Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Murderbot season 1, episode 3 & All Systems Red.The new episode of Apple TV+‘sMurderbotended on a big cliffhanger as Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) investigated the DeltFall survey, and it could use some explanation.Murderbotseason 1, episode 3 saw Murderbot and the rest of thecharacters inMurderbothead to DeltFall survey to see if they had been having the same troubles PreservationAux had. Once they got there, Murderbot saw a massacre: human bodies were littered everywhere, and only one rogue SecUnit remained. It was a massive mystery in itself, butMurderbotepisode 3 also featured a cliffhanger that had Murderbot’s life hanging in the balance.
Luckily, the books thatMurderbotis based on -The Murderbot Diariesby Martha Wells- already reveal what happened to DeltFall and their SecUnits. However,Murderbotepisode 3 also made some significant changes to the first book in the series,All Systems Red, and there’s no telling what they could mean for the rest of the show. On top of those changes, there are also some parts of the story that Murderbot isn’t aware of yet. It’s safe to say that the ending ofMurderbotepisode 3 could use a bit of explanation.
What Happened To DeltFall’s SecUnits In The Murderbot Books
DeltFall’s SecUnits Were Attacked & Hacked By A Rival Company Named GrayCris
After sifting through the massacre at DeltFall’s shelter and fighting off another SecUnit, Murderbot made a big discovery. After killing the SecUnit, Murderbot found that it had been hacked by a combat override module, but it was shot before it could explain who had taken control of it.InArtificial Condition, DeltFall’s SecUnits were hacked by a company named GrayCris. GrayCris masqueraded as PreservationAux to get into DeltFall’s shelter, then had their own SecUnits hack into DeltFall’s. With the combat override modules installed, GrayCris was able to order the SecUnits to slaughter the entire DeltFall survey team and the remaining SecUnit they couldn’t hack.
The reasoning behind GrayCris’ attack on DeltFall is a bit more complicated. GrayCris is after the alien remnants that Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) identified at theend ofMurderbotseason 1, episode 2. As Ratthi explained, however, alien remnants are protected by galactic law, and it’s illegal to exploit them.GrayCris is trying to poach the alien remnants, and they killed DeltFall to ensure that their operation stayed secret. If none of the other surveyors on the planet survive, then no one would ever alert authorities to the alien remnants' presence, and GrayCris could continue their lucrative operation indefinitely.
How Does Murderbot Escape DeltFall In The Books?
Mensah Returns To Save Murderbot & Prevent It From Being Hacked
Murderbotepisode 3 ended on quite a cliffhanger, with Murderbot being shot by yet another SecUnit, even though DeltFall only had three SecUnits assigned to it. That SecUnit was from GrayCris, and it was sent in by the poachers to infect the rest of the SecUnits there. That meant it got the drop on Murderbot, but luckily, Murderbot has help.Even though it told Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) and the rest of PreservationAux to return to the hopper, Mensah will return and save Murderbot from the GrayCris SecUnit. Mensah has a growing fondness for Murderbot, and she’ll decide to risk her life for it.
Once Mensah and the other members of PreservationAux return for Murderbot, however, they’ll still have some issues to face.InAll Systems Red, GrayCris' SecUnit tried to put a combat override module on Murderbot, and Murderbot had to shoot itself in the chest to prevent the override from taking effect. Despite its disdain for humans, Murderbot desperately wanted to protect PreservationAux and didn’t want to be responsible for another massacre, so it put itself out of commission the only way it could. Murderbot will also be repaired after that moment, but it will lead to some serious consequences for it.
Why Did Gurathin Sniff Mensah’s Pillow In Murderbot Episode 3?
Gurathin Is Interested In Mensah & Acts As A Parallel To Murderbot’s Awkwardness
One of the most confusing parts ofMurderbotepisode 3 came from Gurathin (David Dastmalchian). Though Gurathin stayed behind, Murderbot was able to watch him through the hub’s security feed. While watching, Murderbot saw Gurathin sneak into Mensah’s room and sniff her pillow. It was a very unsettling moment - even the famously socially awkward Murderbot said “this is truly depressing” - and it didn’t have much explanation.It seems that Gurathin is in love with Mensah, and smelling her “pheromones” is a strange way of being close to his unrequited love. This particular plotline isn’t inAll SystemsRed, however, so there’s no telling for sure.
It seems that Gurathin is in love with Mensah, and smelling her “pheromones” is a strange way of being close to his unrequited love.
It would make sense for Gurathin to have a crush on Mensah. Mensah is a very competent leader, andGurathin told Murderbot that he joined Preservation Alliance specifically because he was friends with Mensah. However, as Mensah told Murderbot, she’s already in a polyamorous relationship with several children, and she likely doesn’t share Gurathin’s romantic feelings. So, since he can’t be with her, he takes what he can get, which is smelling her pillow.
Unsettling as the moment was, watching Gurathin sniff Mensah’s pillow looks like it will be fairly important toMurderbotmoving forward.Gurathin is clearly a socially awkward and unusual person, which means he’s a perfect parallel to Murderbot itself. Both Gurathin and Murderbot have antisocial quirks - they’re both bad at talking about their feelings, as evidenced by Gurathin’s conversation with Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) - but they also both have good intentions at heart. They likely hate each other so much precisely because they’re so similarly awkward, which could be a sign thatMurderbotwill bring Gurathin and Murderbot closer together in the future.
Mensah’s Responsibilities & Motivations In Murderbot Explained
Mensah Is The Political Leader Of Preservation Alliance & Needs This Mining Operation To Remain Independent
One more moment fromMurderbotseason 1, episode 3 didn’t make much sense without some context from the books. While they were flying to DeltFall, Mensah told Murderbot that they needed to “stay economically independent” and alluded to the idea that other members of Preservation Alliance wanted to join the Corporation Rim.Murderbot doesn’t know it yet (because it didn’t care enough to read Mensah’s personnel file) but Mensah is actually the political leader of Preservation Alliance. She was sent on the survey because Preservation Alliances' leaders continue to do their main job while serving in public office, and she has to think of the entire community.
The Perimeter
July 11
Mensah’s role as the leader of Preservation Alliance makes a lot of her motivations and responsibilities clearer.PreservationAux’s survey is crucial because if they find valuable resources worth mining, Preservation Alliance will be able to maintain its independence. If the survey team doesn’t find anything, they’ll be forced to join the Corporation Rim and be subject to the rules of the objectively evilCompany inMurderbot. Mensah’s role even explains why she’s been having panic attacks inMurderbot: if this survey fails, so too will Preservation Alliance.
