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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Do mechanical monsters have subjectivity? The pilot episode of HBO Max’s Raised by Wolves is titled “Raised by Wolves,” written by series creator Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband, Prisoners) and directed by executive producer Ridley Scott (Alien, The Martian).
Some spoilers ahead for those who have not yet seen this episode. If you have not done so, get to that now, then return to this article!
This first episode of HBO Max’s newest science-fiction drama series is compelling. Combining the Prisoners screenwriter’s and the legendary Blade Runner and Prometheus director’s filmmaking abilities, this pilot provides a thrilling yet terrifying futuristic space-age tale about a new civilization for technological and human beings alike. Narrated by protagonist Campion (Winta McGrath), “Raised by Wolves” centers on a couple of androids — named Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim) — who raise a group of human embryos on an extrasolar planet named Kepler-22b; although they soon discover that they need to take care of themselves. According to Campion:
We were the first, the pioneers, but we weren’t scared. We knew that whatever had happened, Mother and Father would always keep us safe … I learned that this world is not like Mother and Father. It doesn’t care if we’re happy, and it doesn’t get sad when we die.
The show’s two androids are incapable of raising their children, and their neglect is showcased whenever they are put in life-threatening danger. Despite being unfit, they still try to be parents. Mother teaches them of “atheist, peaceful, technocratic” beliefs, while Father is more human than she such as having the tendency to make attempts at witty banter. Campion claims that “[they] never got tired or lost their temper, and they never took time for themselves, always making sure we were happy … All the bad stuff that happened wasn’t their fault. The future’s invisible, even for androids.”
The series title and pilot title come from the fact that Mother acts as if a wolf from time to time. When one of Campion’s siblings passes, Mother howls at the sky. In one scene, she is seen digging at the planet’s ground. In the final act of the episode, she attacks human survivors from taking her son in order to protect her young.
The pilot has lovely cinematography but could use some improvement in computer-generated imagery; although, this is made up for with its Biblical allusions to the Book of Genesis. When Mother flies in her godlike form, she has her arms up as if to resemble the cross upon which crucified Jesus Christ. The humans’ spaceship is referred to as an “ark” which holds both humans and animals.”
“Raised by Wolves” makes promise on its premise of an otherworldly narrative about new life. Mother and Father act as emotional as the replicants in the Blade Runner film series; however, they can also oscillate between malevolence and benevolence akin to the synthetic androids portrayed in Scott’s extraterrestrial films Prometheus and its sequel Alien: Covenant. The pilot displays Mother as an ultimate organism that cannot be stopped, and it would be interesting to see what more she is capable of. She has established herself as a tough antagonist, such as when she tells her children:
Belief in the unreal can comfort the human mind, but it also weakens it. The civilization you’re seeding here will be built on humanity’s belief in itself, not an imagined deity … We will never advance unless you resist the urge to seek solace in fantasy. [Believing in science] is the only path to progress.
What do you think of the series so far? Have you seen the show yet? Let us know! For more science-fiction, drama, HBO Max, and Raised by Wolves-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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