Latest news with #SecUnits
Geek Girl Authority
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
MURDERBOT Recap: (S01E04) Escape Velocity Protocol
Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4, 'Escape Velocity Protocol,' is an action-packed, high-octane, hilarious and heartbreaking installment. Alexander Skarsgård kills it here. He deftly captures our eponymous sentient construct's damaged state and its nuanced feelings toward the humans it serves. The episode skillfully balances humor and heart while delivering that jaw-dropping cliffhanger. RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Murderbot episode, 'Risk Assessment' Murderbot, 'Escape Velocity Protocol' We open in the Threshold Pass Fabrication Center, which is part of the Corporation Rim. It's time to see how the sausage is made, as it were. The lab technicians there are hard at work creating sentient constructs, aka SecUnits. It seems the techs are mostly indentured servants. One tech has six years left of their sentence, while their pal has much longer. They talk about not 'surviving' this ordeal. Our titular bot (Skarsgård) narrates as we watch the construction process. It sings the praises of SecUnits and how they're carefully constructed (ahem), versus the random jumble of DNA and cells in humans. However, these workers toil in inhumane conditions, often cutting corners due to exhaustion and lax oversight. You can't half-ass making SecUnits. What if the one you create goes rogue one day? One lab tech teases her trainee, claiming that SecUnits incessantly go rogue and always go after the trainee who made it. The trainee zeroes in on the head of our SecUnit, which is in a jar like strawberry preserves. He tells it to f*ck off. RELATED: Alexander Skarsgård Goes Rogue in Murderbot Trailer Through the Wormhole Later, we return to the present. The Black SecUnit drags our bot through the halls of the DeltFall habitat. SecUnit shares that it's immobile. Its memory keeps dumping its most used data, which is, naturally, The Rise & Fall of Sanctuary Moon . The theme song for the space opera plays out in SecUnit's head. However, the visuals and audio keep hitting snags, indicating Murderbot's frayed state. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 4, 'Escape Velocity Protocol.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ Meanwhile, Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) tries to hail Mensah (Noma Dumezweni). They inform Arada (Tattiawna Jones) and Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) that Mensah was behind them. Pin-Lee hails her again. This time, Mensah answers. Pin-Lee reminds her of what SecUnit said about returning to the hopper. Mensah orders Pin-Lee and the others to clear the emergency channel because she's attempting to ping Murderbot. Not Part of the Team Next, we see Murderbot on a table. It's clearly not in a state to respond to Mensah's pings. The Black SecUnit (I'm gonna call it Dr. Evil) is preparing it for something. Murderbot wonders if this is how SecUnits die. Its pain sensors are off, so it can feel pain. RELATED: David Dastmalchian Joins Apple TV+ Murderbot Adaptation Meanwhile, Pin-Lee reunites with Mensah and tries to persuade her to return to the hopper with them. Mensah refuses to leave SecUnit behind. Pin-Lee urges her not to anthropomorphize it. It's not part of the team. This hits home for Mensah. She orders Pin-Lee to go back to the hopper and wait there. 'Not cool,' Pin-Lee says, but they obey. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 4, 'Escape Velocity Protocol.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ Then, Murderbot realizes that Dr. Evil plans to override its combat module like it did for the other SecUnit. Our SecUnit tries to buy itself some time, so it improvises. It starts singing the theme song for Sanctuary Moon . Perfection. Suddenly, Murderbot and Dr. Evil battle it out in a brief skirmish from which the former doesn't emerge victorious. Dr. Evil inserts the device to start the override process of the SecUnit's combat module. So, in 10 minutes, Murderbot will be under Dr. Evil's — or whoever it's working for — control. In the meantime, its system will be more than a bit scrambled. RELATED: New TV Shows This Week (May 25 – 31) Violation of Security Protocol MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 4, 'Escape Velocity Protocol.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ Thankfully, help is on the way. Mensah impales Dr. Evil with a massive drill. She almost vomits after the act. She helps Murderbot to its feet. It repeatedly tells her that it must report her actions to the Company as a 'violation of security protocol.' Aw, it's stuck in a loop. Meanwhile, Pin-Lee returns to the hopper, reuniting with Ratthi and Arada. Our trio debates Mensah's status in the group. Sure, she's technically the leader, but only at the PresAux habitat. When they're away on missions, they're all equal. Mensah's just another crewmember. Too Macho Next, Ratthi makes an executive decision. He grabs a weapon despite having zero weapons training. Pin-Lee accuses him of macho behavior, but Ratthi can't sit idly by while Mensah potentially gets herself killed. Even if he doesn't understand how to fire a blaster or even how to hold it. RELATED: On Location: The Lighterman in Apple TV+'s Slow Horses Then, Mensah leads SecUnit to the habitat's exit. It notices that its input socket feels strange — that's where Dr. Evil put the device. However, Murderbot can't remove it. Its scrambled system returns to what comforts it the most: Sanctuary Moon . Here, it visualizes itself being in the show. Instead of John Cho being the captain, Mensah is in his place. O Captain! My Captain! Jack McBrayer (the Navigation Officer) asks SecUnit why it isn't executing the escape velocity vector protocol. Murderbot responds that it doesn't know how to do that. The bridge crew learns of an incoming hostile starship. In real life, this is Dr. Evil. Apparently, Mensah's drill didn't kill it. Save the Day Meanwhile, Arada and Pin-Lee discuss Ratthi's rashness. Pin-Lee reassures their wife that Ratthi will return unscathed. However, the three of them might need to reconsider their contract. Elsewhere, Ratthi finds the DeltFall habitat. He tries to open the entrance but fails spectacularly. Pin-Lee and Arada decide to join the others to assist. Arada has an idea. RELATED: On Location: The Phoenicia Diner on Apple TV+'s Severance Murderbot admits it should be ready to fight Dr. Evil, but its threat assessment module tells it nothing is wrong. Suddenly, Dr. Evil blasts through the door to the room where Murderbot and Mensah are hiding. It knocks down Murderbot. Mensah fires on Dr. Evil, sending it flying backward. Ratthi watches as Mensah blasts open the side of the habitat, through which she and the SecUnit emerge. They all reunite. We learn that in one minute, the overriding of its combat module will take effect. Mensah scolds Ratthi for not remaining in the hopper. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 4, 'Escape Velocity Protocol.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ New Hostiles Dr. Evil starts firing at our trio. Murderbot observes that it keeps missing, like 'the crappy shock troopers on Strife in the Galaxy .' Love this Stormtroopers dig. Eventually, Ratthi knocks himself out while shooting at Dr. Evil. We see Murderbot's system informing it that its clients are hostiles. Targets acquired. Dr. Evil is biding its time until Murderbot's combat module is under new management. RELATED: Apple TV+'s Neuromancer Series Uploads 3 New Cast Members Thankfully, Arada and Pin-Lee crush Dr. Evil with the hopper, repeatedly smashing it under the hopper's legs. Like a pancake. Huzzah. With Dr. Evil now dead, Murderbot removes the device from its input socket, but it's too late. The override on its combat module is almost complete. Murderbot informs the group that the carrier is nearly done downloading instructions. There's only one way to stop our SecUnit — they must kill it. I'm Sorry Mensah, Ratthi, Pin-Lee and Arada all protest this. Mensah insists that Gurathin will fix it. They just need to return to the habitat. 'There's no time,' Murderbot declares. SecUnit states it will slaughter all of them in a few seconds if they don't kill it first. So, it grabs Mensah's blaster and apologizes before shooting itself. It collapses as the humans surround it. RELATED: Read our Murderbot recaps Murderbot drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+. TED LASSO Season 4 Is Officially a Go at Apple TV+ Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
The Review Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Murderbot – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
Escape Velocity Protocol Episode 4 of Murderbot begins with us back at Corporation Rim at the Threshold Pass in the Fabrication Center. This is where the SecUnits are made, with humans pushed way beyond their capabilities. Of course, anybody who's worked to the bone and not their sharpest are prone to make mistakes, and every part of this process is littered with issues or problems. It's a nice way of showing off the entire production process, throwing shade at factories that make products for thousands and pay their workers pittances. Nice work, Apple! We're then blasted back to the present where MurderBot is dragged up the hallway by its assailant. Dumped on a table, MurderBot bides its time before suddenly singing the Sanctuary Moon theme. It fights off the attacker after, but unfortunately not before it gets the Combat Override Module locked in. Things look hopeless, until Dr Mensah arrives with a mining drill and manages to take out the attacker. As they stumble off the ship, MurderBot is in and out of consciousness, seeing himself on the Sanctuary Moon set and stumbling through the hallways too. Back at the ship, the others are not happy when they find out Pin-wee was ordered back onto the chopper by Mensah. Ratthi grabs a gun and heads out, soon to be joined by the others, as they prepare to fight back. Ratthi hits himself in the head and isn't much help, while Pin-wee manages to drop the ship right on the robot attacker, eventually squashing it. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. The Combat Override Module looks set to switch on and set its sights on them all. Murderbot decides to sacrifice itself though, turning the gun on itself and firing. The Episode Review So Murderbot returns this week with an action-packed episode, one that dives into the morals of this bot and how strangely human it actually is. We still don't know who or what this attacker is and why it's so interested in overriding Murderbot's programming, but I'm sure we'll find out later in the series. The episode works well to add in some drama and comedy in equal measure, interwoven around the story that zips by at a frantic pace. The storyline is nicely structured as a result, and the ending certainly leaves everything wide open for the next episode. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Newsweek
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4 – Release Date, Schedule, How To Watch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Episode three of Murderbot wrapped up on Apple TV+ last night. Alexander Skarsgård's Murderbot got involved in a conflict between SecUnits as the PresAux crew travelled to another base, seeking answers. With two episodes debuting last week, you may wonder: where is Murderbot episode four? Alexander Skarsgård in "Murderbot," now streaming on Apple TV+. Alexander Skarsgård in "Murderbot," now streaming on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ READ: How To Watch the New Guy Ritchie Film 'Fountain of Youth' Well, from this week onwards, Murderbot will debut one new episode weekly through to the season finale on July 11, 2025. We've got all the information below on how to watch Murderbot season one, episode four, as well as the Murderbot season one, episode four release time, and Murderbot season one, episode four release date. Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4 Release Date Murderbot season one, episode four will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on May 30, 2025. New episodes of Murderbot season one premiere each Friday on Apple TV+ through July 11, 2025. Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4 – How to Watch Murderbot season one, episode four will be available on Apple TV+ from 6 pm Pacific Time (PT) on May 30, 2025/9 pm Eastern Time (ET). To watch Murderbot season one, you will need an Apple TV+ subscription. A monthly subscription costs $9.99, following a 7-day free trial for new customers. What Time Does Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4 Come Out? Murderbot season one, episode four will be available to stream from 6 pm (PT) on May 30, 2025/9 pm Eastern Time (ET). With the evening streaming release in the US, the debut time in other time zones will differ. Here is when Murderbot season one, episode four, will air in your time zone: May 30 BRT: 10:00 pm May 31 BST : 2:00 am : 2:00 am CEST : 3:00 am : 3:00 am IST : 6:30 am : 6:30 am JST : 10:00 am : 10:00 am AET : 12:00 pm : 12:00 pm NZDT: 2:00 pm Murderbot Season 1 Release Schedule Episode One: May 16 May 16 Episode Two: May 16 May 16 Episode Three: May 23 May 23 Episode Four: May 30 May 30 Episode Five: June 6 June 6 Episode Six: June 13 June 13 Episode Seven: June 20 June 20 Episode Eight: June 27 June 27 Episode Nine: July 4 July 4 Episode Ten: July 11 Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4 Runtime Murderbot season one, episode four, does not yet have a confirmed run time. Previous episodes of Murderbot have run between 24 and 29 minutes. What Will Happen in Murderbot Season 1 Episode 4? The plot details for Murderbot season one, episode four, are currently under wraps. Previous episode synopses can be found below: Episode One: Oh, a fresh assignment. Murderbot's newfound free will leads to odd behavior sparking suspicion from the PreservationAux team. Oh, a fresh assignment. Murderbot's newfound free will leads to odd behavior sparking suspicion from the PreservationAux team. Episode Two: Mensah and Bharadwaj take dangerous risks exploring an unknown area while Gurathin confronts Murderbot. Mensah and Bharadwaj take dangerous risks exploring an unknown area while Gurathin confronts Murderbot. Episode Three: The PresAux crew travels to another base seeking answers. Murderbot becomes involved in a conflict between SecUnits. (as per Apple TV+)
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3 – Release Date, Schedule, How To Watch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The Alexander Skarsgård-led Murderbot hit Apple TV+ last Friday with two brand new episodes following the self-hacking security construct drawn to its vulnerable clients despite being horrified by human emotion. This week, a new episode lands on the streaming service, following the PresAux crew who travel to another base in search of answers. Meanwhile, Murderbot finds himself in a conflict between SecUnits. Alexander Skarsgård in "Murderbot," now streaming on Apple TV+. Alexander Skarsgård in "Murderbot," now streaming on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ We've got all the information below on how to watch Murderbot season one, episode three, as well as the Murderbot season one, episode three release time, and Murderbot season one, episode three release date. Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3 Release Date Murderbot season one, episode three will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on May 23, 2025. New episodes of Murderbot season one premiere each Friday on Apple TV+ through July 11, 2025. Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3 – How to Watch Murderbot season one, episode three will be available on Apple TV+ from 6 pm Pacific Time (PT) on May 23, 2025/9 pm Eastern Time (ET). To watch Murderbot season one, you will need an Apple TV+ subscription. A monthly subscription costs $9.99, following a 7-day free trial for new customers. What Time Does Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3 Come Out? Murderbot season one, episode three will be available to stream from 6 pm (PT) on May 23, 2025/9 pm Eastern Time (ET). With the evening streaming release in the US, the debut time in other time zones will differ. Here is when Murderbot season one, episode three will air in your time zone: May 23 BRT: 10:00 pm May 24 BST : 2:00 am : 2:00 am CEST : 3:00 am : 3:00 am IST : 6:30 am : 6:30 am JST : 10:00 am : 10:00 am AET : 12:00 pm : 12:00 pm NZDT: 2:00 pm Murderbot Season 1 Release Schedule Episode One: May 16 May 16 Episode Two: May 16 May 16 Episode Three: May 23 May 23 Episode Four: May 30 May 30 Episode Five: June 6 June 6 Episode Six: June 13 June 13 Episode Seven: June 20 June 20 Episode Eight: June 27 June 27 Episode Nine: July 4 July 4 Episode Ten: July 11 Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3 Runtime Murderbot season one, episode three, does not yet have a confirmed run time. Previous episodes of Murderbot have run between 24 and 29 minutes. What Will Happen in Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3? The plot details for Murderbot season one, episode three read: The PresAux team heads to a new base to search for answers. Murderbot gets tangled up in a SecUnit showdown. Previous episode synopses can be found below: Episode One: On a fresh assignment, Murderbot's newfound free will leads to odd behaviour, sparking suspicion from the PreservationAux team. On a fresh assignment, Murderbot's newfound free will leads to odd behaviour, sparking suspicion from the PreservationAux team. Episode Two: Mensah and Bharadwaj risk everything to investigate a mysterious region. Gurathin goes toe-to-toe with Murderbot. (as per Apple TV+)
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Murderbot' review: A robot turns sentient and … decides to watch a lot of TV
A cyborg providing security to a corporation's workers hacks into its own system and becomes sentient in the droll 10-episode sci-fi Apple TV+ comedy 'Murderbot,' based on 'The Murderbot Diaries' book series by Martha Wells. Alexander Skarsgård stars as the Security Unit in question. People call them SecUnits for short, but Murderbot is the name this particular robot has given itself after successfully shutting down its internal module that ensures it obeys every and any human command. Unsure what to do with this newfound freedom, and reluctant to tip off the company that it's become ungovernable, for now Murderbot pretends to be its usual robotic self while it figures out what's next. Meanwhile, we hear its inner monologue, which is filled with snarky assessments of the annoying humans in its vicinity. Did I mention the show is a comedy? SecUnits have no gender, but it's tempting to refer to Murderbot as 'he' because instead of casting an androgynous actor, show creators Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz ('About a Boy,' 'Mozart in the Jungle') went with Skarsgård, who presents as male on screen. But in the books, Murderbot is 'it' — both to itself and everyone who interacts with it. So 'it' it is. This is a vision of the future where planets are corporate entities, and exploitation — extracting anything useful from said planets — is the name of the game. Murderbot is an older model, so it's sent here or there, stoically overseeing rowdy, low-level miners. But the first assignment, post-awakening, is different. Murderbot is tasked with guarding a bunch of hippie scientists hailing from a rare 'non-corporate planet with a communal governing system' who it immediately realizes are not the 'usual greedy psychopaths' it encounters. Off they go on a research trip to a planet otherwise uninhabited by humans, where life-and-death misadventures and petty bickering ensue. Eventually, Murderbot's secret is revealed and after initially freaking out, the human companions decide to risk it all to help Murderbot carve out its own existence apart from the corporation to which they're all beholden. Childlike, sardonic and increasingly confused by its growing (and suddenly non-corporate mandated) sense of attachment to its human clients, Murderbot is unsure how to respond when, early on, the team's leader (played by a terrific Noma Dumezweni) treats it not as a piece of technology, but as a fellow living being deserving of compassion and respect. Even her hilariously annoying colleagues think she's anthropomorphizing this SecUnit and are skeptical of her insistence that they treat it as more than just a household appliance that exists to save their skin when the need arises. It should come as no surprise that the group is terrible at risk assessment. When Murderbot senses a threat and instructs everyone to come back inside the safety of the pod, they just stand there, slack-jawed. They are idealistic — lovers not fighters — and therefore terribly unsuited for the dangers of this unexplored planet. Early in the expedition, Murderbot is just going through the motions. When it's not securing the perimeter or saving one pesky human or another, it spends hours watching TV, and there is at its disposal. 'With my governor module hacked, I could now access the combined feed of entertainment channels on the company's satellites. I'd watched 7,532 hours of content since then.' Murderbot's favorite is a cheesy 'Star Trek' riff called 'The Rise & Fall of Sanctuary Moon' starring John Cho and Jack McBrayer, hamming it up in this show within a show. Things may be grim in the fictional reality conjured in 'Murderbot' — where robots are enslaved and people are forced to become indentured workers — but at least TV shows have really long runs. More than 2,000 episodes for 'Sanctuary Moon' alone! The Apple TV+ adaptation is a pip, but the world-building is fuzzy. Why do SecUnits have human faces and hair growing out of their heads? Maybe because real humans respond better to a human-like face, you might say. Except all the other SecUnits we see operate with a mask covering their entire head; only Murderbot makes the choice to reveal its face. And except for hippie scientists at the story's center, people generally seem to resist humanizing SecUnits anyway, viewing them as a useful piece of equipment (or in some cases, a weapon to be feared). There's also an issue with the core group to which Murderbot has been assigned. Aside from Dumezweni's team leader and an increasingly layered performance from David Dastmalchian as an augmented human who views Murderbot with suspicion, the remaining characters are mostly one-note jokes who aren't developed into the kind of people you care about beyond their story utility as foils (and then friends) to Murderbot. That creates some emotional impediments to the show overall, considering the central character lacks many complicated human traits himself. Gradually, like Pinocchio, Murderbot becomes a real boy. Or something like it. Self-awareness means Murderbot has developed squishy qualities, like feelings. One of those feelings is the desire for self-determination — more so, even, than a desire to be surrounded by friends — paving the way for a new story in the series' next inevitable season. 'Murderbot' — 3 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: Apple TV+
