raised by wolves season one review (spoiler free)
Humans are creative and complex. It's a dangerous combo. There are 7.8 billion of us walking around the planet trying to make sense of and derive purpose from each day. While not everyone enjoys the luxury, those fortunate to live unfettered and with free will generally receive the opportunity to chart their own path. Life presents infinite directions from which to choose and this freedom is the hallmark of modern humanity. Is human creativity and technology pre-ordained to progress past the natural order of things? Is the creation of artifical "life" inevitable? Who decides the image from which artificial humanoids are derived and what happens when/if they desire free will? Are so-called androids destined to resent and ultimately overthrow their creators? Raised by Wolves, written/created by Aaron Guzikowski and produced by Ridley Scott, ponders these delicately ethereal questions. It’s riveting stuff with twists and turns that may polarize some but are rarely (if ever) predictable. For those who appreciate hard, philosophical sci-fi requiring much thought to even begin to understand it, Raised by Wolves is something special. Fan favorite Scott directs the first two episodes and does nothing to damage his visionary reputation. Scott’s obsession with sentient, indignant androids and how and why they should assign meaning to their lives continues. Scott and Guzikowski rightfully predict that it is mind-bending to consider that a robot might have wants, desires, fears...emotions. The show presents a plausible future where androids develop the ability to do just about everything humans can do and do it better. Androids in the Wolves universe are shown performing complex surgery, fighting heroically in epic space battles, sacrificing themselves to protect humans, and most importantly to the narrative, serving as caretaker for children from “birth.” It creates a very interesting position from which to provide thought-provoking commentary on the human condition. Raised by Wolves leans hard into religion and has a constantly moving position on the matter that is sure to cause controversy among certain circles. To say any more would be heading into spoiler territory. Don’t be surprised when certain scenes and sequences give off a classic Terminator/Aliens vibe – high praise for any show debuting in 2020.
Raised By Wolves is highly recommended. It’s been greenlit for a second season.