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fresne999 · 10 days ago

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Murderbot - Ep 3-5

So, um, this is very long. I am very much enjoying the show. I very much enjoy the books. I think they complement each other in interesting ways. While also understanding that not everything hits for everyone. See also, folks I was *sure* would like the Good Place and bounced right off.

Anyway, post Covers Ep3-5 (which I watched last night).

I continue to find the places of divergence between books and tv show fascinating, if ultimately symbiotic.

Anywho, many thoughts.

All Systems Red (ASR) versus TV - Pin-Lee Researching the Satellite

Rewatching Ep 3, I was once again struck by the difference between how Pin-Lee's research into the satellite glitches is handled book vs show.

Quick note,

-book Pin-Lee - she,

-tv Pin-Lee - they

Book Pin-Lee looks into the glitches. MB tells us that it's noticed this because the company requires that its SecUnits watch / listen to every private moment of clients and analyze for minable data, but does not tell Pres-Aux / the team that it has been monitoring Pin-Lee's research.

Tv Pin-Lee gets the same moment with a significant difference.

They state that they've been researching the glitches, get a "What really" (tagging for later) and tv-MB backs them up.

Doylistically, this lets Pres-Aux (and the audience) know that data mining is a thing that is happening without it being a voice over, which works in 1st person narrative, but less well in a show.

Non-Murderbot Digression about Security Versus Privacy

I write about this for a living, so let's take a moment to hyperfocus shall we…

Security is about protecting people/things/data from bad things happening.

Privacy is about defining individuals' rights to control their own data.

Privacy and Security intersect, but they are not the same thing.

To get some terms out of the way, a Data Subject is an identifiable natural person (i.e., not a legal entity like DeltFall) whose personal information is being collected and used, and *may* have certain rights with regards to their data.

Because there is no uniform law, these rights may vary. But collectively these rights are referred to as Data Subject Access Rights (DSAR) and most often include: knowing what data is collected and why, and by extension the right to consent or object to that collection/use, ability to correct errors, and a right (under certain circumstances) to have your data removed.

Where most people encounter consent agreements is Terms of Service, which is the consent document. So do actually read them, so you know what you agreed to. They also toggles in privacy and security settings.

If you live in a place with defined privacy rights.

Privacy rights may vary wildly.

In a totalitarian / capitalist hellscape, an individual might not have DSAR. This is relevant because CorpRim is a Capitalist hellscape.

Back to What this Scene says about Privacy / Lack In Pres-Aux vs CorpRim

For book Pres-Aux I have no sense if they know that MB/HubSystem are watching them every moment or not. I mean, book-MB tells us everyone knows it, but ASR is so deeply in MB's POV it's hard at times to know what Pres-Aux characters know/don't know.

And fairly significantly, when writing cross cultural documentation, it's important to understand that it's easy to make assumptions. We the viewers neither live in the CorpRim (I mean, I feel you, but I have DSAR where I live/work), nor do we live in the Preservation Alliance, which is socialistic and communal. Mind you, the part of me that is really interested in how pre-modern society barter systems work is really interested in this -- particularly as it applies to women's labor -- but doubts I'll get much detail either way.

In the show, the DSAR of it all is explicit. Pin-Lee did not know, because they react to MB telling them their logs are being reviewed, and they take this as an invasion of privacy.

To be clear, I don't think this means that as a lawyer, Pin-Lee should have read where the contract said that the Company could data mine Pres-Aux logs, because I don't think the contract needed to mention it at all, or for that matter mention they are being watched at all times.

In the Corporate Rim, no one has DSAR. Everyone is the product and no one has privacy of any kind.

It's something everyone in the Corporate Rim knows, but is not written down.

This is a lovely example of cross-cultural misunderstanding.

Because I'm fairly certain the Preservation Alliance does have defined privacy rights for their residents.

Unless Pin-Lee is a privacy lawyer (rather than a corporate), I'm not sure they would have a reason to know that. The focus of a Privacy lawyer is ensuring that customers/residents have their rights followed. The purpose of a corporate lawyer is to ensure that the corporation/legal entity they represent interests are supported. They are different focuses.

And other Privacy Violations

It's why I'm glad shortly thereafter we see MB watching Gurathin go into Mensah's room/sniff her pillow. Because (pure speculation) this information is going to come out in a MB - Gurathin spat.

Both what MB is doing and what Gurathin are doing are violations of privacy.

MB's is the legal privacy DSAR context expressed above. Gurathin's violation is more rooted in the idea of privacy in one's domicile. Or possibly not. It's possible, he has permission to go in there and seek comfort when he needs it. Not sure. There's a very interesting dynamic between Mensah and Gurathin, which I suspect has a great deal to do with the trauma of coming from the Corporate Rim and Mensah getting him out of the Corporate Rim.

Hyperfocus - Pin-Lee and the What Up the Satellite

I realize that everyone in fandom has zoomed in on Gurathin as neuro spicy, but I would like to argue that they are missing the bus on Pin-Lee as equally (if not the same) spicy.

While deciding to research something in one's spare time isn't necessarily a sign of hyperfocus, nor being neuro diverse, a lot of Pin-Lee's interactions (relationship by contract, hiding interests, satellite research) are pinging neuro diverse bells for me, but presented in a way that…look I don't want to misgender tv Pin-Lee, but they ping a lot of information / signs for neuro-divergence in women being under reported.

Anyway, Ratthi saying an equivalent of "No you didn't" in response to Pin-Lee saying they are researching satellite malfunctions comes across as Ratthi is aware this is something Pin-Lee would do, but is being playful in the same way as, "Who is this?" on seeing MB without a helmet.

While to MB, it's Ratthi saying, "No you didn't." Flat denial. Much as book MB took Ratthi as not recognizing it without the helmet, "Who is this?"

MB has been watching Pin-Lee conduct analysis. MB conducts analysis. Half-assedly because it hates the Company, but certainly book MB seems to enjoy analysis once it can do it for its own purposes.

So tv MB see's Pin-Lee conduct analysis, and speaks up in Pin-Lee's defence, and immediately regrets it.

Yes, this then tangents into the whole discussion around privacy / lack thereof, but at it's basis, MB's motivation is still to speak up for a person who is hyper focusing, and hasn't repeatedly spoken about melting it down, etc.

Doesn't put them on the same wavelength, because there's lots of plot to go, but it's some interesting foundational leg work.

Auto Grinding

If I'm understanding correctly, when Ratthi tells Pin-Lee and Arada his level on shooter-videogame, Pin-Lee's response is to suggest that Ratthi has set up code to play the game for him so he can get to that level.

His reaction to this statement makes me think that is exactly what Ratthi is doing. It's some interesting character development congruent as it is to the self-loathing as expressed by his rant about being too hung over for weapons training and recontextualizes his Golden Retriever surface.

That he decides to go try to rescue Mensah is an interesting play with tropes of hyper masculinity.

He's choosing to take action when he doesn't know what he's doing and is just as likely to be a detriment. It's action media-its video-game, I know what I'm doing. But he also compliments Arada and Pin-Lee, asks for their help, acknowledges they were right about the setting thing, isn't embarrassed to have bonked himself in the head, and cheers when they arrive / deal with other SecUnit.

This plays into the moment when he says that Seccy is their friend. "That's right, I'm a SecUnit's friend." It's simultaneously standing up for MB, because Ratthi is a sweetie, reacting to LeBeeBee's WTF energy, but also part of the narrative that Ratthi's telling in his own head. Badass/friend to a SecUnit, yeah.

This is a premature statement. He's not (yet). There are many miles to Babylon, and they haven't gone there and back again.

Arada and the Wind Chimes

Arada bringing a gift for DeltFall is simultaneously profoundly midwest US "Don't show up without a casserole dish", and Proto-Indo-European guest/host obligations, and also seems somewhat idiosyncratic to Arada.

After all, it's not, they consensus discuss that they need to bring a thing as uninvited guests to DeltFall, and decide what that thing is. Arada decides to bring a thing. A thing she made out of found material.

On one hand, it's very '70s macrame art, but simultaneously, there's that moment when the throuple (for the length of the contract) are about to go into the hopper. Ratthi wants to make way for Pin-Lee, and they want to make way for Ratthi, and Arada walks through the middle, because she'll go first per usual.

This strikes me as less neuro-spicy than Arada has made some choices about how she's going to live her life. She's not going to awkwardly do the "You, no you." thing. She's just going to go first. She made a wind chime. Giving gifts feels good. She's giving the wind chime away.

She wants to make connections.

It's an interesting expansion on Arada from the books who is nice, doesn't want people to be hurt, but I don't know much more about her.

Again, that works in the books, because we are so deeply embedded in MB's point of view, but in an expanded story, getting additional characterization is useful.

Identifiable Individuals

To get back to Privacy, when the Corporation manufactured SecUnits with unique faces, they made identifiable individuals.

I mean, for the purposes of privacy law no SecUnit isn't a natural person, but we get into this interesting space that by hacking its governor module, MB is not freeing itself. Legally within the Corporate Rim, it is enslaved property governor module or not. Physically MB is not freeing itself, it is still on a Corporate Rim mine surrounded by Corporate Rim security / infrastructure.

But by hacking its governor module, it is granting itself control of its own data / thoughts / choice of actions. It's taking the DSAR it has not been granted.

Tthe tv show is making me think about MB as an identifiable individual in a way the books -- which I adore and love and have read many times -- didn't because book MB has never had a face for me.

I mean, yes, I know it has a face, that has definitely been a key point that comes up time to time, but because maybe because 1st person narrative, I have been behind the face not in front of it.

I get others have a definite idea what MB looks like, but, okay years ago I wrote a story that featured (among others) a sentient block of stone. She identifies female, but she is an eight foot tall obsidian monolith. Who can move (and joins a girl's sports team for plot reasons, but I have about as much sense of book MB's appearance as the monolith.

Giving it a face has been a shift in perspective that I'm not sure will carry over to reading the books, because they are very separate experiences. Only time will tell.

Creating Chronically Depressed Individuals

The opening scene of creating SecUnits was a delightfully economical way to get across to the viewer that in the Corporate Rim no one has autonomy. Humans work long indentures where individuals expect not to survive because to the corporation, they are as disposable as a construct or bot.

The way many of the workers are dressed in hazmat outfits with glassy faceplates, creates a visual similarity between humans and SecUnits.

"Have some pride in your work," yeah, no.

The difference between MB's narration about the control and cleanliness of the creation of SecUnits versus the reality, and yet that line about accidentally creating a chronically depressed MB gives lie to the narration. That it flashes back later to images of its creation and that it was able to reconstruct what happened while it was -- technically speaking -- dead makes me think it knows exactly how much care went into its creation.

Also, there's an interesting punch down quality to the indentured worker telling MB's disembodied head that it will kick it's ass. The repetition of the story that SecUnit's go rogue all the time.

Corporations have media that tells people SecUnits always go rogue. Don't trust them.

It reminds me of race-class narrative discussions about how the elite / corporations create divides between natural allies so they don't go, "The reason my life sucks is the person with five yachts and twenty houses." and instead go, "XYZ is stealing my job! / are the reason the world is on fire."

LeBeeBee - WTF Gurl

The only question my friends and I had after finishing watching was: EvilCorp agent or ComfortUnit/Evil Corp construct? There is no way she's on the level.

But I do see where she is a necessary addition / divergence from the books.

Because the ASR is a very quick read, it's hard to notice that we/the characters don't actually interact with anyone from EvilCorp until very late in the story. I mean yes, fighting a SecUnit, but that's a bit different from in person interaction.

What we get in the book is MB speculating to itself (so much internal speculation for MB) that someone pretended to be PresAux to gain access to DeltFall to kill them. Also, in the book (as here), there's a fight with an EvilCorp SecUnit, but we don't see its Corp handler. Despite having established elsewhere that SecUnits (though it can be lengthened) have a distance limit from their handlers/protectees.

So introducing obviously sus LeBeeBee allows for that very nice quick cut of tv MB talking with Mensah / speculating that EvilCorpy pretended to be PresAux kill-kill-kill, cross cut with LeBeeBee being obviously sus.

Ominous LeBeeBee is ominous.

The part where she asks Gurathin if she can get him something from the MedUnit (and thereby get access to it - poison/drugs) or food (and thereby get access to it - poison it) is um…look she's sus.

I sort of go two ways on LeBeeBee's sexualized conversation.

I tend to think she's being deliberately off putting so everyone avoids asking her questions. The journey back where she starts speculating on MB's non-existent pee-pee is…Jebus I have been in so many awkward conversations over the years and everyone's WTF is just so relatable. In a flight, fright, freeze, fawn, situation, they freeze / flight.

But I also think it's an indicator of punching down. I suspect LeBeeBee is indentured. I mean, I think everyone in the Corporation Rim is in some sort of contract. Like the workers who the more shifts they do (unless they die), the faster their indenture is done, this mission is more time off her indenture. The "Don't look at me / you stop looking at me," and the kiss are both retaliatory / punch down.

As we get even deeper into speculation, if LeBeeBee is a SecUnit handler, she knows that they have faces and not other bits, and it is entirely possible that she regularly punches down / sexualizes the SecUnits under her control as a way of striking out a corporation that she can't touch. We'll find out.

MB Figuring Out Its Own Rescue

In the book, MB chooses where to shoot itself based on that being a recoverable spot, and expects as an expensive piece of equipment to be revived.

TV MB didn't. I'm not sure I'd call it sacrificing itself exactly, because the shooting itself is very much part of the realization that it is about to lose autonomy. That it's fate is to be trapped in its own body, killing everyone, to become the stereotype of a rogue murderbot (lower case), and in it's words, "Fuck that."

So there's this interesting quality of it going, "Why did I sacrifice myself, if I'm just going to end up there anyway." because it does not yet trust PresAux to be capable of saving it. But they are.

I really love that Bharadwaj is getting a highlight here.

In the books, she's this sort of second-remove character where MB will talk about talking with her, about things / the documentary, but there's very little in person dialog. So the series is doing a great job of characterizing her for me in a way the books (as novellas in 1st person) don't have room for, and I'd like to carry over into my thinking when I re-read the books the next time.

Why is Pres-Aux on Survey?

Rewatching Ep 3, reminded me that I really like that tv show adds Mensah talking about how some people in PresAux want to join the CorpRim, and Preservation Alliance is resource…"not rich" as an explanation for why Pres-Aux is there and that provides a context to something that isn't really explained in the the books / MB don't care.

To wit, why are they surveying the planet at all?

Preservation Alliance took an option on the planet, for which they had to go through the CorpRim. Why? Mensah's speciality is terraforming. Why go to this planet?

Neither book nor tv Mensah want to take on a SecUnit, but they want to go enough to agree.

Why?

The tv show gives a possible answer.

Preservation Alliance may be consensual, socialistic/basic income, but also not infinite in resources, and humans are by nature fallible. We don't always think through the consequences of things. Like the paternalistic way Preservation Alliance defines construct/bot rights.

It gets at that sometimes, because people have needs, we compromise on our principles to get something or avoid something.

By explicitly articulating that PresAux has a reason to be there, that opens up more plot path arcs for the other characters in future (please) seasons.

But also opens up some of the internal conflict we're seeing in the episodes so far. MB is a person, but that is an abstract concept. Its you support immigrant rights in social media versus you contact your reps in support of immigrant rights/donate/volunteer/are ready to go to a protest at an ICE detention facility where you expect to be pepper sprayed and arrested.

So to bring us back around, when the moment comes down to it, there are discussions about whether to rescue MB or not. Pin-Lee with Mensah, and later back at PresAux.

Principles are a first step. Action based on principles is harder the more personal cost there is the principle and the show is illuminating that beautifully.

So its a very lovely touch of Mensah knowing what she has to do to stick to her principles, but she's afraid. Having Mensah just go do the action, puts her in the realm of the unrealistic space adventurer. A title she explicitly rejects.

That there are physical consequences before after living up to principles is part of the reality of the thing.

Hair

Can't express how much I loved MB's little Sanctuary Moon delusion. It gave itself a Pike's peak, huzzah.

So not to deny what I already said, but the MB's physical characteristic I remember the most from the book is from Artificial Condition where it spends pages talking about not having body hair. Not an offhand reference, pages

Which is why I am very delighted Alexander Skarsgard (on his own it sounds like) got full body waxed because he grokked that it's something MB has thought about / thinks about / will think about.

So giving MB a Pike's Peak in the fantasy is fascinating. That's bouffant. That's glowing colors. That's bright visuals. That's MB's happy place. Also, possibly one that got deleted by the combat override.

It's not real that moment with the intrepid Captain Mensah with the amazing braid. MB isn't quite ready for real interaction.

Sanctuary Moon in General

The show within the show reminds me so much of the science fiction dramas that I loved (adored, sang along to) as a kid/young adult. It's ST:OS, which I watched obsessively whenever it was on, and it's Buck Rogers (where is Princess Ardala with her Space-Dynasty clothes?), and Logan's Run (with the future-mini van), and original Battlestar Galactica (space angels!), and…so many cheesy shows that didn't make it past half a season.

It's big and over the top and I'm right there with you MB. Unashamedly love the thing you love.

Seeing MB articulate that hyper fixation is so lovely, and the more it opens up about it, defends it, the better.

Because my absolute favorite scene from the book is where Ratthi very cleverly establishes MB is watching the show by bringing up a plot point that you just know in universe fandom circles was this huge flamewar thing.

It's watching the show.

It's loving the show.

What Gurathin, you don't know Sanctuary Moon.

Crap, you say.

Them's fighting words.

Seeing it even subtly expanded on with additional details was lovely. I also understand why they delay learning MB's private name for itself. The viewer/characters are already about to the shock of SecUnit lifting Guarthin by the neck, it softens the scene a bit, but also gives us chance for Gurathin to reveal the information later.

Again, that's a private name, and this is such a show and book series with an understanding of privacy issues. Because the loss of privacy of that information could be detrimental to MB. It named itself Murderbot, and they are depending on it for safety.

Anyway, looking forward to the delayed reveal.

Out in the Open

I'm fascinated by how MBs speech cadence changes with the combat unit forward. There's a lot less speech wobble, hesitancy. Once it spits out that they need to kill it, it's speech is much smoother.

First, declarations, such as letting Guarthin know that it doesn't like him. Ah, my poor traumatized character, you and Gura are very similar and that's why. Also, he's been a jerk to you for completely understandable reasons, but I understand not liking someone who has said that he wants to have you melted down for parts at the end of the mission. I mean, MB wasn't there, but I assume MB watched that. I also assume Gurathin of anyone knew that MB would see / hear him say that.

The dynamics of that scene are mostly interesting to me because of Mensah. She de-escalates the scene (just as she does in the book) to get MB to let Gurathin go.

But then the show extends on the interaction. She negotiates for MB to continue to protect them, because they need MB.

In this moment, she shows she respects MB's autonomy and ability to say no. Offers it something it will want, help to get away from the Company.

She continues on the trend of asking MB to do things and successfully getting the result she (her people) need, while doing so in a way that lets me/the viewer know she's uncomfortable with its attack on Gurathin.

Lets Go Set Off a Bomb

I think MB set itself up a bit for the conversation about Mensah's kids. It's the reverse of the conversation with Arada out of the worm pit that revealed its face to the team.

Mensah is trying to create connection by talking about her kids. Before broaching more serious subjects. Also, I think it speaks to Mensah being from a society that welcomes/accepts/celebrates sharing, interaction, community, emotion.

Doylistially, it also gives Mensah an opportunity to self-correct using one of her children's pronouns, which is a nice touch.

But um, MBs not ready to talk about her kids.

But they do have a conversation. It's first. Back and forth. Ideas. Recognizable because of shows. While also, setting up for the non-book reading audience LeBeeBee's deal.

All as prelude before getting to Mensah's actual point, the subject of, "Hey, choking Gurathin, not cool."

Alas, this is a serial and a giant bomb (that's what a rocket can be) interrupt.

Until more revelations next week.

Well, two weeks from now for me.

#murderbot #murderbot tv show #murderbot tv #Risk Assessment #Escape Velocity Protocol #Rogue War Tracker Infinite #murerbot meta

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fallloverfic · 21 days ago

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Thoughts on the live-action adaptation of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, Episode 4: Escape Velocity Protocol:

Even more critical this week. The writing is just really bad. There is one good part of the episode that I actually liked, but I so strongly disliked 98% of the episode that I'm still 50/50 not going to watch the next one. Please, if you have any interest in this show, read the books, they're so much better.

If you love this show, you should probably look elsewhere, and I wish you the best, I hope you keep enjoying the show. You are not going to convince me it's good. I wish I was with you. I truly do. For the person who replied to my drone post suggesting that the show features a younger Murderbot and the show might show it falling in love with drones/drone usage, which would thus explain the absence of showing/otherwise talking about drones outside the single drone that got destroyed while Bharadwaj was using it, I'm curious: where was that in Episode 4? In All Systems Red ("ASR"), drones are mentioned and used far more in the initial DeltFall trip (Chapter 4) than prior to that (nearly 100% more). There was zero mention of drones anywhere this episode. Of course, this alleged falling in love could still happen in the remaining six episodes. Maybe Murderbot is going to wake up and think, "Dang, I wish I'd had drones." Maybe near the end of the story it'll see a drone on the station and think, "Dang, if only I'd had those..."

That also sounds like such a stupid concept. And is probably being justified by budgeting or something, which is more of a criticism of modern filming constraints and why wasn't this just made in 2D animation where this wouldn't have been as big an issue?

Also, funny story about the "younger Murderbot" concept I was introduced to, and why I'm bringing this up now (on top of I'm still frustrated there has only been one drone and it wasn't even Murderbot's). If someone can reply to me with a specific interview where it's made explicitly clear show!Murderbot is younger than ASR!Murderbot, because I didn't find anything, all I can see is that people are justifying this with the line show!Murderbot uses in Episode 1: "I could now access the combined feed of entertainment channels on the company's satellites. I had watched 7,532 hours of content since then." This would parallel its line in the opening of ASR, when it says, “I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed.” Unless there's an actual interview somewhere specifying show!Murderbot's age/that it is younger in the show than in ASR, I'm going to assume people are going off the number change. It's been at least 7,532 hours since it hacked its governor module in the show, rather than a little under 35,000 in ASR, which would be a difference of a little over 3 years, assuming it didn't just do something else in the "missing" 3ish years (and didn't, I don't know, rewatch anything/including that as part of the 7k number).

Why that matters is because while looking up a scene I imagine is going to happen in Episode 5 (Gurathin reveals Murderbot's name), based on trailers and what happens in Episode 4, there's this bit in ASR Chapter 5: “Gurathin hesitated. “It’s downloaded seven hundred hours of entertainment programming since we landed. Mostly serials. Mostly something called Sanctuary Moon.”

I don't know for certain that the people who made this show misread/didn't read the books so badly that they took a 700, added a digit, and used that in the opening rather than the more iconic line. Maybe this is even meant for some kind of plot consistency or something, to better justify Gurathin's declaration. But until I see otherwise, I am convinced something like that happened, and the idea that show!Murderbot is younger and thus needs to learn basic parts of its function it should have been using already (other SecUnits use drones!), is extremely dubious at best, and the missing drones are down to budgeting and perhaps attempted narrative time-saving rather than an actual story concern. I could always be proven wrong by the show.

Why this matters more broadly is a general worry I have that narrative decisions are being dictated by budgeting more than good writing. There's the concept of "doing with what you have", but also "the budgeting decisions are literally interfering with the narrative on top of people who are bad writers". It is, of course, pure speculation that budgeting is to blame. Maybe the folks who make the show think this is all great, especially because they cut Volescu and Overse while adding another human, which leads to more screw-ups this episode. I don't know.

On to the actual episode.

I don't really get the point of the flashback other than emphasizing yet again what seems to be a core theme of the show: humans are disgusting. Look how disgusting they are. Eww they're so gross. Masking is so gross because you sneeze and now have the sneeze on your face guard and why is this show doubling down on pushing against masking, why does sneeze person remove their faceguard when the mask is likely, at least in part, to keep them from contaminating the work?

There is at least a little more about how awful capitalism is, as we see indentured workers and people working in shitty work conditions and a general sort of nihilism among at least some workers.

What particularly bothers me is the weird implication that Murderbot is somehow unique in having anxiety and depression, rather than anxiety and depression being explicit side effects of intentional design, as explained in Artificial Condition, Chapter 2: “When constructs were first developed, they were originally supposed to have a pre-sentient level of intelligence, like the dumber variety of bot. But you can’t put something as dumb as a hauler bot in charge of security for anything without spending even more money for expensive company-employed human supervisors. So they made us smarter. The anxiety and depression were side effects.” They don't overtly state that the uniqueness is show canon outside show!Murderbot's snarky line, "You wouldn't wanna fuck up and produce a chronically anxious, depressed Murderbot." But the implication is there.

I'm not fastening onto this entirely because of the meme about giving a functioning being anxiety for no reason. I think it's fun commentary about how actually knowing more about a situation can lead to depression and anxiety. And also: Murderbot emphasizes it is not unique in many ways, and that its struggles are faced by many other constructs, and this leads into the rest of the narrative. It's not exactly a shout of solidarity or something, but there's an importance in not making Murderbot Just That Speshul, which is part of the general critique of capitalism, which this show continues to have relatively little interest in.

To reiterate, I don't have an issue, hypothetically, with their focusing on the fake soap operas. I was, again, before this all aired, worried they'd treat that part badly or just remove it. As I noted last week, my issue has become that it is now overwhelming the other parts of the narrative. In ASR, Murderbot describes waking up after getting knocked unconscious in a way roughly similar to sleep paralysis, and it sounds truly terrifying (sleep paralysis is awful on its own, and what Murderbot experiences sounds worse). It proceeds to handle the situation with the first rogue pretty well, in a way that works for an action story. A second rogue pops up, Mensah takes care of it. It's all very clean and fun. Overse arrives to help, Ratthi pulls Murderbot onto the hopper, Pin-Lee is piloting (in ASR, Arada stayed behind at the hub), and then Murderbot explains about the combat-override module, and shoots itself. This is a relatively brief section, and I get why a show crew would want to expand it into a bigger action sequence. I am still annoyed they didn't do this for the map investigation section, which would have better fit their needs (I mean if you wanted an action sequence with Ratthi where he screws up, he literally falls into an acid mud pool, and Murderbot pulls him out, come on), but whatever, I get why they expanded on it.

The novella shows that PresAux is good at working in an emergency scenario: not perfect, but they are skilled, relatively good at keeping their heads and working together, and they are adaptable. It makes sense why they were allowed on this mission. And it helps explain why Murderbot likes them.

The show continues to demonstrate that everyone on this team is an incompetent child who should never have been allowed on the mission. I've met tourists who are more intelligent than this alleged group of trained scientists. That's not to say that all such expeditions have people who are trained and mentally prepared for such things. History shows that many such expeditions have people woefully unprepared for the trials they face, even when such expeditions have allegedly trained scientists. And there's nothing necessarily wrong with focusing on how characters are imperfect or just not prepared to meet a particular moment. It's the fact that this is now the fourth episode where I have to beg why? And that this is so against a massive chunk of what makes the source material good. And also that even if you insist the show is doing its own thing, it just isn't entertaining to watch. This isn't meant to be an episode of some survivor show. It's meant to be an adaptation of The Murderbot Diaries. And it's currently more like what I understand survivor shows to be than the latter.

Maybe they had to justify paying the actors for the Sanctuary Moon cameos, and that's why Murderbot keeps seeing extremely long glitchy bits for it. Again, budgeting is seemingly overtaking the story rather than good writing.

Perhaps the only part of this whole mess I liked was that it is incredibly relatable when earworm songs are stuck in your head in times of stress.

I'm going to explain a string of events that happen in the show:

We see Ratthi talking woodenly to the comm on the hopper, demanding to know from Pin-Lee, who is not in the area with him, where Mensah is, despite Arada - who should have been with Pin-Lee - being behind him. We switch to Pin-Lee, who is again, for no apparent reason, using those stupid hand comms and saying, "I don't know. She was... She was right behind us."

Presumably, in the extremely thin forest, the group of three people - Mensah, Pin-Lee, and Arada - were walking together back to the hopper. Pin-Lee and Arada were apparently deeply oblivious to whatever Mensah was doing for reasons unknown (more relationship drama I guess), and thus lost her while walking, at some point woke up to realize this, and Arada continued to the hopper while Pin-Lee stayed behind to check. Why is Ratthi not asking Arada? Why is Pin-Lee explaining this now?

Yes, we get it, Ratthi is incompetent and should not be allowed off-world because he panics near-immediately. We understand, show. We get that Mensah is still having panic attacks and, despite a history of being a good leader, which is why she's in the elected position, and why she's respected, cannot lead a team or give orders.

Also, why does Pin-Lee not know where Mensah was and then near-immediately find her? I just... the series of events is so ridiculous. Yes, I know, as stated, there wasn't much territory to look through. But that the folks who made this expect me to take Ratthi, Pin-Lee, and Arada's confusion and alarm seriously coupled with Pin-Lee near-immediately solving the issue is ridiculous. The show itself shows how incredibly stupid this whole thing is.

Pin-Lee being the one to try to convince Mensah that Murderbot is not a human, not a part of the team is just... I don't have words for this. In ASR, when Murderbot is injured after the DeltFall excursion, it assumes Mensah gets Pin-Lee to come over and look it over from a medical/software standpoint (Pin-Lee often works to make software work in ASR). In short, what should be an interesting conversation with two femme folks of color discussing mental health issues becomes a scene with two incompetent people being intentionally shown to be incompetent because this was all made up for the show and a primary theme of the show seems to be "humans are incompetent." To be clear: it's not both of them are dealing, somewhat badly, with stress, that is the issue. It's that it's generally framed in a way that shows they are not handling this well and were not trained to deal with this. In a different context, this might have been great. Sadly, we are here.

And also generally the show wants you to hate Pin-Lee because they're not that into the throuple situation, they were fine with Ratthi dying, etc. And it's just... why? Why take a competent femme character from the books and turn them into someone you're meant to so heavily dislike?

And I still don't get the use of hand-comms. Ghost in the Shell came out in 1995. Other science fiction films and shows have tackled the concept of visual feeds and talking remotely. Bluetooth exists. We see, on the show, Murderbot accessing its feeds. Why is this something the show couldn't do for anyone who wasn't Murderbot or Gurathin?

I can't with the singing. I just can't. It is so phenomenally stupid, I just can't with it. How does it sing if its voicebox is offline anyway? Does it just power that up first? And why? Not like it can fight with its voice. And the problem is this whole sequence ruins what was a not bad fighting sequence following it. I just didn't care by this point.

As someone who loves a good fight scene, it's not all that interesting a fight scene, anyway. I think the most interesting moment was when Murderbot got squished into a locker. Visually, it was neat. That's all I have to say about it because I'm still noping out so hard about the stupid singing.

I'm glad Mensah saves Murderbot like she does in ASR, and because it's just good, narratively: it shows that, despite her issues, she is still competent and a good problem solver, and willing to act in big ways when needed. However, because Murderbot doesn't deal with a first rogue unit after waking up, leaving the second unexpected one to take it by surprise and be killed by Mensah, again, this doubles down on how everyone in this show is incompetent. The fight with the first unit further demonstrates book!Murderbot's competence. Mensah steps in when it can't handle everything. They are a team. They support each other. Murderbot shows that it's good at its job. Show!Murderbot has not really done that since the worm attack in Episode 1. It couldn't even hold off one SecUnit.

Why are Arada, Pin-Lee, and Ratthi debating Mensah's status? It's just a weird thing. They respect her and her authority. This shouldn't be up for debate. But no, gotta bring back the stereotype hippie "consensus" bullshit and how Mensah's actions go against the whatever, look how terrible these useless hippies are.

I'm not saying this to downplay more equal governmental systems. But the story frames it in a way you're not meant to respect. You cannot avoid how the story is framing whatever PresAux is doing as something you are meant to mock and find annoying.

There's so much going on with Ratthi, the untrained person - though everyone is apparently untrained since the others seem to have "training" from video games - picking up the gun. Pointing it at other humans multiple times... It's meant to be an overt way to show, yet again, Ratthi is incompetent and should not be allowed on a mission or with other people and he is in fact dangerous in this role! Because we haven't seen that dozens of times by now.

For folks who have never handled firearms before, one of the first things you're told is to always point it at the ground, even when the safety is on, unless you are firing it intentionally at something that is not on the ground. If you hold a gun, your chances of hitting someone, particularly fatally, particularly by accident (even if it's just the weapon firing itself because guns can in fact fail), rise exponentially. That's why holstered weapons point the guns down. It is a safety practice to never wave it around like Ratthi does. And hypothetically, it's fine that Ratthi doesn't know what to do with it. He has no training. The issue of course is that Overse has been erased from the story, and someone has to fill Overse's shoes in backing Mensah up, and I guess either of the characters with alleged gun training - Arada and Pin-Lee - were not usable for this.

I don't understand the point of that. Is it entertaining someone?

The throuple still being supportive of each other is good in a very small way. I'm glad the show is queer and supportive of queer relationships (to a degree). I'm glad that somewhere down in the center of it is an attempt to make the characters of color not evil, especially when they pick up weapons (which is truly not a common thing in media, especially by U.S. companies). We're not meant to hate Ratthi, we're just meant to view him as an utter incompetent child. This is still buried under how truly awful everything in this scene is and his pointing the gun at his partners when even he knew that was a bad idea.

I am not averse to Mensah helping Murderbot walk. Some of it was even nice. The hallucination of Murderbot being on the soap opera set, however, was... I hope it's entertaining someone. It wasn't funny. It was uncomfortable to watch. I hope the actors had fun with the silly costumes, at least. Genuinely, I hope they had fun filming this. At least from one interview I saw, it sounds like the set was at least, in some ways, a good place to work. It is actually okay for bad art to exist and for artists to have fun making bad art. I am truly not being sarcastic when I say that. It's just that the issue here is that this is bad art.

It should be pointed out that there wasn't anything in ASR stopping Murderbot from touching its neck. It knows the thing is there. It warns PresAux. Slowly, but eventually.

So hypothetically the theory with show!Arada's plan is: Pin-Lee and Arada are panicking about SecUnit being non-responsive, Mensah being non-responsive, and now Ratthi being non-responsive, and thus Arada comes up with the idea that they fly the hopper over rather than just leaving it behind. Somehow this is all done so silently that the rogue unit doesn't hear or detect the ship approaching. Somehow, Arada and Pin-Lee are able to detect what's happening on-site in time to plan to crush the rogue unit from a distance. Sure. Fine.

I am glad they (mostly) kept the part where SecUnit shuts itself down forcibly. I think that bit of the episode is the best portion. It was handled well. This isn't just because "oh it's the one bit that's relatively book accurate"; it's also mainly because it is actually well-shot, well-acted (well, mostly, I think Skarsgard's delivery is a bit wooden at times in ways that don't feel like they work for Murderbot and are more Skarsgard's/the director trying to get Murderbot to "sound" like what people think a robot sounds like, but he's fine enough here), well-scripted, and generally visually enjoyable to watch. I like when everyone runs to its side and hovers over it. That part of the scene, from when Murderbot insists it can't join them on the hopper to the hovering is honestly the main reason I am even considering giving Episode 5 a shot at all.

So is it a good episode? No. We're going to meet the DeltFall survivor next episode somehow (based on the summary for Episode 5), and I'm really not looking forward to that, given the kiss and their apparent obsession with Murderbot's genitalia or lack thereof based on the trailers, and the apparent continued theme focus of humans being gross, incompetent, and generally rude. Maybe Episode 5 will be good. Anything is possible. I do not have hope at this point.

I feel like people are going to look at this and think, "Oh lighten up, it's meant to be funny." The books are hilarious. They make me laugh so much. I cracked a smile I think once during this episode. The books are funny, warm, heart-breaking, painful, fulfilling, excellent science fiction, and a fine critique on capitalism and the surveillance state, and generally enjoyable. That is not what this show is. If you're changing something, what you change should, bare minimum, be enjoyable. That's not happening here.

Please read the books. They're so much better. Kobo sells DRM-free copies, too.

Other thoughts:

Episodes 1-2, Episode 3, Episode 4 (You are here), Episode 5

#the murderbot diaries #fallfthoughts #murderbot #ayda mensah #ratthi #critical #really not happy with this #sigh #murderbot tv critical #murderbot tv #arada #pin lee #mbtv #mbtv critical

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