Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Raised by Wolves is one of those shows that’s undeniably memorable despite its issues. This one is on the cusp of being one of the best sci-fi series on TV but time and again the writing lets this show down from becoming more endearing. Don’t get me wrong, Raised by Wolves has its merits, boasting an unrivalled moody atmosphere, intriguing ideas and a lot of unpredictability. Only, that unpredictability isn’t always a good thing. While the first season saw most of the story consumed by choking deserts and religious allegories to Adam and Eve, the second season picks up some time after the events at the end of season 1. The family has been moved across to the Tropical Zone, ruled by an Atheistic group called The Trust. Gone are the barren, choked deserts and instead we get acid seas (because…reasons?) and plenty of crazy flora and fauna. When Mother reawakens after being found out in the wilderness, she soon joins the colony but finds herself conflicted thanks to the ever-present threat of the Serpent, or “number 7” as she affectionately refers to it. Meanwhile, Marcus lurks on the periphery of this colony, sporting new mysterious powers and dead-set on establishing a Sol-focused church for those disillusioned with the Trust. As the season progresses these two stories inevitably intersect and interweave together, but there’s always a niggling feeling that the writers are just fumbling through the narrative to try and find a hook. Characters twist and turn their allegiances, there are some pretty random subplots thrown in that aren’t that satisfying and an abundance of weirdness that – while welcome – feels like a veil to disguise from some of the plot issues. Raised by Wolves lives and dies by its themes this year, and nowhere else is that more evident than in those aforementioned religious allegories. Some are obvious (the forbidden fruit) while others lean into a more widespread theme of motherhood and what it means to care for one’s offspring. These are actually handled quite well and the show balances these ideas nicely across the 8 episodes. The thing is, Raised by Wolves is so weird, so atmospheric and so unpredictable that you can’t help but tune in every week to watch what happens. It’s only when you look back and try to work out where the story has gone and why certain elements of the world are the way they are that you realize Raised by Wolves has pulled a proverbial veil over a lot of this. This show has a lot of structural issues and the plot doesn’t always flow as well as it should. Some episodes meander on while others drip-feed answers that spiral into larger questions. But damn this is still good TV despite those problems, and the sheer weirdness of it all is enough to at least give it a watch as something unique and different in the vast TV landscape. It’s not perfect but it is compelling.
