Ridley Scott has had a lasting impact on science fiction in film, so much so that when we see androids or aliens on screen, our minds immediately wander to Alien, or even the less appreciated Prometheus. As the director for the first episode of HBO Max’s new show Raised By Wolves, Scott reintroduces us to some of his most classic themes: the meaning of humanity, the probability of life on other planets, and the horror of existence in an undeveloped, expansive new world. That being said, Scott didn’t create Raised By Wolves (though he does serve as an executive producer for the series). Instead, that credit goes to Aaron Guzikowski. Guzikowski has created a world in which the main ideas of Scott’s career can flourish and be explored with unbelievable depth—in a way that could never happen in a single film.
The show follows Mother and Father, two androids tasked by a mysterious creator with birthing and raising a group of children on a new planet with the hopes of populating it with atheists. Turns out that Earth has been essentially destroyed by atheists and a religious, cult-like group who worship a god named Sol. These Mithraic soldiers aren’t far behind, though. They want in on the opportunity for a new planet as well, and they have prophecies backing up their journey. The two groups meet again on the unnamed planet, fueled by the war they’ve both endured.
There’s a lot to love about Raised By Wolves as a TV show. Visually, it’s stunning, and thematically it offers a rich exploration of the same ideas that have fueled science fiction for decades—themes that haven’t quite lost their appeal despite lengthy works on them. As the world continues to enter an increasingly technologically advanced era, where robots might deliver your take out (this is becoming popular on many college campuses) or take your order at a restaurant, thinking about the ways that humans treat their technology—for better or worse—is still just as important as it was when computers were first invented.
Mother teaching the children how to survive.
As Mother and Father work to raise their children (as best as awkward androids know how), the show highlights the simultaneous frailty and resilience of humanity. It’s not easy to have and raise children (I’m guessing), especially in an undeveloped world. As the adversity of the barren landscape adds up, Mother and Father begin to struggle with their mission, and question if the mission is possible at all. Androids provide a perfect lens through which to view repopulation; they’ve been programmed to desire nothing more than the successful growth of their children.
But childrearing isn’t something you can plan out perfectly, and things go wrong.
The juxtaposition of the Mithraic soldiers and holy men with the androids raises serious questions about how religion impacts childhood, but also how a complete lack of religion has its own impact as well. There aren’t any right or wrong answers in Raised by Wolves, and both sides of the childrearing debate have their faults. Of course, there are other things going on as well, like a face swapping plot line, infiltration of the religious order, and a sexy android-human relationship.
Another issue that comes up frequently in the show is the ability of androids to override their programming, or to be programmed with orders that counteract their original purpose. Can a weapon ever transcend that purpose and become something else? Can an android be redeemed? These are questions the show wants to answer, in its lumbering slow way. Each episode offers new revelations, new twists in the plot, and I find myself feeling more and more excited for the new episodes (yes, plural—there’s two every week) to drop each week. The show is artful, heart-wrenching, dramatic, and even funny at times.
The acting in the show works to emphasize these themes, and elevates the show to a more artistic level. Amanda Collin (as Mother) and Abubakar Salim (as Father) manage to inject emotion into what could be very emotionless roles. Small facial expressions indicate to the viewer that something troubling is going on in Mother’s mind, while minute hand gestures show that Father might not be what he seems on the outside. This is acting on a small scale that has a huge impact on the world of the show. Small details build the world into something more intricate than it needs to be—which helps immerse the viewer in the show. There’s also an amazing cast of child actors representing Mother and Father’s group of children, as well as the Mithraic children. These children are tasked with deeply emotional roles, and work well with the adult cast. The children on the show just call attention to the fact that there are so many great child actors out there, waiting for their big role to launch them into the wider world of acting.
All of these details combine to form an innovative show that somehow creatively retreads old concepts in science fiction. While it would be unfair to completely credit Ridley Scott with the themes and issues in the show, his imprint on the setting is undeniable. Androids are filled with white goo and noodles, and humans have a fundamental disrespect and distrust of androids in general—though they feel fine about using them as sacrifices for their own purposes. If you want an enriching look at the intersection of technology, faith, and humanity, you need to check out Raised by Wolves.
Raised By Wolves releases two episodes each Thursday on HBOMax.
Yes, she stands like this a lot. And it’s glorious.