Finally watching Murderbot

[soc_puppet]

Mom got AppleTV so she, Dad, and I could watch Murderbot together. We watched the first two episodes tonight.

And don't get me wrong! It's very good! I just.

It's very tonally different from the books? A lot more tense/intense? And since my ADHD means I have trouble switching away from the mood of whatever I just read/watched/whatever...

I am honestly glad for reasons other than story integrity that there's only ten episodes in a season for Murderbot.

Again, good show! Well adapted! Love the cast! Bad fit for me personally. I'll probably stick it out for the rest of the season, but when taken with my homework stress... This is just not a good time for it for me. I may have a conversation with my parents instead.

Comments

[mistressofmuses]

I haven't gotten a chance to watch it, though I definitely hope to.

But it's funny that you mention the tone... because part of the impression I got from the trailer and the handful of scenes I've seen gif'd and quoted gave me the opposite impression: that there was a tonal mismatch that made the show feel *less* serious, and more comedic/almost silly. (To the point I wasn't sure I even did want to watch it, even though I saw a lot of people really enjoying it.) Apparently my impression was wrong!

I'm sorry it wasn't a good fit for you, though. :/

[soc_puppet]

Honestly, it might just be the soundtrack? There are definitely sillier moments than in the book, but even then there's a kind of. Heart-beat like sound in the background most of the time, and I feel like even being able to turn that one element off would improve things for me.

Anyway, watched the next two episodes tonight, and I think I did better, though it still stole all of my doing-homework ability. I'll probably try and skip tomorrow night, maybe Tuesday as well.

[mistressofmuses]

I'm sorry that the soundtrack bothers you. That's unfortunate!

I'm glad you did a little better with the later episodes, but I'm sorry it doesn't work well for you.

[soc_puppet]

I'm going to stick through the rest of the season, but unlike the books, I don't think it'll be something I revisit all that often.

And it happens; this is definitely a better adaptation as these things go, but nothing works for everyone.

[gwydion]

I had trouble with the tonal shift and seeing Murderbot's face and just generally how gendered Alexander Skarsguard is even without genitalia. It got easier after the first couple episodes, I think, but yeah there are a bunch of differences.

(People are mostly earlier on their arcs too, which takes adjusting too, and there is a lot more fleshing out on Gurathin. Also some characters are combined to simplify main cast, and they make a really noticeable change to the plot at two points, but I get those bits as part of adaptation. I actually liked both plot changes, but I wish I'd been braced for them).

I did end up really liking it, and either the tone evened out or I got used to it. It's hard to tell. I do think it's worth sticking with to see if you vibe with it better further in once you get over the tonal shock. You might not, but you might.

Either way, best of luck and you are certainly not alone in your response.

[soc_puppet]

Yeah, I'm planning to at least stick it out through the end of the season, and probably give all future seasons at least one watch-through. Unlike the books, I don't think it'll be a series I revisit regularly, though.

[gwydion]

Understandable