While HBO Max could easily be carried by the consistency in quality and creativity of shows that HBO provides, the new streamer is still desperate to provide something special under its own umbrella. With a new sci-fi series touting legendary director Ridley Scott’s name as an executive producer and directing the first two episodes, they might have found that something special in Raised by Wolves.
Right from the first few moments of just looking at it, you can tell that this series definitely came from Scott’s influential work in the Alien franchise and is inspired by the dynamic between android and human. The cinematography looks just like more modern entries in the Alien franchise, which makes sense since cinematographer Dariusz Wolski worked on Alien: Covenant and Prometheus as well as this series, and even the planet the series takes place on, Keplar-22b, looks like the kind of place that could have xenomorphs coming out of the cracks in the ground. However, aliens aren’t the big pull here, and it’s actually nice to see something clearly inspired by Scott’s sci-fi works that focuses more on a human and technological dilemma.
After a major conflict causes Earth to be uninhabitable, two androids named Mother (Amanda Collin, Splitting Up Together) and Father (Abubakar Salim, Jamestown) are tasked with going to Keplar-22b to raise six children and start a family with human embryos. However, after twelve years, with the conditions of the planet and a mysterious illness beginning to infect most of the children, they’re now only left with the runt of the litter, Campion (Winta McGrath, Doctor Doctor), to tend to. Wanting him to understand a little more about what happened on Earth, Mother begins to tell Campion about the Mithraic, a religious order of surviving humans that dress like Crusaders and would not allow androids to take care of human children. One day, however, they encounter the Mithraic when one of their leaders named Marcus (Travis Fimmel, Vikings) finds them and Mother is forced to tap into a devastating power in order to keep her family intact.
It’s hard to say what exactly it is about Raised by Wolves that makes it so immediately fascinating, but the best place to probably start is how strange of a first impression it makes. Watching the entire process of Mother and Father turning these embryos into babies (and even Father start to tell jokes to lighten Mother’s mood) is just so odd that it immediately piques your curiosity. It’s easy to understand what’s happening, but there’s such a strange allure to it that you become almost too curious to see where things are going to turn away. I think it’s, in part, due to this series having androids as its protagonists, as it’s a bit of a rarity to see that.
Mother and Father aren’t necessarily sentient or completely free from their programming, but they definitely show more emotions and free thinking than we typically see with most androids. Father quickly becomes one of the most compassionate parts of Raised by Wolves as he’s one of the only caring entities this show has to offer. The jokes he tells are perfectly punny because of his delivery; the way he’s willing to love and care for Mother and Campion despite their flaws; the way they force him to pick sides; and the level of genuine charm Salim brings to the character makes him just so lovable.
This mix of human and android behavior is even more prevalent and compelling in Mother as Collin evokes Mother’s complex feelings that stem from her discovering a deadly and destructive part of herself. Like Father, Mother also displays emotions that aren’t generally seen in most android characters and reflects her name as she’s truly willing to do anything to protect Campion. Her protective nature is something that makes her very easy to initially gravitate towards and makes her oddly relatable, but her unwillingness to see her family be torn apart and her discovery of her true purpose show her in a much more controlling light, which is made even more compelling through Collin’s performance.
Collin evokes all of Mother’s internal conflicts perfectly as she makes all of her questioning about herself so intriguing and there’re even hints that she may be afraid of what she can actually do. All of this is what makes her such an interesting lead and one of the best parts of this show as she deals with her controlled programming conflicting with the more human feelings of thought that are starting to consume her. Not to mention, when we finally see what she’s capable of, it’s not only a strong showing of the show’s visuals, but also something that is disturbing as hell.
The visual effects for Raised by Wolves are very impressive and could easily compete with big-budgeted sci-fi shows like The Mandalorian and Star Trek: Discovery. As Mother and Father discover fossils that tease the giant creatures that likely live below them or somewhere else on the planet and the series touches on the war-torn Earth they escaped, the series mixes horror and sci-fi in a visually intriguing manner that creates some nice world-building. Even the alien creatures that eventually come into play are interesting looking and, though we don’t see much of them, they are a nice tease of something more sinister in the future. Nothing compares to what happens at the end of the premiere episode though, as Mother finally showcases her true powers. It is absolutely horrifying to watch. It’s such a strong turn for her character, as we watch her both turn into an awesome looking machine of destruction and cause bloody carnage that’s devastating to watch. She quickly goes from being just a sweet, caring mother alongside Father to being a true force to be reckoned with, and it’s awesome.
The androids and the visuals aren’t the only things making Raised by Wolves a great watch, as the human characters are equally compelling – especially Marcus. Although Campion might be young, he’s very aware of his surroundings and isn’t afraid to question Mother and Father’s intentions. The same can be said about other kids that eventually come into their care from Mother’s unflinching urge to make him happy, and it’s nice to have such young characters show themselves to be free-thinking and capable. Marcus is easily the most intriguing as a reveal about his past and who he really is at the start of the second episode was absolutely mind-blowing and every scene that follows with him is incredibly fascinating to watch. Fimmel greatly brings out how Marcus is trying to fit in and keep his own intentions hidden from his fellow Mithraic. It is one of the show’s strongest aspects. The same can’t be said for the show’s religion vs. science debate, at this point at least. It’s definitely in its infantile stages. However, with more time hopefully being given to understanding the beliefs of the Mithraic vs. the more atheistic beliefs of the androids in the future, there could be something more compelling to understand.
Raised by Wolves clearly has the makings to be HBO Max’s flagship show as it’s perfectly fitting for anyone looking for a well-budgeted sci-fi show with splashes of horror and instantly refreshing characters. Even just three episodes in, there’s this eagerness and anticipation for the next episode that’s developing that I can’t say I have for many other shows on the air these days and that stems from the pure amount of potential this show offers.
Raised by Wolves is currently streaming on HBO MAX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIAIiw8UAfA
