Murderbot Season 1 Episode 9 Review: All Systems Red

Murderbot Season 1 Episode 9, “All Systems Red,” keeps the narrative momentum chugging along at a steady clip as SecUnit’s dangerous plan forces the PresAux crew to put their lives in its hands. After spending multiple episodes debating whether our titular bot is worth trusting and questioning if it might turn on them due to its rogue nature, “All Systems Red” serves as a shift in the right direction for all characters involved … should Murderbot survive. 

Boldness Is All

Alexander Skarsgård pulls out all the comedic stops in this penultimate episode. It’s hard to picture anyone else playing Murderbot. He infuses the sentient construct with an awkward, sharp-edged charm. He never goes over the top or plays a moment for laughs.

Instead, he gets out of the way and allows each line to land. Murderbot attempting to stall the GrayCris crew with its idea of small talk, which it learned from watching Sanctuary Moon, is hilarious. In fact, this outing is chock-full of golden one-liners, which Skarsgård navigates like a pro. 

Noma Dumezweni consistently grounds this series as its moral anchor. From the get-go, Mensah strives to see the best in SecUnit, even when the rest of PresAux is unsure they can rely on it.

Dumezweni’s heartfelt, understated performance is wholly human, and it’s abundantly clear that Mensah’s treatment of SecUnit has facilitated its development. 

Meanwhile, Amanda Brugel plays an interesting villain, albeit for this episode. Sabrina Wu and David Dastmalchian boast a fun dynamic. Dastmalchian, in particular, conveys so much with his face. It tells a story.

That final moment as Murderbot potentially dies is played beautifully by Dastmalchian. Gurathin realizes before Mensah and Pin-Lee that our SecUnit’s injuries might be fatal. Despite Gurathin and Murderbot’s admittedly humorous season-long rivalry, the former here recognizes the latter’s courageous sacrifice. 

Murderbot Saves the Day

“All Systems Red” maintains an undercurrent of tension from the jump. While Murderbot’s plan involved betraying its clients to save them, you find yourself questioning its motives. You vacillate between trusting that its intentions are pure and expecting it to save its own skin. The stalling scene, as funny as it is, also ramps up the tension.

The beacon’s inevitable launch also significantly increases the stakes. Immolation is on the menu if that transpires. This tension effectively builds throughout, culminating in a high-octane action sequence.

Unsurprisingly, Murderbot’s extensive TV knowledge contributes to it saving the day. If anything, the takeaway here should be that television saves lives. 

This well-paced, action-packed outing delivers a heaping helping of humor and heart. Ultimately, it learned from its clients, whether it likes it or not. Murderbot’s growth is on full display in “All Systems Red.” Here’s hoping the team can save it from the clutches of death. I need more Sanctuary Moon references. 

Stray Observations: 

• “As usual, the humans were being hot messes.” This is the story of my life, Murderbot. Way to call me out. 
• The Rise & Fall of Sanctuary Moon is 2,797 episodes long. How do they do it? If only we could get a series with that many hours of premium content that’s not a soap opera. 
• I love that Seccy is always offended whenever someone takes a dump on Sanctuary Moon. It’s that show’s defense attorney. 
• “I noticed you have an issue with eye contact.” What a fun callback to episode two and Gurathin’s remark to Murderbot. Murderbot’s smug expression as it throws this in Gurathin’s face is the icing on the cake. 
• Pin-Lee and Gurathin thinking that Mensah’s stubbornness is hot is hilarious to me. The PresAux crew are all horny for each other — as they should be. 

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Murderbot drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.

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