Murderbot Episode 2 Recap: What is Mensah’s role in the team?

After the action-packed first episode of Murderbot, Apple TV’s original series based on Martha Wells' beloved books, Episode 2 takes a slower, more introspective route. And while that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it definitely gives us time to dive deeper into the characters and emotional undertones, especially our confused, dry-witted robot, Murderbot.

But let’s be honest. Murderbot isn’t exactly built for slow emotional journeys. It functions best in fast-paced, high-stakes scenarios. So, is this change of pace good or bad? Let’s break it down.

Episode 2 picks up right where we left off. After a whirlwind of chaos in the pilot, everyone is on edge. Murderbot may have saved lives, but the group still doesn’t fully trust it. Why? Well, for starters, it's a half-machine killer who watches soap operas and pretends to be in stasis while secretly eavesdropping.

So yeah… understandable.

Mensa decides to leave Murderbot back at the hub, and that decision raises eyebrows.

One big reason? Gathen. He’s clearly envious of Murderbot and isn’t thrilled about trusting a company-owned security unit. His suspicion makes sense. Murderbot did go off-script recently, acting way more emotionally than a killing machine should.

With Murderbot “asleep,” the team thinks they can explore blank spots on the map without being watched. Their plan? Head off in a hopper to scan suspicious zones. What they don’t know is that Murderbot is still listening and faking its shutdown to avoid being thrown in an acid tank.

Classic sneaky robot.

Some think it’s going haywire. Others wonder if it’s just too advanced. Even Mensah, who’s always been sympathetic, has her doubts.

She once visited Murderbot at night and could feel its emotional distress. That’s not supposed to happen with machines. So… is this a glitch? Or is Murderbot becoming something new?

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Grothan’s awkward one-on-one chat

Grothan takes the opportunity to have a private chat with Murderbot. And it's... weird.

Grothan rambles about how awkward the phrase "eye contact" is, and Murderbot just wants the conversation to end. When Grothan starts digging into SEC unit behavior, Murderbot knows this isn’t small talk; it’s an interrogation.

When pressed, Murderbot reveals something major: it doesn’t remember why it was refurbished. The company wiped its memory. That alone is enough to raise suspicions. What are they hiding?

Murderbot tries to connect with Arada by asking about her children, something it picked up from its favorite show, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. But humans misread its intentions.

While others huddle in warmth and care, Murderbot’s left behind, emotionally and literally. It’s clearly affected, though it’d rather fast-forward through all the mushy stuff.

Let’s just say... it backfires.

Murderbot gives Grothan a hilarious form of revenge. Instead of revealing private info, it plays back a steamy memory of Arada, Pin Lee, and Rathy signing a throuple contract and doing things no cyborg wants in its archive.

Moral of the story? Don’t snoop in a sentient bot’s brain.

Mensa and Baradwage explore a strange part of the map and send a drone over a crater surrounded by dead centipedes. Weird, right?

When the drone flies over the hole, it gets blown to bits. Whatever’s down there isn’t friendly.

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Alien remnants or evil corporation?

The team wonders, could this be a site with ancient alien tech? Or is the company secretly guarding something powerful?

The idea that alien synthetics could be tampering with the map is chilling. But it’s also possible the company destroyed the drone to keep people away.

Either way, the crater is dangerous, and now, everyone knows it.

Mensah didn’t want the whole crew to join her hike. So, she went mostly alone, with Baradwage. When she panics mid-hike, Murderbot senses her distress from afar.

The moment is touching. This machine actually seems worried. Not just protective, emotionally affected.

Murderbot is furious it wasn’t allowed to tag along. And when Mensa nearly gets attacked by a giant centipede, it’s practically clawing at its restrictions.

Luckily, the creature backs off. But the danger was real.

This is the second time Murderbot has saved someone. Slowly, the group's attitude is shifting. They still don’t fully trust it, but they can’t deny it’s been protecting them.

Mensah tries contacting another survey group… But there’s no answer. Worse? One of their members is dead, and so is their SEC unit.

That’s terrifying.

If the company’s behind this, why would they kill their own assets? Or is a new, hidden threat in play?

They’re in deeper danger than ever. Alien tech, corporate sabotage, dead teams... and a security bot that may or may not be developing feelings.

One thing’s for sure: they better stop underestimating Murderbot. Because the biggest threat? Might not even be from this planet.

Episode 2 of Murderbot might have slowed things down, but it gave us a lot more than surface-level action. We saw a vulnerable side of our cynical robot hero, the brewing tension within the team, and a creepy new mystery in the crater. Whether the threat is alien, corporate, or something else entirely, we’re hooked.

And Murderbot? It might be malfunctioning… Or it might just be becoming more than a machine.

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