Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Murderbot Episode 8. With just two episodes left until the finale, Murderbot Episode 8 kicks off the series’ last push to the end. In the wake of last week’s chaotic violence and mental distress, “Foreign Object,” written by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz and directed by Aurora Guerrero, answers at least one of the show’s mysteries, brings Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) and the Preservation Alliance team the closest they’ve been before painfully shoving them apart again, and cranks up the existential depression as far as the dial will go. Everyone has reached their breaking point — although Murderbot, after a key emotional revelation, decides to embrace a little anarchy. The festivities start by checking in with our friends from The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Lieutenant Kulleruu (Clark Gregg) looks snazzy in a new uniform, having recently been promoted to captain in place of Captain Hossein (John Cho). Yes, Sanctuary Moon’s dashing lead has met his tragic demise — but unconventionally, since the killing blow literally arrived via Nav Bot (DeWanda Wise) decapitating him with one swipe of its arm. All things considered, Kulleruu doesn’t seem that aggrieved about their mutual lover’s lack of a head. Nor does Kulleruu share navigator Hordööp-Sklanch’s (Jack McBrayer) concerns about Nav Bot piloting the ship again mere days after murdering their commanding officer. Nav Bot’s memory wipe was successful, Kulleruu insists, and constructs can only disobey orders — like “do no harm” — when they’re malfunctioning. As proof, Kulleruu smugly orders Nav Bot to smile. In swift retaliation, Nav Bot traps the ship in an event horizon and brutally kills two security officers. Seizing Kulleruu, Nav Bot seethes about Hossein — how the only human to show it kindness also ruined its life, because Hossein’s love taught Nav Bot how to feel affection in return. Without him, Nav Bot’s existence is meaningless. Before crushing Kulleruu’s skull between its hands, Nav Bot commands him to smile. Extreme? Yes. Cathartic for femme-presenting people who know how the “smile” demands feel? Absolutely.
An Enemy Emerges From the Shadows in ‘Murderbot’ Episode 8

Image via Apple TV+

As for Murderbot, it chuckles at such an out-of-left-field twist, but, per usual, must address offscreen inconveniences before it can watch the next episode. Priority one is safely escorting a feverish Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) into the medbay of the Preservation Alliance habitat. By now, their anonymous enemies must be lying in wait, ready to turn the entire team into ducks in a shooting gallery. Observing the habitat from a distance, Murderbot retrieves a transponder from a nearby tree branch, having stashed it away earlier in case they needed to access data from the habitat’s surveillance cameras. That caution proves warranted, since the interior is swarming with three top-of-the-line SecUnits and a group of humans from — drum roll — GrayCris, a mining company no one knows about beyond their title. A woman (Amanda Brugel), likely GrayCris’ leader, addresses a camera and owns up to sabotaging the team’s mission. But oh, it’s all a terrible misunderstanding! She works the “if you want to leave this planet, we have to collaborate” angle for all it’s worth, transmitting a rendezvous place and time before leaving.
Murderbot and the Humans Are Even More Estranged in Episode 8

Murderbot suspects that GrayCrisis is monitoring the habitat from afar or has installed traps on their way out (or both). Grabbing one of the hopper’s big guns, it completes a thorough scan and declares the habitat safe — and not a moment too soon, since Gurathin’s leg wound has developed “necrotizing” gas gangrene. Gurathin refuses to take painkillers before Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) and the automated equipment tag-team an operation, referencing his past with substance addiction. As Murderbot moves to restrain Gurathin at the latter’s request, the two simultaneously concoct the same idea: if Murderbot hardwires into Gurathin’s augmented system, it can “block the central nervous system [and] stop the pain.” Don’t think Murderbot has gone soft for its nemesis, though. It just has zero interest in listening to Gurathin scream his lungs out for 10 straight minutes.

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While they’re sort of sharing a brain, Murderbot, of course, decides to snoop around Gurathin’s head. Human thoughts and memories feel surprisingly soothing, almost dreamlike, compared to Murderbot’s programming. Gurathin loves the entire group, but Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) exists at the center of his mind, revered as his “better” yet forever out of reach. Caught up in Gurathin’s unrequited pining, Murderbot doesn’t notice until it’s too late that Gurathin sneaked past its defenses in return. Horrified, Gurathin announces its chosen name to the room. Everyone fails to see the humor in “Murderbot,” especially once Gurathin offers his interpretation of those distorted images that have haunted this SecUnit all season: “It murdered 57 members of a mining expedition that it was assigned to protect.” Distraught, vulnerable, and panicking, Murderbot vehemently denies the accusation. Those could be implanted memories, or someone manipulated it with a combat override module — or, like Gurathin posits, our favorite construct is just defective and useless. Even though the sentiment hits Murderbot like a ton of bricks to the heart, it smooths out its anguished expression, activates its helmet, and wordlessly stomps out the door. Huddled close together, PreservationAux watches Murderbot leave, not sharing consensus, but expressing the opinions we expect: some supportive, some scared, some uncertain, and a vindicated Gurathin snapping “good riddance.” Mensah’s soul has also taken a beating, but since “their” SecUnit can decide for itself, they need to accept its choice and focus on figuring out GrayCris’ goals. Based on what they know, the only sensible answer lies with the planetary alien remnants. GrayCris wants to harvest and profit off the illegal materials, and massacring the DeltFall team eliminates potential eyewitnesses or competition. However, unlike PreservationAux, they haven’t pinpointed where the remnants are yet – hence, sparing our heroes long enough to either fool them into revealing the location or torture it out of them.
Murderbot Decides To Write Its Own Story in Episode 8

While this discussion unfolds, Murderbot, “wander[ing] around aimlessly” by its own admission, acknowledges how unexpectedly, annoyingly, and distressingly difficult its dilemma has become. On the one hand, not helping its dim-witted clients guarantees their deaths. On the other hand, it’s no longer required to fix someone else’s problem — and leaving PreservationAux to their fate might be best, since “it was pretty clear I revolted them.” (Excuse me for a minute while I cry.) On yet another hand, Murderbot’s main obstacle remains unchanged: it can’t leave the planet without another person’s help. Everyone, it seems, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Back at the habitat, Arada (Tattiawna Jones) and Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) distract themselves by agreeing there’s no time like the about-to-die present to iron out their relationship hiccups. As soon as they decide to break the unfortunate break-up news to Ratthi (Akshay Khanna), the man in question drops by their room. Since he wants to live his final hours as honestly as possible, Ratthi confesses that their arrangement hasn’t been fair — because he’s fallen in love with Pin-Lee, and Pin-Lee only. Although it’s a challenge picking which spouse is more surprised by this newsflash, Pin-Lee doesn’t seem against an adjusted contract, either — provided they survive long enough. Murderbot, still walking and stressing, cycles through its favorite episodes like a restless channel-surfer. For perhaps the first time, it can’t focus on any of its escapist comfort shows; it’s too caught up in the saga of “Murderbot and Its Selfish, Ungrateful, Hippie Clients” instead. Now, there’s an idea: what if Murderbot wrote its own story, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style, instead of following everyone else’s script? Cut to Gurathin, Mensah, and Bharadwaj tossing out one terrible plan after another. With zero warning, Murderbot scares the living crap out of them by striding back through the habitat’s front door and announcing — helmet down, this time — it has a plan. That’s a statement Gurathin can only respond to with a quiet, “F*ck.” New episodes of Murderbot premiere on Fridays on Apple TV+.

Murderbot

Murderbot, after a key emotional revelation, decides to embrace a little anarchy in Episode 8.

Release Date

May 15, 2025

Network

Apple TV+

Directors

Aurora Guerrero, Roseanne Liang

Pros & Cons

The ensemble’s performances have never been better.
Alexander Skarsgård delivers one of his most nuanced scenes yet.
The series continues to deftly balance sincerity and dark comedy.