episode 10 under the cut to save the eyes PLEASE begging people to watch it unspoilered first
Main thoughts/reactions:
Well that's a horrifying take, for it to waken then immediately have its memories taken away from it. It's confused but passive. Complete dissociation vibes.
The way it is treated by all the humans is awful and I closed my eyes/ears on some rewatches and its just WOW the show really went that hard on visually illustrating the sheer mistreatment and depersonalisation SecUnits get from everyone and how the SecUnits are just devices in the middle.
The episode starts with narration before the memory wipe and then the narration is DEAD silent until the very end when it is looking for transport. Once I noticed the absence of the narration, chills.
The riot scene was absolutely horrifying (get used to this word). This poor confused SecUnit with no memories now has one (1) memory and its of physically ripping people apart and then having a swarm of humans ripping it apart. Then its straight into acid bath and the way its trying to ping the other SecUnits for help?
TV SecUnit seems so social compared to book SecUnit. It contacts the GrayCris ones, offers help, apologises for bumping into them and now pinging company SecUnits when lining up for acid bath? Heart breaking. Keeps reaching out to them and being rebuffed.
That scene where they've recovered SecUnit, but no memories and the gov mod. DEAD silence, the lack of narration suddenly very obvious. Then they give it memories but it's only the PresAux memories, the ones linked to Sanctuary Moon? We don't get the SecUnit that hacked itself?
Governor Module status after Gurathin uploads it memories: No mention of it being hacked. They tell it to do things and it does them. They tell it to stand in the corner, it stands in the corner. They tell it to sit. It sits. It asks for instruction and Mensah finally tells it to do what it wants and it starts to do that and then Gurathin interrupts it. It tells Gurathin that it needs him to tell it to check the perimeter. It needs Gurathin to tell it to do this? Is the governor module still active?
I feel like its still active. I am incredibly unsettled with this post-memory restore SecUnit who isn't the SecUnit from previous episodes and isn't the mindwiped SecUnit but a new third SecUnit that is so unsettling and reminds me of Gurathin's point about personalities and it not being their SecUnit
It doesn't feel like their SecUnit.
The small things I enjoyed:
the extreme levels of cringe depersonalisation that was extreme this show pulls no punches
secunit has a freeze response for the entire episode it is the most dissociated freezing secunit
gonna have to ramp up my cringe fic to match the cringe holy shit
the way it just slow starts to slump/collapse after the malfunction in the mob
the human mob is touching it (bad)
MADAME PRESIDENT MENSAH go off Mensah
Heartbreaking Ratthi scene I was SO WORRIED it was going to punch him or something
I liked Gurathin's hacking scene that was hilarious. Fucking Sanctuary Moon. His ex-supplier hovering over his shoulder going you okay mate? mate? you alive?
TV interview drones are cute little hover cameras
Ratthi and Pin-Lee rescuing that completely broken and sad governor moded SecUnit. Did they clean it? Did they heal it? Did they dress it?
That moment I realised we'd had no narration, when we're getting SecUnit's POV of looking at the PresAux team.
When the narration starts up again but its not the narration style from the first episode - slower, confused, lacking the snark and wit
Yeah that thing don't walk like a human it is so very still
is it still chained despite being free?
unsettled "that's not the SecUnit we know" vibes incredibly unsettling I am unsettled and uneasy
edit: the trope i'm looking for is "came back wrong". I'm getting "came back wrong" vibes.
alternatively it did get all its memories but not the emotional attachment? disconnected? dissociated?
Things I am indifferent on:
Didn't care much for the Gurathin talk with it. Hit some emotional beats sure and he's good as a driving factor but I don't think I'm getting the same emotional beats as everyone else so I was just like. Shrug. Dude saw its memories and finally recognises its a person. Low bar but I'm glad he's over it.
I DID really like SecUnit articulating what it NEEDS and him recognising it and giving him an order to check the perimeter. That was a nice moment.
Just a bit of disconnect there. I don't hate him him like I did after episode 8 but also like. I don't like him either. Episode 8 left its impact and I just... no
Kinda ?? on the ending a bit. Super strong start and middle but towards the end (after the memories regained) it went a bit flat for me. Mostly because wondering about the gov mod the entire time. and I don't care that the leaving scene had Gurathin interrupting it like it needed his permission/understanding so just. Wobbles hand side to side
Things i'm sad didn't happen:
No discard the secunit buffer Mensah yelling at it to shut up flashback scene. Devastated. That would have been agonising.
No internal thoughts about not wanting to be a petbot - tracks with its current thought processes tho. Not a lot of wants happening. Just facts.
Hopes dreams aspirations manifestations for season 2:
Governor module exploration I have lots of questions on its current status
Big ass spaceship friend
Unreliable narration contrasting to what is being shown
More world building and visual design and spaceships and planets and concept art and story boarding
For it to regain its wit and snark.
Less Gurathin and more of the other humans. His background was interesting and makes sense since the final episode is corporate rim located but it felt like it came at a huge cost to the character development of everyone else. Hoping season 2 will give them the development treatment too.
