What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves (Season Finale)

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 10 “The Beginning” (B-)

This episode was a bit of a mess, and the ending was visually jarring and a bit hard to decipher in a way that does not make me more curious about what’s going to happen in the future. What I did find most compelling was that Father realized he was feeling jealous, and he wanted to have his memories wiped because he thought that would be the only way to be okay being around Mother. He’s also been well aware of what his role is in the family unit, and with Mother reproducing and him not being involved, his skill at joke-telling and solving problems doesn’t really hold up. Mother made some surprising discoveries of her own, and I imagine that anyone who’s not too fond of snakes probably wasn’t too happy with what occurred over the course of this episode. I think that Mother and Father were always fated to raise these children, and we saw that, even after Hunter had a chance of heart, it was Paul who proved to be the true believer and turned his weapon on his own mother after he realized – apparently as a result of Saul talking to him – that Sue was not actually who she claimed to be. There’s something very unsettling about the “Saul, guide my hand” cry that the Mithraic like to invoke since it indicates a disconnect between what a person is doing and any responsibility that they bear for its consequences. I’m really not too sure what season two will look like but I feel like I’ve invested a good amount of time in this show, so perhaps I’ll return to see what adventures come next when this show comes back.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Abubakar Salim as Father

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 9 “Umbilical” (B-)

Two camps are clearly forming, with all of the children that Mother “rescued” from the ark aligning themselves with the maternal necromancer, which was far from guaranteed even one episode ago. The religious zealots seemed excited by the idea of punishing Sue as an example but quickly tired of Marcus’ obsession with her, and his decision to kill the man who was supposed to be on watch when Hunter and Father got away didn’t turn out too well for him. It’s about time that Lucius finally confirmed that Marcus isn’t who he says he is, and his desire to pray for those who were impure was an obvious giveaway. No one important seems to truly die on this show, and so it’s not yet clear whether Marcus is indeed gone. I would have thought that the actual Mithraic believers hated Mother more than Marcus did, but his behavior lately has indicated such an opposition to her despite the fact that he doesn’t, or at least didn’t, truly adhere to the faith. Mother and Sue had an intriguing conversation about motherhood and human emotion, and Sue seemed shocked that Mother asked her why she cared about Paul. She surprised Mother when she decided to save her, and I suspect that Sue will soon come to see what the children have regarding their adoptive matriarch. It’s good to have Father back, and I like that the mere start of a joke was enough to show Campion that it was really him. I’m glad that the prisoner is dead after indulging in more predatory and alarmingly powerful behavior, and now this camp is just going to have to face off against those who really want to lure them away from what they see as a horrible influence, which may just be a better environment for them than continued Mithraic indoctrination.

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 8 “Mass” (C+)

This episode opening with brutal, disturbing scene, one which I now see was symbolic of how Marcus feels that he’s coming apart and losing his sense of self. He and Sue have diverged completely on their perspectives, and hearing him pray before setting fire to the church indicates both that he’s become a true believer of sorts and a man determined to do everything possible to preserve his power. That includes locking his wife in a tower in full view of all of his loyal supporters, crying out to Saul that she has lost her faith. Fortunately, Paul is a good egg, and he was already making sure to give Campion fungus before he realized just how poorly his father was treating his mother. It was interesting to see how Campion kept himself focused by reciting jokes one after another, and I liked his sarcastic response to Paul’s suggestion that he start digging. Father really has been reprogrammed, communicating in Morse code “Saul is the answer” and then trying to kill Campion when he found him out in the snow. The biggest revelation came to a startled and unhappy Mother that she is intended to give birth, with Campion and all the other babies merely practice for the ultimate mission to create a future for humanity. That could at least be worthwhile as a new direction for this show, especially if Sue, then Lucius and maybe even Marcus become aware of it, and I’m hopeful that the final two episodes of this season.

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 7 “Faces” (C+)

I’m becoming less and less convinced that this show is headed somewhere interesting, which makes the prospect of a second season, which this show was renewed for today, not all that appealing. We knew that both Mother and Father had been reprogrammed so that they would function as parents, and now, after that, attempts are being made to once again change their prime directives. That worked immediately on Father, who Campion was devastated to see wasn’t the same ally he had always been able to rely on, while Mother was able to resist and even shared some damaging information about Marcus that should have completely outed him as an impostor. It’s hard to believe that Lucius, faithful servant that he might be, would be so blind to every clear sign that Marcus isn’t a true believer, and hearing explicitly from Mother that he is an atheist posing as the man he sees before him should have been the last straw that convinced him to take charge. Sue doesn’t even want to pretend anymore, and her love for Paul is likely to going to result in her sharing the truth with him, which I have a feeling won’t go well. Campion is not happy to conform and accept the religion that’s being pushed on him, and given Mother’s resilience even while she no longer had her eyes or anything resembling the upper hand, I think this temporary settlement is very much at risk of collapsing. It would be worthwhile to see Marcus consider using Mother to his advantage and reframing what remains of society on this planet in a way that aligns more closely to his actual worldview, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 6 “Lost Paradise” (B-)

There’s something that has confused me about the programming of the androids since the very first episode, when Mother left Marcus alive. Shooting guns at the Mithraic soldiers (in Father’s case) and exploding them with her voice (in Mother’s) seem like they would run counter to their instincts unless they truly believe, or have been programmed to believe, that they can better take care of the children than their own human parents. Maybe it’s that they’re so evolved and can sense that even the two who feel a bond with their child aren’t actually biologically connected to Paul at all. I am continually intrigued by how the androids are affected by whatever force it is on this planet that haunts them with reminders of Tally, and Marcus experienced his own inexplicable barrier when he was unable to finish the job and kill Mother. Trapping her in a simulation loop was a smart plan, though her strength, even while she was distracted and seduced by Campion, was formidable, shattering that energy-draining mirror and lifting rocks with more precision that Yoda or Luke Skywalker ever could. I do realize now where I know the older Campion from – actor Cosmo Jarvis delivered a memorable turn in the film “The Evening Hour,” which I saw at Sundance. Hunter didn’t hesitate to broadcast Father’s location and get him shot, showing firmly which side he’s on. I’m not sure exactly where things go from here with both androids seemingly subdued, but we do have four episodes left in the season.

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 5 “Infected Memory” (B)

It might not be a great indicator of how I perceive this show that I value the flashback scenes most, but I think that’s mainly because I’m always interested in how societies changed and are undone by catastrophic events, sometimes more than the post-apocalyptic reality that sets in after the damage happens. There’s also the factor of Mother using a simulator that is specifically designed for humans and therefore might be altering her perception of what she’s seeing, but I think all that means is that she’s able to eject herself from it if, say, she suddenly becomes aware that her child is in danger. Learning that Campion was the name of the hacker who saved and reprogrammed her is enlightening, and perhaps prescient because his namesake would be the only one to survive. She killed the baby that was an android and presumably didn’t kill him when he gave her back her eyes, and seeing all this play out may help her have a more lenient attitude towards the Mithraic search party that’s absolutely ready to take her out to rescue the children in her care. It’s unclear how she is hallucinating just like Father, and I don’t think she’ll be able to realize that his earlier distraction isn’t just a limitation in his processing power but a threat that’s somehow able to influence androids along with humans. With Lucius’ help, Marcus made fast work of the next challenge to his leadership, and now he’s completely in charge. Sue’s concern with not forgetting their real identities seems misplaced since they’re never going to be able to be their true selves unless they plan on killing their Mithraic colleagues after the eventual retrieval of the children. The prisoner who claims that Saul commanded him to be fruitful earned a thought-provoking sentence from Marcus, one that does indeed put him in proximity to more he could hurt but assures his eventual sacrifice should they need to send someone ahead to the android who hates being called a necromancer.

What I’m Watching: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 4 “Nature’s Course” (B)

This show is very much interested in exploring notions of good and evil, with no one person falling decisively in a particular camp. The only one who might is Campion, who wants to honor his mother, respect his father, and provide for his new siblings without taking the life on an animal. The religious notion that animals don’t go somewhere after they die but humans do is an intriguing one that evidently stuck with the children, and one of them even continues to adhere to the prohibition he has as a cleric against killing. Mother’s approach has become increasingly gentle since she is aware of how the children might rebel if she used intimidation and terror instead, but she also took the important step of removing the trackers from each of them so that the survivors of the ark wouldn’t be able to find them. Father wanted to make sure he was useful in providing food for the children, but he also sought to help them provide for themselves, fully aware in a way that Mother doesn’t seem to accept that they will eventually malfunction or expire. Sue made a mistake when she didn’t know a very popular Mithraic song, the last piece of confirmation needed to out both her and Marcus as imposters. Fortunately, Marcus found a way to viscerally and enduringly take care of Ambrose and make himself a more stable commander, and it seems that, even though he too was asked about the song, Lucius is going to trust and follow them.

Take Three: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 3 “Virtual Faith” (B-)

I’m trying to figure out if this is a show I want to continue to watch, since the premise does intrigue me but the execution is inconsistent. Opening with Mother telling the story of the wolf blowing the house down was quite on the nose for her continued narrative of the threats outside their camp, which of coursed turned out to be much truer than she ever thought with those creatures roaming around and attacking them. Asking Father to deactivate her if she did in fact kill the kids was an interesting turn of events, but she quickly returned to using her eyes and setting out to first find meds and then the missing Paul, leaving a path of destruction in her midst. Father is also confused about his purpose since he needs to be of use to the family, which is something he hasn’t felt in a while given Campion’s rebellious nature and Mother’s frightening shift. It turns out that the ark had plenty of survivors, including Sue, who I now realize is played by an actress I’ve been watching in another HBO Max show, Niahm Algar from “Pure.” I was also excited to see Matias Varela, the standout of season three of “Narcos,” as Lucius, who nearly caught Marcus in a lie before he came to his own defense with a reference to their deity. Otherwise, he’s not doing a great job of keeping his cover, and his playful behavior in the simulation during their journey was also indicative to his son that he had indeed changed. The emphasis on military hierarchy is excessive, especially when it comes to carrying a man on a throne through the desert, and I think that’s one system that’s going to cripple as Mother continues to pursue them and they inevitably encounter the creatures who are also roaming the planet.

Round Two: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves: Season 1, Episode 2 “Pentagram” (B)

I appreciated the fact that this episode opened with a flashback to 22nd-century Earth to give us more context about how civilization as we know it died. I’m not sure whether that will always be the case or if this was all the information we needed, but I did find it informative and helpful. My biggest question from episode one was why Mother allowed Marcus to live, which at that point I assumed was because he didn’t pose a direct threat to her. Now I think it may be because she was aware that he’s not a true believer, though I don’t know if that tracks because some of Campion’s new siblings are definitely firm adherents. The ritualistic uniforms and prayer groups aboard the ship were eerily reminiscent of the cultish nature of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and the notion of the ship as a heaven and prayer as means of absolution indicates that its leaders do believe that they’ll be saved once they flee their broken and destroyed planet. Mother wasn’t subtle about banning religion in her home, and the children very quickly surrendered the objects that were most meaningful to them. Learning that Father, who I’m glad to see is back up and operational, is a service android while Mother has considerably greater abilities makes a lot of sense, and the notion that her killing power comes only from her eyes is intriguing. Campion is really the heart of this show who should be able to see the good and bad of both the atheists and the religious devotees, with some help from his compassionate Father. I thought Marcus might surrender himself to them but it seems like he’s been found by survivors from his ship, presumably another landing party, and hopefully he can advise them not to stage the same kind of assault that got everyone else killed.

Pilot Review: Raised by Wolves

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.