Editor’s note: The following recap contains spoilers for Murderbot Episode 3.

If you thought the pace of Murderbot‘s initial episodes was exhilarating, prepare for an even more thrilling experience. Episode 3, titled “Risk Assessment,” ramps up the tension and danger, thanks to the creative minds of showrunners Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, with direction by Toa Fraser. Last week, we witnessed a hesitant Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) gearing up to transport four members of the human PreservationAux team — Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu), Arada (Tattiawna Jones), and Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) — across the planet. These scientists are embarking on a rescue mission that is riddled with good intentions yet fraught with peril, aiming to reach out to DeltFall, another survey team that has gone eerily silent. (Viewers are aware that both the DeltFall humans and SecUnits have faced a gruesome fate, but the identity of the perpetrator remains shrouded in mystery.)

As the team prepares for their journey, Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) attempts to dissuade Mensah from her course of action. Mensah argues with calm conviction that if the DeltFall team is indeed in peril, it is the duty of PreservationAux to provide assistance. Furthermore, she points out that DeltFall may possess crucial information regarding those enigmatic mapping anomalies. Abandoning the mission would only serve the interests of the Company, and no one wants to aid their agenda. Gurathin is unable to counter this last point.

This display of noble sentiment leaves Murderbot feeling uneasy, despite its inability to physically express discomfort. It retreats into the confines of its face helmet, angling itself away from the group as best as possible, though it isn’t far enough. Mensah hesitantly approaches to request that Murderbot lower its helmet, emphasizing the need for the other scientists to see it as a reliable member of their team. The notion of being considered “part of the team” is an alien and confusing concept to Murderbot, triggering a mini-existential crisis. It instinctively turns to media for distraction, selecting Strife in the Galaxy, a dramatized and inaccurate portrayal of SecUnits. (Surely, this isn’t foreshadowing, right?)

Murderbot’s Reluctance to Embrace Team Dynamics in Episode 3

Mensah unintentionally disrupts Murderbot’s moment of internal reflection by inquiring about whether it’s standard procedure for a habitat’s automated systems to initiate a security beacon when a major system failure occurs. Murderbot affirms this protocol, which further intensifies the suspicion surrounding the DeltFall situation. However, it adds a caveat that even the most sophisticated equipment can experience malfunctions. Meanwhile, Arada, comfortably seated between Ratthi and Pin-Lee, confidently asserts that Murderbot will not let them down. Although Murderbot internally doubts this assurance, it feels somewhat relieved that the conversation has shifted. It promptly resumes watching Strife in the Galaxy, only for Ratthi to approach and commend Murderbot on its stellar performance as a SecUnit. When Murderbot fails to reciprocate Ratthi’s overly enthusiastic gestures of camaraderie, Ratthi probes deeper, asking if it’s true that “imitative bot units” are developed using vat-grown human tissue. “Does that mean you possess human emotions too?” he questions, genuinely intrigued.

This line of questioning triggers a wave of anxiety in Murderbot. Before it can spiral further into panic, Mensah calls Ratthi away, reminding him of the group’s prior agreement to respect Murderbot’s need for space. Ratthi’s intrusive curiosity clearly unsettles Murderbot. Despite his good intentions, Ratthi struggles to treat their SecUnit as anything less than a human being, especially since he views the practice of utilizing SecUnits as a form of enslavement. Murderbot’s inner thoughts reflect a heightened incredulity, musing about why it would ever desire to be recognized as human. It firmly reminds itself that it is, without a doubt, a machine, not a person.

While the others engage in their ongoing debate, Murderbot taps into the habitat’s security cameras to monitor Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) and Gurathin moments before Gurathin discovers Bharadwaj in tears — likely a reaction to the trauma of narrowly escaping being devoured by a colossal insect creature. Gurathin offers her behavioral therapy modules, yet Bharadwaj declines with gratitude. Murderbot remains vigilant, keeping an eye on Gurathin as he stealthily enters Mensah’s quarters. “Why don’t these people secure their f*cking doors?” it laments, spiraling into a frenzy of paranoid thoughts, suspecting Gurathin of being a murderous agent for the Company or a competing corporation. Instead, Gurathin is simply found clutching Mensah’s pillow and quietly sobbing. Murderbot’s assessment of the situation? “This is truly depressing.”

Mensah’s Growing Affection Towards Murderbot in Episode 3, but It Remains Detached

Suddenly, Murderbot is abruptly cut off from the satellite feed. All monitoring channels outside the habitat, along with the hopper’s navigation systems, disappear in an instant. Pin-Lee shows no surprise, as she has been tracking the persistent satellite outages since their arrival on this strange planet. When the rest of the team expresses astonishment at both the outages and Pin-Lee’s covert data compilation, Murderbot instinctively corroborates her findings, almost revealing its true nature. In a scramble to maintain its cover, Murderbot falsely claims that all SecUnits are mandated by the Company to conduct random scans of clients’ personal logs. The revelation incites outrage among the crew, who, except for Mensah, direct their anger and suspicion towards Murderbot.

As tensions rise, Mensah attempts to defuse the situation by asking Murderbot if, despite the mandated privacy invasion, it doesn’t intend them any harm, right? “Not consciously,” it grimly reflects. “I can’t speak to the darker aspects of my programming.” Murderbot finally vocalizes the sentiment that protecting its clients is its primary objective. However, the tension remains palpable. Mensah then offers to return anyone to the habitat who might reconsider their commitment to the mission, but the team collectively agrees that rescuing DeltFall is the morally correct choice; Ratthi references their shared “history” with “Captain Makeba” as justification. Ratthi attempts to entice Murderbot into participating in their hand-holding exercise, an invitation that is met with the expected awkwardness.

Later that night, while the rest of the team slumbers, Mensah tiptoes over to Murderbot, seeking to engage it in conversation. Murderbot contemplates the possibility of leaping into the ocean instead. Mensah reassures it that the crew’s nerves have led to their questioning of its reliability. Her own anxiety has resulted in insomnia, compounded by the weight of her worries regarding the expedition and its potential ramifications on her home planet. This planet has not provided the resources they desperately need, and the Preservation Alliance must strive for economic independence. Some planets within the Alliance are perilously close to capitulating to the Corporation Rim, relinquishing their freedom in exchange for resources. Just as Mensah begins to feel at ease, with thoughts flowing freely, Murderbot’s internal turmoil becomes overwhelming. It abruptly stands up and makes a hasty exit, fabricating an excuse about needing to check on the munitions.

Murderbot Faces Off Against a Rogue SecUnit in Episode 3

The dawn breaks, and the hopper lands at the edge of DeltFall’s territory. In stark contrast to the arid desert on their side of the planet, this area is a vibrant forest brimming with diverse trees, rolling hills, and serene lakes. Unfortunately, beneath this picturesque exterior lurks a scene of chaos, with still no communication from anyone in the vicinity. Armed with the largest weapon from the hopper’s arsenal and a grim expression, Murderbot leads Mensah, Arada, and Pin-Lee across a lake bed teeming with scuttling crustaceans — Ratthi, an elite gamer who believes he can translate his gaming prowess into combat, is left behind due to his choice to nap instead of attend the critical weapons training. Once the habitat comes into view, Murderbot insists on proceeding alone.

The awkward android enters the building with ease, aside from the darkness and the blaring alarm. As it cautiously explores the scene and discovers the bodies of the slain humans and SecUnits, it refrains from conveying the full extent of the horror to its human companions. However, it does urge them to retreat to the hopper. Mensah insists that Murderbot should return to safety as well. Drawing inspiration from an episode of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, where a character ignores direct orders, Murderbot disrupts the comms channel, feeling a sense of satisfaction in its cunning. This tactic successfully causes Mensah, Pin-Lee, and Arada to fall back — though Mensah keeps pausing to gaze at the habitat, her face etched with concern.

Inside, all evidence suggests that one of DeltFall’s SecUnits is responsible for the tragic massacre. Yet, Murderbot’s keen intuition, honed through countless hours of television, leads it to suspect foul play. The scenario of a single unit going rogue while its counterparts heroically perish is a cliché predictable enough to belong in an episode of Strife in the Galaxy. Just as Murderbot contemplates this revelation and nudges one of the seemingly lifeless SecUnits on the ground, the unit springs to life and attacks. Although this newer model boasts an advanced weapon system, it can’t compete with Murderbot’s analytical skills as it anticipates its attack pattern. Once the threat is neutralized, Murderbot inspects the fallen SecUnit’s body. It discovers that someone has manipulated the unit’s programming using a combat override module. As for the identity of the culprit, it is likely the other SecUnit that slowly emerges from the shadows behind Murderbot, aims its arm cannon, and opens fire.

New episodes of Murderbot premiere every Friday on Apple TV+.