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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.
Following the Season 1 finale and a sixteen-month hiatus, Aaron Guzikowski’s science-fiction drama series, Raised by Wolves, has returned. The HBO Max show’s second season premiere episode is titled, “The Collective”. It is written by Guzikowski and directed by Ernest Dickerson (Juice, The Walking Dead).
In this review, I will be discussing Raised by Wolves Season 2 Episode 1. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Synopsis
According to WarnerMedia, here is the synopsis for the Raised by Wolves Season 2 premiere.
As they join the atheist collective, Mother, Father, and the children are met with threats and intimidation while they struggle to assimilate. Meanwhile, Marcus has found the ruins of ancient church and begins recruiting members to fill its walls.
WarnerMedia
The Cast of the Raised by Wolves Season 2 Premiere
The main cast has returned for the second season.
As always, Amanda Collin portrays Mother/ Lamia, the powerful war android who raises human children on the Kepler-22b planet. Abubakar Salim plays Father — her partner and fellow android, while Winta McGrath plays Campion, their sole surviving son of six children.
Jordan Loughran, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, and Ivy Wong play Mother and Father’s respective adopted Ark children, Tempest, Paul, Hunter, Holly, and Vita.
Niamh Algar portrays Sue, an atheist soldier/ medic, while Travis Fimmel plays her former partner, Marcus Drusus, leader of the Mithraic cult. Peter Christoffersen makes an introduction as Cleaver, a member of the atheists.
Kim Engelbrecht plays Decima, a Mithraic engineer, while Morgan Santo plays Vrille, her custom model android. James Harkness plays Tamerlane, while Jennifer Saayeng appears as Nerva.
Michael Pennington voices The Trust, while Bong Mbutuma appears as Santos, a soldier of the atheist community. Almar Müller appears as a tech.
Natalie Robbie plays Marcella, while Megan Theron plays Junia. Jagger Cameron and Liqhawe Kantu Xhali play children at the nursery to which Mother is assigned. Daniel Maree appears as a grumpy colonist, while Richard Lothian voices a tank/bomber computer.
The Crew of Raised by Wolves
Caitlin Saunders is the series’ story editor, while Mark Patten is the episode’s director of photography.
William Yeh serves as the editor and is assisted by L. Schroeder. Marc Streitenfeld composes the show’s music, while Matt Friedman and James Bladon act as the music editors.
Jonathan McKinstry serves as the production designer, while Kate Carin and Jamey Scott design the show’s costumes and sound, respectively. Tom Hannam is the episode’s set decorator. Christa Schoeman designs the hair & make-up, while Jaco Snyman designs the digital art.
Discussion
Raised by Wolves Season 2 takes place some 5 or 6 months later; because of real-time, however, fans of the series will spot the vast differences resulting from the passage of time. In fact, these changes can be evident throughout the episode. For example, when Mother (Collin) and Father (Salim) reunite with Campion (McGrath), the former tells the boy, “Your voice is half an octave lower”. This obviously indicates McGrath’s growth in the past sixteen-or-so months. Not only that, but some appearances are noticeable, and it isn’t just Schoeman’s radical hair design with Paul, Sue, and Tempest.
The family has finally made it into the tropical zone of Kepler-22b. This area is an entirely new environment from what we’ve seen in Season 1. The air is breezy, the atmosphere is warm, and non-toxic fruits can grow out of the ground. As they acclimate to the new living situation around them, what could possibly go wrong? As we may recall, a flying serpent, as well as the religious zealot, Marcus Drusus (Fimmel), are still lurking in places unknown on the planet.
Combining the cinematography, editing, music, and overall design into one ~50-minute narrative, we get a neat start to the new season. With a new home comes new changes, and the show teases that which we will have to adapt. Moreover, the second season premiere serves as a good transition into the following several episodes and what they have in store for our characters.
Performances and Character Developments
Collin and Salim’s android perform well in the episode, given their new circumstances. This gives both of them room to change and develop, and with this, they learn more about their purpose on the planet. Everything seems safe with their family, and now the parents’ relationship remains intact. Although, one issue that arises is the threats they may receive because the human children and Sue (Algar) do not possess atheist faith. This presents a challenge for Sue, who wants to fit into the community now that she finds herself alone. These differences in beliefs and appearance are very much similar to what we face in the world today.
Paul (Jamieson) is becoming much like his father, and it’s eerie. He has a lot of bitterness built inside him now that he knows his biological parents were dead all along. This feeling could also be a sense of loneliness since he is with an adoptive family and his real one has been taken from him. Meanwhile, Marcus’s condition is only worsening, and with new characters entering the fray, it will not get any better. He knows how to manipulate the system to his advantage. It is only a matter of time until someone is hurt…or worse.
The two young boys — Campion and Paul — are up to no good, as usual. It will be interesting to see what troubles they land in this time around. McGrath and Jamieson’s dynamic continues to flourish, but their relationship can still get as rocky as it has been in Season 1.
Final Thoughts
The Raised by Wolves Season 2 premiere is dedicated to the late Scott Free executive producer, TanNa Young, who passed away last year due to Coronavirus complications. With an episode like this, we learn that family is one of the most important aspects of life, and without them, it is all a struggle. This is why the premiere episode is titled “The Collective”. The show has started the individuals (Mother and Father), who branched out into a family (biological and adoptive). Now, they must learn to interact with a community of individuals different from them.
As the show makes new progress, our characters will deal with how to improve their ecosophy. The political, social, and cultural revolution starts here — with new neighbors, a governing force, and a new way of living and surviving — but it does not come without some discrimination. The family will have to settle in with the atheist community, and the differing religious beliefs alone can be quite an obstacle.
Raised by Wolves Season 2 premieres on February 3rd on HBO Max!
Have you seen Season 1 of Guzikowski’s series? Do you plan to see its second season? Let us know! For more drama and science-fiction-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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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