To Trouble in Episode 2
After experiencing a bout of pre-bedtime existential dismay (welcome to the club!), Murderbot enters statis, the SecUnit version of sleep. Once it’s offline, Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) temporarily disables the habitat’s security cameras so the PreservationAux besties can have a private conversation. Everyone agrees to investigate the areas that are inexplicably missing from their planetary maps. Murderbot is a more contentious topic. Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) dislikes how intensely Gurathin mistrusts their SecUnit on the basis of it being a half-organic, half-inorganic “construct” — an existence which shouldn’t invite automatic dehumanization. Gurathin responds that he doesn’t trust anything from the Company, which is fair.
Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), fresh off her and Murderbot’s awkward chat last episode, supports being cautious but still maintains Murderbot’s trustworthiness. “It seems like it’s… going through something,” she relays, not quite understanding her assessment — because “going through something” doesn’t make sense for an emotionless SecUnit programmed to follow orders and routines. Her words inspire Gurathin to keep pushing his anti-Murderbot agenda with his full chest. Cue the doors dramatically opening and everyone shrinking away in fear, but don’t fret – it’s a healed Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski)! And she enthusiastically approves of top-secret meetings almost as much as the energy boost provided by her painkiller stimulants.
Hours later, Murderbot wakes to find that a night spent recharging restored its performance reliability to 97%. It’s also greeted by the spectacular (not) news that Mensah and Bharadwaj went exploring on their own. “Stupid f*cking humans,” it seethes, loading their vitals displays and connecting to the hopper’s cameras to observe their real-time travel. Both Mensah and Bharadwaj tell themselves it was smarter to leave Murderbot behind. Their high, nervous heart rates suggest otherwise.
Murderbot and Gurathin Don’t See Eye-to-Eye in Episode 2
Gurathin, still in the habitat, immediately acts on the bee-up-his-bonnet by summoning Murderbot to his workstation. Trying to establish the upper hand, Gurathin instead rolls a natural one on his intimidation check — turning his chair to face Murderbot while the metal legs shriek across the floor is both hilarious and humiliating. Nevertheless, Gurathin orders Murderbot to lower its face shield. When his ice-breaker questions don’t even chip a sliver off Murderbot’s professional responses, Gurathin probes for personal information. “I look at you and feel something’s wrong,” he calmly declares; way to set off Murderbot’s jittery internal monologue, dude. Yet Murderbot’s anxieties aren’t just self-focused. The threat assessment level for Mensah and Bharadwaj’s location keeps rapidly rising. Of the two women in question, only Mensah ventures into the sandy terrain, given Bharadwaj’s still-healing injuries.
Meanwhile, Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) and Arada (Tattiawna Jones) discuss whether to invite Ratthi into their open marriage. The vibes have been vibing between these three since the last episode. The spouses acknowledge the mess that was their last polyamorous arrangement, but that particular ex hadn’t signed an official relationship contract. When Pin-Lee gives Arada the go-ahead, Arada gleefully sprints off to retrieve her extroverted colleague. Pin-Lee, not so much — but they want to make their wife happy.
Back with Murderbot and Gurathin, a dash of the latter’s backstory prevents the former from sneaking away. Gurathin joined Preservation Alliance six years ago and has been friends with Mensah for longer. In Episode 1, Mensah noted that PreservationAux finds the SecUnit industry (and all similar businesses) deplorable; those beliefs extend to considering cyborgs and AIs as living beings who deserve equal rights. Gurathin’s reservations on that score are clear. Knowing full well that Murderbot despises eye contact but has to obey every command, Gurathin orders Murderbot to “make and maintain eye contact.” Skarsgård’s layered expressions — a face without affect but suppressing distress, anger, fear, and panic — flip what could be another humorous beat into a potent example of the nuanced personality Murderbot pretends not to have.
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Holding Murderbot’s restless gaze, Gurathin brings up how SecUnits, unlike Comfort Units, aren’t designed to mimic intimate emotional or sexual bonds. So, why did Murderbot respond empathetically to Arada’s post-creature-attack panic in the last episode? And, since this is apparently “traumatize the SecUnit hour,” Gurathin also demands clarity about Murderbot’s mysterious refurbishment. Murderbot wouldn’t mind knowing that, either, since it might have killed innocent people and doesn’t remember doing so. Beyond the Company erasing its memory, however, it can’t answer to Gurathin’s satisfaction. Like Skarsgård, Dastmalchian injects their characters’ back-and-forth with unexpected depth. His performance never descends into mustache-twirling cruelty even though his interrogation of Murderbot stings (get a job! stay away from it!). Gurathin passionately cares about his found family, but how he expresses those protective urges leaves something to be desired.
Leaving a Security Unit Behind Has Consequences in ‘Murderbot’ Episode 2
And now for something completely different, as Ratthi thumbprint-signs the throuple contract with Arada and Pin-Lee. Arada dives straight in with a passionate smooch, while Pin-Lee has a harder time integrating. Murderbot spies the opening of the trio’s, ahem, activities through their room camera and finds this sex business disgusting, in case you were wondering. (Even if you weren’t, it would scornfully tell you.) But it isn’t above briefly, forcibly sharing the non-explicit sight with an embarrassed Gurathin, and that’s a pleasant little revenge.
Right as the two quasi-enemies are wrapping up the Worst Conversation Ever on some kind of shared middle ground, the hopper’s security feed pings Murderbot’s system with an updated threat alert. When we return to Mensah, she’s in the middle of pulling herself up a hill. Sandy wind batters her face, the survey equipment is glitching, and she’s having another panic attack. The instant she hears Murderbot’s voice over the comms, she almost cries. Because she’s Mensah, instead of running from impending danger like Murderbot insists, she asks if it’s feeling well. Sincere pleasantries couldn’t matter less when everyone’s sensors detect the return of a dreaded giant centipede monster — and it’s heading straight for Mensah.
Right on cue, said creature looms up behind Mensah like a predator preparing to claim its meal. When the strike comes, it hits the ground behind her head, skimming its insect body above her without harming her. The beast slides over the hill’s ridge, emitting green gas and pained sounds as it flops down the sandy slope, before unceremoniously dying at the bottom. Luckily, Bharadwaj had dispatched one of their hopper’s scout drones. Murderbot, Gurathin, Mensah, and Bharadwaj get a birds-eye view of a crater filled with the corpses of dozens of similar creatures. What’s more, a half-opaque shield surrounds the area like a dome, crunching the poor drone into pieces when it tries to fly closer.
Chastened and scared, Gurathin grants Murderbot’s request to scan the habitat’s perimeter. Murderbot leaves the room and, overwhelmed, immediately takes a breather, pivoting its face straight into a wall and staring ahead unseeing. As for Gurathin, the instant Mensah makes her safe return, he emphatically apologizes for advising her against bringing Murderbot. Although not rude, Mensah doesn’t say a word during her walk to her quarters. She shuts her door in Gurathin’s face, cutting him off mid-sentence, but pokes her head back out long enough to tell him she “just needs a shower.” Gurathin’s guilt weighs as heavy as a boulder slung around his neck.
Murderbot Is Already Running Out of Patience With Its Reckless Humans in Episode 2
After Mensah’s shower, it’s time for another group brainstorm. Something’s definitely hidden under the planet’s terrain, and it’s responsible for both attracting and killing the local animals. The presence of alien synthetics is the only tossed-out suggestion that sticks. However, if old, dangerous extraterrestrial leftovers are the answer, it’s too risky to continue their survey — unless that’s precisely what the Company wants. Hoarding alien synthetics is illegal, but when has legality stopped the profit-driven Company from exploiting a revenue stream?
Mensah, almost back to her decisive self, wants to compare notes with DeltFall, the team surveying the opposite side of the planet. An eavesdropping Murderbot — face still buried in the corner — silently cusses out its reckless, oblivious humans. If they die on its watch, then the Company will kill Murderbot as punishment, and that’s just rude. And killed they might very well be: when Mensah’s calls go unanswered, a brief glimpse of the DeltFall habitat reveals that everyone inside has been brutally murdered, including a maimed, oozing SecUnit. Mensah decides to take Murderbot with them on this investigation, so they’ve apparently learned one lesson. But our beleaguered, disillusioned robot couldn’t be less enthused. “Sure,” it sourly intones to itself. “What could possibly go wrong?”
The first two episodes of Murderbot are available to stream on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere on Fridays.
Murderbot
Murderbot’s characters have a mystery on their hands regarding their expedition.
- Release Date
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May 16, 2025
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Alexander Skarsgård and David Dastmalchian’s nuanced performances are the highlight of the episode.
- Pin-Lee, Arada, and Ratthi portray polyamory in a positive, mature light.
- The series effectively teases the human characters’ backstories and history.
