Murderbot review — Episode 3 — Risk Assessment: How a low-budget space opera saved the day

Episode 3 of Murderbot, appropriately titled Risk Assessment, picks up with Murderbot and the Preservation team traveling to investigate the DeltFall habitat after losing contact. It’s supposed to be a straightforward risk evaluation (but of course, nothing stays simple).

Almost immediately, the episode builds tension between Murderbot’s calculated detachment and the very human tendency of its companions to project emotions onto it, trying to read feelings that simply aren’t there.

It’s an awkward dance between humans who want connection and a construct who just wants to get the job done (and maybe sneak in a few more episodes of its favorite series).

Murderbot learns a lesson: when cheap TV becomes a survival tool

What really makes this episode click is the way Murderbot’s media habits pay off in the most unexpected way. When it starts analyzing the situation, the facts don’t line up. The murder scene feels staged, the attack patterns too clean, the setup too convenient. That’s when Murderbot’s mind jumps to Strife in the Galaxy, a cheap, low-budget space opera it normally scoffs at as an “inferior effort.”

It’s precisely because the DeltFall disaster feels like one of those contrived soap opera plots that Murderbot realizes something bigger is at play. Someone has overridden one of the SecUnits.

It’s a clever twist because it reframes what might otherwise seem like a quirky side detail (Murderbot’s obsession with media) into something that genuinely matters. All those hours of watching bad fiction have sharpened its instincts in ways pure programming could never achieve. Completely relatable, Murderbot, we get you!

It’s also a subtle commentary on how (some of us) humans dismiss entertainment as frivolous, when in fact stories help shape the way we read the world. For Murderbot, bad space operas become an unlikely training ground for survival.

Again, I see you, Murderbot.

A machine that doesn't want to be human

Alongside this, the episode keeps circling back to the tension between humans and machines. Murderbot doesn’t want to be human, doesn’t need to be human, and yet everyone keeps trying to crack open its shell, to prove it has feelings, to force emotional resonance where none exists.

It’s a running joke, but also a sharp commentary on how humans can’t help but anthropomorphize anything they interact with. Murderbot’s dry, dismissive reactions to this give the episode its best humor and emotional bite. And since it gets me bored, I can imagine what it thinks about that, poor Murderbot.

There’s a particularly telling moment when one of the crew members asks Murderbot if it’s scared. Murderbot’s internal reaction is both exasperated and hilarious. No, it’s not scared, it’s running combat assessments.

For us, viewers, it’s a reminder of just how far the gap is between what humans want to see and what’s actually there. Murderbot isn’t struggling with its humanity; the humans are struggling with its lack of it (and a lot with themselves).

Looking ahead to the bigger stakes in Murderbot

I think the major strength of Risk Assessment is how it sets up the larger story arc. The ending cliffhanger isn’t just about immediate danger; it signals that the Preservation team might be stepping into a web of corporate sabotage and manipulation that’s bigger than they realized.

Murderbot’s realization that someone has been overriding SecUnits points to a deeper conspiracy, raising the stakes for the episodes ahead. Instead of relying solely on combat scenes or flashy visuals, the series builds suspense through small details, corrupted systems, falsified reports, unexpected patterns, and lets the audience feel like part of the investigation.

Final verdict

The pacing holds things back slightly. There’s a stretch in the middle where the plot lingers too long in setup and repetitive interactions, almost like it’s buying time before the final confrontation.

When that ending hits, though, with Murderbot facing a sudden armed threat just before the credits roll, it lands with the kind of punch that makes you lean forward, ready for the next episode. But having to wait isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’s still early in the season, and while I think the short format works overall, the slow pacing leading up to the reveal can’t become a constant trick.

Risk Assessment might not be the tightest or most explosive episode so far, but it delivers where it matters. Murderbot’s unique voice, its reluctant bond with the humans, and its unexpectedly useful knowledge of low-grade sci-fi give the story a clever edge.

Rating with a touch of flair: 4 out of 5 improbable plot twists only a bad space opera could predict.