Who knew you could get real emotional about some bots? Though that's what Apple TV+ series Murderbot has been doing so well this whole season. The previous episode ended with Sec Unit saving Mensah and its whole team. Now, its their turn to save it. Murderbot episode 10, "The Perimeter," was certainly an emotionally charged season 1 finale that I didn't expect. Here's a recap of what happened. Spoilers below.
PresAux fights for Murderbot
The Preservation Alliance team brings Sec Unit back to the company to help rehabilitate it after it got severely damaged in episode 9. However, the company being the pesky people they are order for its memory to be wiped and its system rebooted. A new governor module is also installed, meaning it has to take orders once again.
It's so sad to see the way the engineers and people at the company treat these bots. They're not human, and yet you still can't help but cringe at the way the bots are treated. Its memory of course was erased immediately so the PresAux can't use its recordings against the company for what happened with the GrayCris team.
While Mensah and the group are trying to figure out a way to get Murderbot back, threatening to sue the company and offering to buy it, Sec Unit is immediately tasked with combatting protestors. Though while there, its memories of the mystery incident teased from the very first episode is somehow still there and triggered, which causes it to glitch. Just as it's about to be destroyed and melted, Pin-Lee and Ratthi come in and save the day. Phew!
Sec Unit is reunited with its clients
Gurathin was able to download all of Sec Unit's memories and then transfers them back to our favorite bot. That's when it remembers its team, and it's a really sweet moment. Plus with how much Gurathin and Sec Unit hated each other, it's so nice to see how far their relationship has come by the time the finale rolls around.
Mensah and the team have purchased its contract, meaning it's now free to go back to their planet with them to be a free agent. Mensah will be its guardian, and Murderbot will be free to learn whatever it wants. It seems to be a bit lost, not knowing what it will do with its actual freedom now. Though they all reassure it everything will be fine. At first, it seems like Sec Unit is sort of on board. Though then we get to the emotional part of the episode.
Murderbot and Gurathin's goodbye
Sec Unit is given clothes that help it to blend in, looking more like an augmented human than a bot. After the whole team has fallen asleep, it gets up to leave. Gurathin is awake and Sec Unit tells him it needs to check the perimeter. Us viewers, and Gurathin, know what this means. Murderbot usually says this when it needs to be alone. And this time, it wants to be alone a little farther away.
Gurathin tries to reassure it that he too needed time to adjust when he first joined the PresAux team, but they're good people and Sec Unit will get used to it. Plus, Gurathin would like to show it the ropes, if you will. It's a far cry of how Gurathin felt about Sec Unit even from the previous episode. Though the two characters have come so far, and this becomes a truly emotional moment between them. Sec Unit simply tells Gurathin, "I need to check the perimeter" one more time. And he understands what it means. Those little smiles both give each other? Ugh, my heart.
Sec Unit makes its way out and decides to leave to another planet, a mining colony. In the voiceover, it says that it doesn't know what it wants exactly. Though it does know it doesn't want anyone making decisions for it, "even if they are my favorite human." The scene cuts to Mensah who sees Murderbot leaving, and knows its her favorite bot up there. Though she too is happy it's found its freedom and lets it go. And that's how the episode ends!
The Murderbot season 1 finale certainly made me much more emotional than I thought I'd be. It's definitely a bittersweet ending. Though the good thing is that the show has already been renewed for a season 2 at Apple TV+. So, there's more of Sec Unit's adventures to come!
Murderbot season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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