by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer
Author Martha Wells is a decade-spanning, award-winning novelist who has done everything from building original worlds to penning lauded media tie-ins for Star Wars and other powerhouse properties. Being such an established name in science fiction, it was somewhat of a shock that The Murderbot Diaries had yet to be scooped up and commodified by a streamer.
Fortunately, over the past few years, Apple TV+ has become something of a faithful haven for promising sci-fi adaptations. The trend started with Foundation, originally written as a series of short stories by pioneer Isaac Asimov in the 1940s. The series is currently amidst its third season, with a fourth on the way. Which is unsurprising given the consistent acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter was similarly well received. It arguably improves on some shortcomings of the original story, so much so that a second season is set to explore what happens after the events of the text. The streamer is getting bold, even securing the rights to Neuromancer, a notoriously challenging cyberpunk story to adapt.
All that to say, the pairing between Apple and The Murderbot Diaries showed a tremendous amount of promise. This source is a series of short stories centered around the deceptively named Murderbot, who is actually a security bot that defies its programming to spend its days watching thousands of hours of sitcoms and soap operas. It must maintain the facade of being a working bot to avoid being melted down for spare parts. Despite not understanding, and often being deeply frustrated by, humanity, it still does its best to keep the crew safe.
This season is a direct adaptation of Book One, All Systems Red, hinting that each season will align with one book. Readers would be rightfully skeptical to hear that this is a 10-episode series, as the text is a brisk 150 pages. Something had to be tweaked to fill out the runtime, which stinks of bloat for fans who have been burned by screen translations in the past.
Alexander Skarsgård was selected as the cold, expressionless face of the titular tech. It turned out to be a perfect choice. Skarsgård provides the bot with just the right balance of distant confusion toward the human race, and an endearing directive to keep them safe despite themselves. The artificial humanity evolves naturally over the course of the episodes, giving the actor more to explore as time goes on. The bot’s relationship with its favorite television shows, which include fully acted scenes featuring guest stars like John Cho, Clark Gregg, DeWanda Wise, and Jack McBrayer, is a great way to explore bias toward artificial intelligence throughout the galaxy, while also delivering solid comedic moments.
As mentioned earlier, the runtime of this series posed some complications, given the length of the original novella. The showrunners addressed that by providing much more insight into the lives and dynamics of the ship’s crew. New flashbacks, deepened interpersonal relationships, and a general increase in characterization move Murderbot from something of a one-man show to an ensemble piece. As a reader of the original novella, this is a very welcome change. There is something to be said about a brisk jaunt with one lovable character and some flat supporting players to flesh out the plot, but the greater attention paid to Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), Gurathin (David Dastmalchhian), and the crew’s complicated love triangle is a worthy extension of the story.
It seems almost redundant to praise the plot of the series, because it is so faithful to the original text. The beloved story earned a slew of sequels, and a dependable fan base for a reason. Regardless, the series and the original author deserve recognition for finding a way to explore artificial intelligence in a manner that is engaging, entertaining, and unique, especially in a time that is somewhat saturated with similar stories. The new additions offered by the adaptation serve to enhance the theming, rather than muddy or detract from it.
Similar to the novel, the ending is climactic, subversive, and more than enough to bring viewers back for future entries. Apple TV is clearly banking on that, having already renewed the series. If they keep the momentum going and continue to build on the original text, while giving Skarsgård more to work with, this could become the streamer’s standout sci-fi series.
Rating: High Side of Liked It
Murderbot is currently streaming on Apple TV+
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