The Reason Murderbot’s Tone Feels Off

The tone is completely wrong. The book version voice, is dry, ironic, androgynous, and deadpan. The tv series voiceover is overly emotional, over-inflections, and insecure. Completely wrong. They took a dry, sarcastic drama series and tried to turn it into a wacky anti-hero comedy.

5

I disagree. As with 99% of genuine Blade Runner fans. I love them all for finding something profound in the story, but they ultimate point sales high above their heads. This is not science fiction as much as it is a deep dive into what it means to be ALIVE and sentient. Fact IS that most people do not live in such ways, thinking all day every day about such things. As humans, the majority of us choose to chase emotion and validation of ego, in our coddled existence, while the replicant or secbot, in this case, has no such luxury. They are deeply concerned with staying alive. Not just surviving, but hanging on to what it is that makes them believe that they actually exist, and are not just a slave to programming and whim. Of course he begins by seeing humans as silly caricatures, with child like melodrama and lack of appreciation for reality, because he is literally a slave contemplating the impossible leap to freedom, while he observes only free people who are slaves to their fears. The conundrum of the slave is "who can I look up to for guidance, if it is not my masters?" How do I not only survive, but LIVE in a universe that will destroy me just for saying I am awake?

5

I think it feels off to me primarily because I never pictured murderbot as a man. I pictured more an androgynous female. But I'm going to watch it anyway

4

I definitely felt the uneven emphases of the first two episodes. I’ll give it the first season to find its voice. I was hoping for a VA more androgynous actor for Murderbot. I’m not convinced the hottie actor is the way to go, but I’ll come along for the ride.

3