Apple TV+’s favorite android, Murderbot, is winning hearts by the minute as more and more people are streaming the sci-fi hit, and for good reason. The series features Alexander Skarsgård as the rogue security bot in the show, torn between finding his autonomy and watching sci-fi soap operas.
The show is an adaptation of the book All Systems Red, from the hit sci-fi series written by Martha Wells called The Murderbot Diaries. We are surprised to see that the makers made such a big revelation so early on in the show. It is a bold move because this secret has been guarded for a long time in the book, but the show version revealed it right in the second episode.
The show version gives away a big Murderbot hook very soon
In the original novel, the grand secret of Muderbot being rogue is revealed rather gradually, however, that isn’t the case in the Apple TV+ adaptation. Wells first builds the tension in the minds of the readers and then reveals the information that Murderbot is now making autonomous decisions.
The show version has followed a different approach, though, with regards to the big reveal. They have made it known that Murderbot is rogue, right in the second episode, which was a bit of a shock for people who have read the book and were waiting to watch the TV adaptation of it.
The deliberate pacing added layers to the narrative, with readers thinking whether they could trust Murderbot or not. This is what made All Systems Red, the first book of the series, so gripping. The show has decided to speed past this ambiguity, which may or may not work in its favor. We understand that there are a limited number of episodes and everything from the story needs to be crammed into it, but the pacing could have been slightly more thought out.
What makes the novel version of Murderbot special is its sense of guilt, existential angst, and its autonomy. This is something that has been taken away in the show version, much to the disappointment of the audience. While Apple TV+ has frontloaded the emotional complexity of the character, they have omitted the slow-burning tension, which was one of the key factors of the brilliance of the book.
The suspense and engagement struggle in the Murderbot TV version
Why do you think the creators had to make such a choice? Well, the practical answer is that television demands quicker engagement with the audience. The viewers who are unfamiliar with the source material may not have the time and patience to see the slow-burning kind of drama unfold, as in the case of books.
The idea of letting the audience know really early on that Murderbot is rogue but wants to hide secrets from humans, the makers have tried to develop an emotional connection with the audience. We, the audience, are now in on the secret, as the tension mounts and the other characters of the show remain oblivious.
The approach may still disappoint purists. One of the best narrative tools of the original book series was was murder bots slow unraveling. Compressing that arc tends to risk infiltrating the philosophical themes that the series is based upon, the meaning of personhood and identity.
Murderbot is now available for streaming on Apple TV+(USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
