This article contains spoilers for “Murderbot” season 1, episode 2
Even if you’re not familiar with Martha Wells’ “The Murderbot Diaries” novel series, its Apple TV+ adaptation “Murderbot” soon makes it clear that the viewer is in for something unique. “Murderbot” revolves around a dystopian, corporate-controlled future where space travel and colonization are fueled by rampant capitalism. Its main character is a SecUnit security cyborg (Alexander Skarsgård) that has hacked its control module and is therefore technically free from obeying commands. Unfortunately, it also knows full well that it’s a bit of an outdated model, and can see extremely vividly how it would be caught and recycled for parts the minute it went fully rogue. As such, it soldiers on, fulfilling its mission of protecting a group of scientists to the best of its erratic ability, passing its downtime by binging media, struggling with budding sensations of compassion … and narrating the events around it with no small amount of cynicism.
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Apart from having all the makings of a highly entertaining sci-fi series that could very well join the ranks of the best sci-fi shows on Apple TV+, the show comes with one surprising perk. The self-appointed Murderbot’s Uncanny Valley nature and rich internal monologue make for a uniquely strange character that requires an actor who has a sculpted action hero look and the acting ability to get truly weird. As a member of the Skarsgård acting family, Alexander Skarsgård obviously has what it takes to do the latter — but because of his classic A-lister looks, roles where he can let loose the way his family members can are comparatively few and far between. “Murderbot” is the project that finally allows him to go all in on the weirdness front, and the end result is amazing.
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Alexander Skarsgård likes weird roles, and Murderbot gives him the weirdest of them all
Stellan Skarsgård can play anything from the tragically unsung Luthen Rael on “Andor” to his many roles in grim auteur dramas. His children tend to gravitate toward the Skarsgård subgenre of playing the weirdest guy in the room, which Stellan has been known to do in roles like Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies. Gustaf Skarsgård burst into the international scene as the unpredictable Floki on History’s “Vikings.” Bill Skarsgård’s CV features characters like Pennywise the Clown in Andy Muschietti’s “It” duology and Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.” Even young Valter Skarsgård isn’t wholly exempt from the family tradition, thanks to his assorted roles in horror movies and black metal historical fiction films.
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Like his brothers, Alexander Skarsgård doesn’t shy away from various shades of genre oddity (see: Eric Northman in “True Blood,” Amleth in “The Northman,” Randall Flagg on the 2018 “The Stand” miniseries). To see how committed to weirdness he can be, look no further than his wonderfully demented version of himself on “Atlanta.” However, since he looks like, well, Alexander Skarsgård, he’s more liable to be cast as Tarzan or a manipulative tech billionaire than as a high-concept monster.
Knowing this, Skarsgård must’ve been exhilarated to land the role of Murderbot. The combination of its nervous, minimalistic physicality and rich, often utterly bewildered inner monologue allows him to use his sculpted action hero look to enhance the character’s out-of-depth strangeness, and the impact is a truly memorable cybernetic weirdo. Just look at the episode 2 scene where he deftly out-awkwards David Dastmalchian of all people, and tell me that Alexander Skarsgård isn’t having the time of his life.
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“Murderbot” is now streaming on Apple TV+.