One of the coolest things about Apple TV+’s newest science fiction series, Murderbot, is the way the show effortlessly blends comedic, down-to-earth dialogue with high-stakes action. And the upcoming fourth episode of the series is no exception. In Episode 4, “Escape Velocity Protocol,” things get even more tense for the PreservationAux team, and Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) is in over its head as other rogue units, seemingly from the rival DeltFall expedition, are attacking with deadly force.
There are 10 episodes in total in Murderbot Season 1, so with the debut of Episode 4, we’re still very much at the beginning. But the story truly heats up here, because some members of the team — specifically Ratthi (Akshay Khanna), Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu), and Arada (Tattiawna Jones) — have taken it upon themselves to try and rescue their leader, Dr. Mensah (Noma Dumezweni). But this isn’t a shoot-em-up action sci-fi show, at least not if Ratthi is holding the weapon. Just because he thinks he’s Mr. Cool, the episode proves he’s very much not.
Inverse is pleased to present this exclusive preview clip from Murderbot Episode 4, “Escape Velocity Protocol,” which demonstrates that Ratthi is not ready for action and that this show is committed to creating hilarious and realistic sci-fi conflict.
Exclusive Clip: Murderbot Episode 4
Without giving away any major spoilers, this episode is a big one for the Murderbot story, but it also highlights many of the characters who are not Murderbot itself or Dr. Mensah. Ratthi is charging into action, but he’s totally unfamiliar with how this energy weapon works. This makes sense, he’s a wormhole expert, not a tough security guy.
The context for all of this is fairly hilarious, though. Because Ratthi has recently entered into a throuple with Pin-Lee and Arada, he’s definitely trying to prove himself in a very cliche, macho way. This is why it’s somewhat perfect that Pin-Lee knows their way around that weapon better than Ratthi, affirming one of the story’s key themes: All of these humans would be lost without Murderbot, but none of the humans fall into easy-to-define tropes either.
