Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Murderbot Episode 4.

As we near the pivotal midpoint of Apple TV+’s Murderbot, the captivating 10-episode sci-fi adventure continues to stand out as one of the best streaming options currently available. Episode 4, aptly named “Escape Velocity Protocol,” is a brilliant collaboration written by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, and skillfully directed by Toa Fraser. This episode amplifies the winning elements of the adaptation of author Martha Wells‘ The Murderbot Diaries series, showcasing its unique charm, an engaging cast, and profound emotional depth.

Instead of rushing to resolve the cliffhanger from the previous episode, Episode 4 opens with a flashback to a SecUnit production facility located in the Corporation Rim of the galaxy. If the term “SecUnit production factory” conjures negative imagery, you’re absolutely right. This dark, dreary, and industrial site, known as the Threshold Pass Fabrication Center, is plagued by malfunctioning computers, poor quality control, and a workforce of unhappy indentured laborers who are forced into excessive overtime while being told to show gratitude. The workers cannot even enjoy their discussions about the latest episode of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon without interruptions—how rude!

The situation is even more dire for the beleaguered Security Units, who are surrounded by unsettling rumors. A new trainee, inexperienced in the manufacturing of “constructed beings,” innocently asks a senior employee why each cyborg is designed with a distinct face. The explanation offered is a supposed security measure; the individuality supposedly makes it easier to track down a SecUnit should it decide to go rogue. According to sensationalist news feeds (and melodramatic soap operas like Strife in the Galaxy), this happens with alarming regularity. At just the right moment, an assembly line produces a lifeless version of Murderbot’s (Alexander Skarsgård) future head, poised for its inevitable dramatic close-up.

Murderbot Faces Dire Consequences While Mensah Takes Charge in Episode 4

Following the always-fantastic credits, we finally get a resolution to the cliffhanger, and the outcome is grim. Offscreen, the SecUnit that emerged ominously during the final seconds of Episode 3, clad in sleek obsidian armor, has mercilessly beaten Murderbot into a state of near-unconsciousness. Our reluctant hero remains aware but is barely functional: bleeding, bruised, unable to move, and suffering greatly without operational pain sensors, all while being dragged across the floor by its ankle. To cope with the trauma, its malfunctioning memory banks are inundated with random clips from Sanctuary Moon, rather than providing any useful information.

The malevolent SecUnit callously tosses Murderbot onto a metal work surface before leaving to prepare a combat override module, a device strikingly similar to the one Murderbot previously encountered attached to the SecUnit that feigned death (only to end up genuinely dead). Although Murderbot successfully overrode its governor module in the premiere episode, granting it absolute autonomy, the installation of a combat override device will hijack all of Murderbot’s programming, effectively stripping it of its cherished free will. Considering that at least one hacked SecUnit brutally massacred the DeltFall survey team, it appears that whoever is orchestrating this cover-up intends for Murderbot to ensure that a similar deadly fate befalls the PreservationAux crew.

Meanwhile, the PreservationAux crew is grappling with their own crisis. Since the last time we saw her, Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) has remained virtually in the same position — observing the DeltFall habitat from afar, desperately attempting to contact Murderbot through the comms; its silence weighs heavily on her empathetic heart. Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) returns from the hopper and implores Mensah to rejoin the group, cautioning against unnecessarily “anthropomorphizing” Murderbot. Choosing to defy this advice, Mensah commands Pin-Lee to return to safety, disregarding their team’s established rules about equality and consensus. In the hopper, when Arada (Tattiawna Jones) and Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) learn about their de facto leader’s assertive decision, it becomes the catalyst for the eager but relatively untroubled Ratthi to grab a weapon and embark on a self-appointed rescue mission.

Murderbot Leverages Its Affection for Soap Operas During a Critical Moment in Episode 4

In terms of Murderbot’s dire situation, although it has recovered sufficiently to speak, it remains in need of restoring its mobility systems — and the malevolent SecUnit is mere moments away from attaching that combat override module to the back of Murderbot’s neck. In a moment of creative desperation, Murderbot resorts to an unexpected stalling tactic: singing the theme song from Sanctuary Moon. The other SecUnit, confused by this unexpected turn of events, stops in its tracks with the override module still in hand. Those precious seconds provide just enough time for Murderbot to act. The ensuing battle is fierce and chaotic, culminating in the opposing SecUnit successfully attaching the module. Murderbot collapses to the floor, its scrambled systems estimating that it has roughly 10 minutes to thwart the programming of the “little f*cker” before catastrophic consequences occur. And let it be known, not wanting to become a genuine murder bot has absolutely nothing to do with protecting its annoying, “defenseless,” and “useless clients” — absolutely not!

At that critical moment, Mensah makes a dramatic entrance by plunging a spiked mining drill directly into the back of the evil SecUnit, piercing through to its chest. Murderbot vaguely recalls it has something crucial to communicate to its main human (who is currently preoccupied with vomiting), but all it can manage is to recite Company policies. Despite her fear, Mensah displays compassion as she guides Murderbot’s stumbling frame through the habitat toward an exit. Murderbot makes futile attempts to dislodge the override module without comprehending its actions, but the device impedes every effort. However, Murderbot retains just enough scrambled awareness to realize how the tables have turned; Mensah is now protecting it, earning her the designation of “intrepid galactic explorer.” For once, the internal monologue of Murderbot is vocalized as an admiring whisper.

Motivated by a sudden burst of inspiration, Murderbot unwittingly engages in the nerdiest form of self-care — it projects itself and Mensah into the whimsical universe of Sanctuary Moon. (I can’t help but feel envious that I cannot do the same.) This moment is a dream come true for Murderbot: standing on the bridge of the series’ starship, adorned with a yellow uniform featuring purple stripes, a comically tall pompadour wig, and an enthusiasm that is far more animated than it would typically show in reality. This fantasy serves as a therapeutic escape for Murderbot’s barely healed psyche (and undoubtedly ranks as the series’ most delightful humor to date), interpreting a threat proximity alert as a hostile starship emerging from a wormhole. Unsurprisingly, that threat warning turns out to be the recovering SecUnit rounding a corner in pursuit of Murderbot and Mensah. Both the actual Murderbot and its Sanctuary Moon counterpart let out blood-curdling screams.

Murderbot Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice to Protect Its Team in Episode 4

Back at the hopper, Pin-Lee and Arada express their concerns about Ratthi’s safety while contemplating the possibility of re-evaluating their throuple agreement. This planetary mystery turned emergency has transformed his demeanor from charming to overly dramatic, and Pin-Lee has never been entirely comfortable with the arrangement. Upon arriving at the DeltFall habitat, Ratthi chooses that moment to inquire about how to operate a gun. (A bit late for that information, my friend.) As he cautiously approaches the habitat, he gets within close enough range to hear Mensah’s frantic distress call. He rushes toward the door, bursting with Mrs. Doubtfire energy (“Help is on the way, dears!”) — only to discover that the door is locked, and the controls are unresponsive.

Still processing the SecUnit’s pursuit through the therapeutic lens of Sanctuary Moon, Murderbot urges, with a voice trembling with emotion, that Mensah “abandon ship.” It believes that by making a heroic last stand, she will have a chance to escape. Mensah dismisses this as nonsensical and continues to drag Murderbot along with her, with the villainous SecUnit in hot pursuit. Just as Ratthi resolves to shoot the door open, Mensah’s weapon blasts through a section of the habitat wall. They barely have time for a brief hug before the SecUnit follows them through their escape route, unleashing another hail of laser fire.

With only a minute remaining before the module takes full control, Murderbot notices a critical detail about the other SecUnit: it is intentionally missing its targets. Retaining enough independent thought, Murderbot recalls its earlier analysis that a rogue SecUnit’s slaughtering of innocent civilians fits a predictable pattern and serves to divert both blame and attention from the true events transpiring on this planet. Like the corrupted DeltFall SecUnit, Murderbot is also meant to eliminate the PreservationAux team. As if to facilitate that task by gathering almost every team member in one location, Arada and Pin-Lee swoop in via the hopper and utilize the landing apparatus to crush the malevolent SecUnit until its insides squelch out.

Murderbot finally manages to dislodge the combat override module, but at this point, it is far too late. Remaining self-aware enough to understand that it is seconds away from ending the lives of its clients, Murderbot demands that the group shoot it. When they refuse, Murderbot seizes Mensah’s gun from her grip. In a final act of defiance during its last moments of autonomy, Murderbot apologetically states, “I’m sorry,” before shooting itself in its artificial heart. As it collapses onto the sand, its distraught human companions hover over its lifeless body.

New episodes of Murderbot are available every Friday on Apple TV+.