“Ridley Scott and androids "is a combination that cinema enthusiasts have already got to know very well over the last few years, and perhaps it is also for this reason that Raised by Wolves, the television series that sees the famous author as executive producer and director of the first two episodes e Aron Guzikowski as creator, she has been able to grab the attention of the public since the official release of the first trailer. The science fiction landscape has not yet been fully explored in the vast universe of serial shows, and Scott seems to be the perfect author to be able to further expand the horizons of this increasingly popular film genre. Released last September on HBO Max, the title will also come up Sky Atlantic starting from the next February 8 2021 at 21:15, as well as being added to the catalog of Now Tv.
“Welcome” to Kepler-22b
The series welcomes us on Kepler-22b, an aseptic and desolate but habitable planet, left intact by the numerous space travelers who previously had the opportunity to explore those mysterious lands. The whole thing apparently seems very quiet, until a spacecraft lands dangerously close to a large hole in the ground. Shortly before seeing the vehicle slip into the deep fault, we will get to know the characters who were using it, namely Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim), two semi-sentient robots who manage without too much difficulty to get out of the vehicle and save the precious cargo they carried inside. The two androids arrived on Kepler-22b for create a new civilization, safeguarding it from a terrible war that is putting the very existence of human beings at risk. Not being able to have children due to their particular physical condition, the two brought with them the necessary supplies to raise and care for six children, three boys and three girls, all of different ethnic backgrounds.
Life is increasingly complicated on the planet, and every day seems to be colder, more dangerous and inhospitable for these abusive guests. As the children grow, it will be Mother who will tell them the real reason for the mission and the story of their particular family. The two androids explain that they have escaped from Earth, a dying planet corrupted by a war unleashed by the Mitriaci, a group of religious fanatics, with the aim of freeing civilization from all non-believers. Despite everything, this threat inevitably continues to mark their lives and the two, as adamant atheists, fear their possible arrival via Paradiso, a flying ark used by the religious order to continue moving after leaving their home planet. But taking care of young humans will be much more complicated than expected and, ever closer to the spoil irreparably, either parent will feel the need to communicate their position to other human beings, so that they can save Campion, the only one of their six children who managed to survive.
Protective, lethal and human
Even if Raised by Wolves does not offer the public a particularly original plot, it is interesting to see the way in which, already in the first episodes, it will be easy to fall into temptation and indulge in too hasty judgments. One of the most cared for from this point of view is certainly the management of the two androids that in the course of the episodes will inevitably manage to intrigue and capture the attention of the spectators. Thanks to his many successful works Ridley Scott has always shown a particular interest in creating and managing characters of this type, and it is through them that the director of Alien, Blade Runner and The Gladiator tries to convey his personal message. Even if they shouldn't and have not been programmed to do so, Mother and Father will develop gods real feelings towards children who are growing up, up to the point of suffering, crying and screaming (howling, specifically) when, one after the other and in conditions that are not always clear, they begin to pass on to a better life.
During their particular coexistence with the boys, in fact, the two will begin to to develop more and more pure and sincere emotions, to the point of becoming almost more human than human beings themselves, still intent on fighting and trying to destroy each other to protect their opinion and prevail over the ideals of others. But what will happen to the two androids when they find themselves forced to protect their son Campion from the dangers hidden on the mysterious planet and from external threats, such as the arrival of the Mitriaci? Will they rely on the calculations of percentages, as they have been programmed, or will they let themselves be carried away and influenced by the emotions that are making them more and more human and, consequently, more and more protective and dangerous? Raised by Wolves answers these questions in an interesting and original way, taking advantage of the delicate interpretations of Abubakar Salim and especially of Amanda Collin to show the audience the development of the two characters.
A war between faith and religion
Even if the ideological theme is addressed in a rather hasty and marginal way to create a historical context behind the protagonists, the war between the atheists and the Mitriaci basically lays the foundations on everything that is presented within the series and, even if with a lot of superficiality, is used to justify some interesting aspects of the narrative. In addition to seeing the story of Mother and Father and the genesis of the humanity they want to create, Raised by Wolves also shows us that of Marcus (Travis Fimmel), a man who will be forced to face a particular transition path to be able to survive and that, in its own way, will deal more with the particular dualism between faith and religion. Likewise, ideological warfare does nothing but show us the worst sides of both factions, allowing us to feel greater empathy towards the utopian future that the two androids, almost like a modern science fiction conception of Adam and Eve, they are intent on creating.
Despite being shown to the public as an actual background to a secondary storyline, it would have been very interesting to find out more details about the war between unbelievers and the religious order that is based on the cult of Sol. Despite the incredible care shown in worldbuilding of Kepler-22b and in general in the whole story concerning the two androids, in fact, Raised by Wolves shows some flaws regarding the pure narration which, all too often, fails to answer questions and fill in the gaps, leaving much behind. This inevitably interferes with the rhythm of the episodes that often show serious problems in the management of times and are not balanced: short action sequences are alternated with long scenes of introspection of the characters that still fail to justify some bizarre narrative choices.
An aseptic planet that could offer us much more
Although with obvious narrative and character construction and development problems, Raised by Wolves holds its own an excellent experiment and is able to offer viewers a suggestive, interesting and at times really well scripted story. Although through thick and thin, the series offers the best of itself through the representation and humanization of the two androids and, more specifically, of Mother, an incredibly well-written character who can carry the full weight of the show alone. . Androids, a mysterious alien planet full of mysteries, monsters lurking in the dark and a female protagonist with incredible powers: the series had on its side all the elements necessary to create a perfect science fiction world and easily achieve the success of other products of the same genre, supported by a budget capable of providing rather sumptuous special effects that make the world that surrounds the entire events incredibly alive and suggestive. While it tackles very interesting and ever-current themes, including the nature of humanity, the trappings of faith and what form our dystopian future might take, the series loses a lot due to its writing problems which, rather unsatisfactorily, it almost never manages to answer the numerous questions posed within the title.
