Penultimate ‘Murderbot’ Episode Sets Up A Big Change For The Finale

Somehow, the end of Murderbot is almost upon us. And in the next-to-last episode of Season 1, the series takes us nearly entirely right up to the end of the first novella, All Systems Red. This penultimate episode shares its title with the first book in the series from author Martha Wells, and in terms of what we see on screen, it nearly gets us all the way to the end of the book.

But, because there’s one episode left in Murderbot, the episode “All Systems Red” clearly sets up a Season 1 finale that will either hugely expand upon the book or change aspects of the entire story of Murderbot. Here’s why the ending of Murderbot Episode 9 will lead us into uncertain territory in Episode 10. Spoilers ahead.

Though some of the specifics of “All Systems Red” differ from the climax of the first novella, the result is essentially the same. SecUnit (Alexander Skarsgård) tricks the GrayCris team, triggers the beacon that will get the PreservationAux home and is wounded so much in the process that its systems are totally offline. In the episode, Murderbot sweetly thinks to itself, “My clients are the best clients.” In the book, when it realizes everyone is safe, it tells us: “Then I let go.”

The episode ends with a cliffhanger. Murderbot appears to be damaged to the point that it is basically deceased. And, in the novella, what follows is one very brief chapter that details what comes next. The events in the novella after the crisis on the planet are resolved, unfold very quickly, and, without spoiling the book (or possibly, the show), Mesnah and SecUnit each make huge decisions that change the nature of SecUnit’s legal status and future. Basically, chapter 8 in the novella is a brief coda that sets up the next book.

But now, Murderbot the TV series is in a position to turn that brief coda into something much longer, and potentially, more complex. While the Murderbot episodes do tend to be on the short side and reflect the breezy way in which the books unfold, we’ve still got one more entire episode for the series to unpack the brief coda.

So far, Murderbot has really only deviated from the book in terms of details. In the first novella, the plot and characters of the fictitious TV show, Sanctuary Moon, aren’t presented in such detail. In Episode 9, when it thinks it’s about to save the day, Murderbot quotes from Sanctuary Moon, saying, “Boldness is all!” This doesn’t happen in the novella, and overall, the way SecUnit uses names and quotes from its favorite show in this episode is a change from the book.

But, again, in the broad strokes, the TV series has nearly come to the last few pages of the book, so what comes next will almost certainly feel different from the book, if not simply longer. The conflict and danger have passed, SecUnit appears to be fatally wounded, and what comes next either changes its canonical fate or adds a whole new layer onto a much bigger and still-unfolding story.

The Murderbot finale airs on Apple TV+ next Friday, July 11, 2025.