Read this review to see if the Murderbot episode “The Perimeter” is worth watching.
About Murderbot
- Season 1, Episode 10: “The Perimeter”
- Directed by Paul Weitz
- Written by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and Martha Wells
- Synopsis: Murderbot deals with fallout and detects a threat; in hopes of evading danger, the team heads to a new locale full of surprises.
- Airdate: July 11, 2025
- Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Tattiawna Jones, John Cho, Clark Gregg, Jack McBrayer, DeWanda Dewise,
If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode, skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Murderbot Season 1 Episode 10 “The Perimeter”.
Recap Murderbot (2025): S1E10 – “The Perimeter”
The first season of Apple TV+’s Murderbot made significant deviations from Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries books, but these changes are mostly for the best. The addition of Leebeebee (Anna Konkle) and the elevation of Gurathin as a co-lead have been effective. However, “The Perimeter” highlights the insecurity of the series, as it struggles to adapt a slim volume like Wells’ 2017 novella “All Systems Red” into 10 episodes. Can the show trust viewers to care without resorting to melodramatics?
We start with Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) strapped to a table in a dreary Corporation Rim tech lab, having two standard-issue Company sadists/all-purpose jerks delete its memory and reactivate its governor module. After the construct’s valiant sacrifice last week, it’s a purposefully startling return, as we physically witness a character who has gradually and hesitantly come to terms with their personhood being thrust back into the toolbox. Building on Leebeebee’s insights of the basic thinking and Gurathin’s (David Dastmalchian) seething PTSD, the tech’s impulsive harshness during the reformat is one of two glimpses we’ll get at what life in the Corporation Rim does to people.
It’s an odd choice for the great big finale. Murderbot has never shied away from being Alexander Skarsgård’s show, despite the outstanding performances of Noma Dumezweni as Mensah and Dastmalchian throughout the season. His voice is almost its soundtrack, and his face—helmeted or not—is its most recognizable image. We are supposed to feel the absence and the silence of that comforting tide of snark by losing Skarsgård for a significant portion of “The Perimeter”—as Murderbot, helmet intact and mind decidedly not, is deployed to quell a brewing strike of hungry workers on the station while the PresAux team tries to track it down and save it. Even though it tries to keep us interested with scenes of corporate espionage and irate bureaucracy, it also saps some of the episode’s energy.
Dumezweni struggles with the “Plot Stuff,” as Mensah tries to secure Murderbot’s freedom from a crew of horrible Company stooges. The Corporation Rim is desperately trying to keep what happened on the planet a secret (what with all the murdering by the GrayCris team), but is also baffled that “Madame President” wants a piece of equipment (SecUnit) back. Gurathin contacts his old drug dealer to access the Company archives. He manages to track Murderbot down by tracking his downloads of “The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.” The subplot, particularly the efforts to save MB’s body, feels like a manufactured conflict to add extra action and drama to the episode. Which it is.
The portrayal of the Corporation Rim fails to capture the full tragedy of its existence, as it focuses on the easy restoration of Murderbot’s memories and the horrifying scene of its deployment against strikers. Surprisingly, the memory of its action against the miners return despite the memory wipe and makes it glitch.
The episode fails to capture the full tragedy of interchangeable cogs being smashed against each other, with no sense of dignity, respect, or free will, making it nearly laughable.
The conclusion of the episode revolves around the relationship between Mensah and PresAux, who dismiss Murderbot’s requests for armor and that she’s be his legal guardian when its brought home to Preservation Alliance. This is a curtailing of free will, as it comes with reliance on others or assimilation into a community.
As the crew is sleeping, Murderbot prepares to leave and Gurathin steps out of the shadwows to assure him he’ll enjoy joining the team. Dastmalchian’s solemn yielding when Murderbot tells him he has “to check the perimeter” is a riveting and fascinating relationship in the show. Despite starting as fierce enemies, Gurathin receives the closest thing MB can deliver to a “goodbye” before emotionally whispering, “thank you.”
Overall: Watch Murderbot (2025): S1E10 – “The Perimeter”
Murderbot was often frustrating but ultimately satisfying with its core performances. Despite struggling with its half-hour drama format and unclear supporting characters, the show explored fundamental ideas of personhood, connection, and self-building. The show’s sarcasm and goofiness protected its genuinely good content.
The show was just confirmed for season two, and I’m excited to see where it goes next, as the sky seems to be the limit.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
All episodes of Murderbot are now available for streaming on Apple TV+
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