Don't get me wrong I really like Raised by wolves I'm not one of these idiots that carries on watching something I don't like but it was a pretty poor finale in truth
125 Reviews
Poor finale
mjb3010861 October 2020
How to ruin a perfect show in 50 minutes:
yasinyavuzeryasin2 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Raised by wolves started as a really perfect piece of work promising to be probably a long-lasting and world wide popular tv show in the following years.
The show at the begining makes you wonder how humanity came to be and how human beings reproduced and turn into what they are right now. There is also the question of what would happen if there was a war between anatheist community and a religious group. All these elements such as the androids tasked with raising children that would eventually lead to be the saviour of mankind, atheist vs religion, etc end up with making you even more curious about the show. My curiosity increased really much when I found out that mother was pregnant and wondered what kind of a baby it would be and what superpowers it would have.
At this exact point in the season finale, the show is being ruined in 50 minutes by showing us that mother actually gives birth to a snake rather than a baby which destroys all of the previous theories and the show only turns into a war between atheists and religious people. By the way, the snake was way too much unnatural and cheesy for a show that has perfect affects and cinematograhpy. It almost seems to me as if the writers were replaced in the last three episodes with new ones who don't know anything about the previous episodes and what the essence of the show really is.
I really hope they come up with a more reasonable plot and writing in the following season and give the show what it really deserves. Despite all of that, I am still tuned and a little hyped for what's to come in season two.
The show at the begining makes you wonder how humanity came to be and how human beings reproduced and turn into what they are right now. There is also the question of what would happen if there was a war between anatheist community and a religious group. All these elements such as the androids tasked with raising children that would eventually lead to be the saviour of mankind, atheist vs religion, etc end up with making you even more curious about the show. My curiosity increased really much when I found out that mother was pregnant and wondered what kind of a baby it would be and what superpowers it would have.
At this exact point in the season finale, the show is being ruined in 50 minutes by showing us that mother actually gives birth to a snake rather than a baby which destroys all of the previous theories and the show only turns into a war between atheists and religious people. By the way, the snake was way too much unnatural and cheesy for a show that has perfect affects and cinematograhpy. It almost seems to me as if the writers were replaced in the last three episodes with new ones who don't know anything about the previous episodes and what the essence of the show really is.
I really hope they come up with a more reasonable plot and writing in the following season and give the show what it really deserves. Despite all of that, I am still tuned and a little hyped for what's to come in season two.
I want to like it...
chaakar1 October 2020
I don't mind the subliminal or allusory being dragged out, and don't think there was anything bad about the acting at all, but honestly, I don't understand how anyone reviewing this positively is coping with how the show has had us suspend disbelief at so many points yet offer us nothing in explanation 10 episodes later, and that's not to mention how spasmodic and irrational feeling each point of plot progression has been in this show...
I really do want to like this show, but I don't feel rewarded for having watched any of it yet beyond the first few episode; sure, we "might" get some answers next season (I am a fan of sci-fi, so I will probably watch it), but this season has not inspired any confidence.
Clearly Rushed Finale! but... what is it with these reviews?
sirharksalot25 February 2021
After reading these reviews others have left, it kind of irritates me because these people have to be delusional or something. It's like they cannot express their thoughts and leave some sort of ramble.
Here's what I think, the show was good. I finally did get to watching through it. It did have its' ups and downs. The beginning was great and then it started going downhill a bit but then got good and by episode 9, it was really interesting. I would say an 7/8 by IMDB standards :). However, the finale is clearly rushed. Seems like it might have been the rough draft which was submitted and filmed because of COVID. Sad, because there is an interesting and creative story here. I just cannot believe some people are saying it is soooo convoluted, because honestly, it is pretty simple.
The rushed part comes with the "action" parts of this episode. Don't know, is it writing that was rushed? Direction? Something is off compared to the other episodes. Nothing is impactful, it is all empty. I do love where it is going though. Please continue, I will watch next season. Maybe don't get Luke Scott to direct, his episodes have been the weakest of them all.
Here's what I think, the show was good. I finally did get to watching through it. It did have its' ups and downs. The beginning was great and then it started going downhill a bit but then got good and by episode 9, it was really interesting. I would say an 7/8 by IMDB standards :). However, the finale is clearly rushed. Seems like it might have been the rough draft which was submitted and filmed because of COVID. Sad, because there is an interesting and creative story here. I just cannot believe some people are saying it is soooo convoluted, because honestly, it is pretty simple.
The rushed part comes with the "action" parts of this episode. Don't know, is it writing that was rushed? Direction? Something is off compared to the other episodes. Nothing is impactful, it is all empty. I do love where it is going though. Please continue, I will watch next season. Maybe don't get Luke Scott to direct, his episodes have been the weakest of them all.
Disappointing, but has some potential.
danielremian1 October 2020
The show had its moments, but there were too many things that felt off and amateurish. The plot is all over the place and laughable at times. Some of the visual effects felt like from two decades ago. This just doesn't feel like a big budget production that it is. The list could go on and on and yet I still fell like I wanna know more. I'll give second season a shot but for now, the show is literally overrated. The good moments were good for maybe 7/10 tops, but I'm more inclined to give it a 5 or 6 for how bad it often was. That being said I hope they fix a lot of things and it will get better in season 2.
The reviewers on here are dense.
dustingonzalez416 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Since the very beginning it was obvious there was going to be a giant snake show up since they always showed the bones and serpent holes. Very much close to the beginning there was obviously some sort of dark magic component to the planet when the evil ghost of Tally first arrived. So none of this should really be a surprise to anyone. If the show didn't end on multiple cliffhangers no one would be complaining nearly as much. The Lander went through the planet because the planet is obviously ran by some sort of magic being/s that also turned Marcus and Paul crazy for the sake of getting what they want and infiltrated mother's simulation to put a snake in her. There honestly wasn't a single surprise from this episode because it all very OBVIOUSLY led to this moment. Do I personally like it? It's entertaining I guess, the writing wasn't as good as the previous 9 episodes, but the whole point of the this season finale was to leave you wanting to learn more about that planet and its beings. There is literally nothing to be confused about. People want to put too much damn logic into this because it's a sci-fi. Well, it's also a fantasy. It's not meant to be a realistic future. This is still 10x more creative and better made than an average network television series. Y'all just want something to be mad about because it didn't turn out as simple as you wanted.
1x10
formotog23 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ok I believe this is what you call jumping the shark. I actually was fine with most of what happened up until the end. The flying serpent was a cool feature, something new and unexpected. It made for a somewhat variant of Ridley Scott's chestbursting trope. Basically he seems to now just be content with having some rapidly growing phallic creature vacate the host's body in some gruesome manner. Another Prometheus allusion was the humanoid that Mother killed, which seemed to look a lot like the Engineers. Part of me wouldn't mind at all if this turned out to be linked to the Alien universe, but that's obvs wishful thinking. Besides, after that ending, I think it's best they stay separate. Now while I don't mind what they're doing with Marcus, the execution is kinda cringe. He's the complete hard atheist turned religious nut cliché. I just wish there was something to make him not so bog standard. Paul shooting Mary (I suppose I may as well start calling her that) was a bit forced I think. Like come on man I understand she's evil for what she did but think it through. Plus, no one even attempted to stop him. But that's not my main gripe with that scene. The real crime was having "Sol" or whatever voice is in Paul's head explicitly reveal the nature of Marcus and Sue. At best it's a cop out, and they may change this detail next season depending on the reception. At worst, they completely shattered the obscurity between religion and science/logic. If the explanation really does turn out to be that Sol told him this, there can be no scientific explanation, which is what has thus far made the battle between atheism and religion so intriguing. You could explain pretty much every event from either a scientific or a religious angle. Removing the ability to do that destroys the dynamic, and makes the show completely pointless, given that its main investigation is this very conflict. It would essentially be picking a side.
As for the disposing of the serpent, that's when the episode entered stupid territory. Why fly down a pit without knowing where it leads? Why even go to that entirely excessive extent in the first place? Why give up trying to control the aircraft once it emerges at the centre? How is that centre even physically possible? How can they just pass through a molten core unscathed??? There were so many things wrong with that sequence, and it made for an utterly stupefying cliffhanger. It was a woeful idea from the start. Even if there is a fantastical explanation to this, it's too late, which brings me onto my next main gripe: we didn't get any answers. In fact, we just got more questions. Who are the humanoids? Who planted the serpent? What are those cave drawings? Who spoke to Paul? I was hoping we'd at least get something of substance this episode, but it didn't come. I understand they need to get the audience to come back, but I think they really got their priorities in a massive twist. It's a shame because I was really enjoying the episode up to the last 10 or so minutes, which just tarnished it. I'll be tuning back in for sure, and I've still very much enjoyed this first season, but the writing could really use some polishing
Low 6
As for the disposing of the serpent, that's when the episode entered stupid territory. Why fly down a pit without knowing where it leads? Why even go to that entirely excessive extent in the first place? Why give up trying to control the aircraft once it emerges at the centre? How is that centre even physically possible? How can they just pass through a molten core unscathed??? There were so many things wrong with that sequence, and it made for an utterly stupefying cliffhanger. It was a woeful idea from the start. Even if there is a fantastical explanation to this, it's too late, which brings me onto my next main gripe: we didn't get any answers. In fact, we just got more questions. Who are the humanoids? Who planted the serpent? What are those cave drawings? Who spoke to Paul? I was hoping we'd at least get something of substance this episode, but it didn't come. I understand they need to get the audience to come back, but I think they really got their priorities in a massive twist. It's a shame because I was really enjoying the episode up to the last 10 or so minutes, which just tarnished it. I'll be tuning back in for sure, and I've still very much enjoyed this first season, but the writing could really use some polishing
Low 6
what the f**
elxalo-cs2 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was really charmed by all the atmosphere and the characters but man, marcus is all the time being in a delutional state (like ragnar's in his end) and this episode was like the cherry on top, I really don't know what writers smoked on this one, they should DEFINITELY share.
Before you burn this episode to the ground....
kevinderond4 October 2020
.... watch some recaps and reviews on youtube....
It didn't make sense to me at first too, but after diving a bit more into it, a lot of things suddenly did. There is a lot of symbolism and easter eggs in it.
People who review this as a poor episode, probably didn't understand it. Like I didn't at first. Great finale and a good setup for the second season.
It didn't make sense to me at first too, but after diving a bit more into it, a lot of things suddenly did. There is a lot of symbolism and easter eggs in it.
People who review this as a poor episode, probably didn't understand it. Like I didn't at first. Great finale and a good setup for the second season.
Strange Twisted Ending
thefinalword4 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Okay so the show is obviously going in an unthought of direction. The cut scenes with the evil demon people and the cheesy ghost voices continue to annoy. Mother gives birth to a demon snake instead of a baby. Her programming wouldn't allow her to interfere with it--- OK. The android gave birth....OK.... The planet impregnated her.... WAIT WTF? What is going on?? Nobody knows! The season has ended and we're left lurching in the dark. Marcus character has become a brutish madman IDIOT. Paul is hearing sols' will now too and doing stupid things that make no sense too. It's infuriating somehow.
Nobody knew it was a snake. I really liked this show but I don't get it a lot of times. I wish they had kept with the spirit of the show that had started it. As it stands--- I'm still invested in Season 2 but the snake makes no sense at all. He enlarges like 10x his size in 20minutes of an episode.
It started out so well but lately the show has been just meandering and making bad mistakes with all of its wonderful characters. I'm about tired of hearing about Sol and his whispering in peoples ears. Oh okay so it's the demon voice of the planet .? I don't know and I'm starting to REALLY NOT care.
I'm going to be back to watch Season 2 to see if they don't completely wreck this thing. As it stands I'm really upset because this was shaping up to be one of the coolest sci fi shows of all time. Now it is feeling very much like it has LOST it's way.
Nobody knew it was a snake. I really liked this show but I don't get it a lot of times. I wish they had kept with the spirit of the show that had started it. As it stands--- I'm still invested in Season 2 but the snake makes no sense at all. He enlarges like 10x his size in 20minutes of an episode.
It started out so well but lately the show has been just meandering and making bad mistakes with all of its wonderful characters. I'm about tired of hearing about Sol and his whispering in peoples ears. Oh okay so it's the demon voice of the planet .? I don't know and I'm starting to REALLY NOT care.
I'm going to be back to watch Season 2 to see if they don't completely wreck this thing. As it stands I'm really upset because this was shaping up to be one of the coolest sci fi shows of all time. Now it is feeling very much like it has LOST it's way.
Enragingly bad
guillermo752 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
While I remained skeptical about the way atheists seemed to be portrayed as humorless and one-dimensional, taken as a whole, I was enjoying the series until this episode, which, as another reviewer has said, completely jumped the shark.
Open magma tubes directly to the center of the planet but from which no lava ever comes out, as if it was just happy as can be getting pressured into a molten state. Maybe there's no pressure and the magma stays molten by magic and that's why the lander could fly through it. The tubes do somehow spew formerly dead beings (or at least mice) back from the dead though.
The machine checks the developmental condition of the fetus and gets it right on the dot even though it's calibrated for humans and not for flying sucker eels and was being used on an android, so the fetus could be the only source of biologically coherent data.
Marcus, half in shock, delusional and literally crawling on all fours, with no food or water, his forehead veins threatening to become horns, manages to get to the tropical zone.
Nobody bothers to try to tell Paul not to shoot any human, regardless of the past.
The whole concept of "devolving" humans, as if evolution had a pinnacle to evolve to and devolve from, instead of many paths to fitness. And anyway, why would they evolve to lose language just to gain the ability to grab onto steep walls? Who was doing the sexual selection and why prioritize that to that extent? Is it the radiation? Does it ever rain, where's the water?
Was it the ghost of the decahedron with the milk-vomiting head (a broken mini version of the apparently-smart functional one in the desert) that somehow infiltrated the fallen pod and was in a position to impregnate alien tech with a flying eel? If it wasn't, why was Mother seeing it?
I love sci-fi. And I get sci-fi. I have watched and read copious amounts of sci-fi, hundreds of books, many of them hard sci-fi. Do not blame people who dislike this episode on them not getting sci-fi. This isn't Asimov, Clarke, Liu or Herbert. It's certainly not Reynolds, Jemisin, Corey or Howey. Clearly it's not Martine, Chambers, Meyers, Weir, Cline or Scalzi. I watched Westworld until the very end and enjoyed it. What has happened here is on the level of hackery of a warped version of JJ Abrams.
Open magma tubes directly to the center of the planet but from which no lava ever comes out, as if it was just happy as can be getting pressured into a molten state. Maybe there's no pressure and the magma stays molten by magic and that's why the lander could fly through it. The tubes do somehow spew formerly dead beings (or at least mice) back from the dead though.
The machine checks the developmental condition of the fetus and gets it right on the dot even though it's calibrated for humans and not for flying sucker eels and was being used on an android, so the fetus could be the only source of biologically coherent data.
Marcus, half in shock, delusional and literally crawling on all fours, with no food or water, his forehead veins threatening to become horns, manages to get to the tropical zone.
Nobody bothers to try to tell Paul not to shoot any human, regardless of the past.
The whole concept of "devolving" humans, as if evolution had a pinnacle to evolve to and devolve from, instead of many paths to fitness. And anyway, why would they evolve to lose language just to gain the ability to grab onto steep walls? Who was doing the sexual selection and why prioritize that to that extent? Is it the radiation? Does it ever rain, where's the water?
Was it the ghost of the decahedron with the milk-vomiting head (a broken mini version of the apparently-smart functional one in the desert) that somehow infiltrated the fallen pod and was in a position to impregnate alien tech with a flying eel? If it wasn't, why was Mother seeing it?
I love sci-fi. And I get sci-fi. I have watched and read copious amounts of sci-fi, hundreds of books, many of them hard sci-fi. Do not blame people who dislike this episode on them not getting sci-fi. This isn't Asimov, Clarke, Liu or Herbert. It's certainly not Reynolds, Jemisin, Corey or Howey. Clearly it's not Martine, Chambers, Meyers, Weir, Cline or Scalzi. I watched Westworld until the very end and enjoyed it. What has happened here is on the level of hackery of a warped version of JJ Abrams.
Bring on season two!
jmsmanser11 December 2020
This episode was not a finale. It introduces the plot lines for season two. So, not a very satisfying denouement, but a set of cliffhangers. Looks like they're setting the scene for an epic series and I can't wait. Great sci-fi.
Don't really know what to think
kcrateau2 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This show has all the cinematic and visual qualities to be praised on, but like many have said on here, I don't really know that I am invested in any of the characters or in the storyline. I get that they're trying to tie in The mystery of the snake holes and the skeletons that have been very present in the show since the beginning, but that was a big turn for mother to be carrying a alien snake rather than a human fetus. So all of the flashbacks and virtual world storytelling about her maker seems to have gone out the window. I'll give it a try for a few episodes in season two, but the plot has to equal the production value or it's just not entertaining.
Great Series, Horrible Season Finale
SouthernViews2 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The only way to properly review this finale is with spoilers. Let me first state that I enjoyed most of the prior episodes. I felt that the writing was sharp and kept me guessing. I was never sure what direction the show was taking the characters and plot lines. But then we get to this episode and those last 10-15 minutes. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's horrible plot holes.
Spoilers begin now.
I enjoyed the twist that Mother was not carrying a human or even cyborg embryo. The snake birth was something I didn't see coming. But...
WHY did they have to fly their ship through the center of the planet to kill the snake?
Both Mother and Father are very strong. Why not rip it in half?
Or fly back to camp and get the gun and shoot it?
Also, didn't Mother and Father know the ship was strong enough to survive flying through the planet's core?
But then after flying through the core it hits the ground and crashes?
Laughably Bad!!!! Bad, Bad, Bad!
They should have just had the snake attack Mother and Father, leaving both injured, and then fly off. The end result would have been the same, but far more believable. I'm not sure I will invest in Season Two.
Season One Review
southdavid26 March 2021
How do I feel about "Raised by Wolves" having finished the first season? Mixed. Mixed is probably a fair way to describe it. It's never less than a quality production - but as it's run on and the rules have blurred and unexplainable things have started happening, my opinion has lowered.
With the Earth ravaged by battles between atheists and Disciples of Sol, an escape pod, populated by two Robots and several human embryos, lands on Kepler 22B with a mission to start a new godless colony. Progress is difficult and devastatingly costly, even before the arrival of a ship of zealots arrive, but one of the two androids, 'Mother'(Amana Collin) is a reprogrammed Necromancer model, a weapon of mass destruction and is willing to protect her family by any means necessary.
Visually it's top notch. There's a bleak aesthetic to the planet, which matches the harshness of the environment - and the rest of the CGI work, be it spaceship, creature or robot are really well done. Performances are OK, even if Travis Fimmel is essentially playing Ragnar Lothbrook again, he's never less than watchable. Amana Collin and Abubakar Salim are excellent at playing androids, both of whom slowly gain more "life" as the season runs on. The various children involved are a mixed bag of decent to annoying, but it would be unduly cruel to signal out individuals.
My trouble was, as the season ran on, and more and more unexplained things happened I developed the sinking feeling that answers weren't going to be forthcoming. There are too many random actions for any single explanation to work. I'd have preferred less of them; a native population alone would have been OK, or perhaps some form of hallucinogen caused by inhaling gases to explain the reappearance of dead characters. I might be proven wrong, but I don't feel like it has an outcome it is heading towards, rather more that it's making stuff up as it goes along and hoping that it'll work out in the end. Perhaps only at the true resolution are you able to make that distinction.
I'll be back for season two but it's more out of a sense of intrigue, rather than any love for the show.
With the Earth ravaged by battles between atheists and Disciples of Sol, an escape pod, populated by two Robots and several human embryos, lands on Kepler 22B with a mission to start a new godless colony. Progress is difficult and devastatingly costly, even before the arrival of a ship of zealots arrive, but one of the two androids, 'Mother'(Amana Collin) is a reprogrammed Necromancer model, a weapon of mass destruction and is willing to protect her family by any means necessary.
Visually it's top notch. There's a bleak aesthetic to the planet, which matches the harshness of the environment - and the rest of the CGI work, be it spaceship, creature or robot are really well done. Performances are OK, even if Travis Fimmel is essentially playing Ragnar Lothbrook again, he's never less than watchable. Amana Collin and Abubakar Salim are excellent at playing androids, both of whom slowly gain more "life" as the season runs on. The various children involved are a mixed bag of decent to annoying, but it would be unduly cruel to signal out individuals.
My trouble was, as the season ran on, and more and more unexplained things happened I developed the sinking feeling that answers weren't going to be forthcoming. There are too many random actions for any single explanation to work. I'd have preferred less of them; a native population alone would have been OK, or perhaps some form of hallucinogen caused by inhaling gases to explain the reappearance of dead characters. I might be proven wrong, but I don't feel like it has an outcome it is heading towards, rather more that it's making stuff up as it goes along and hoping that it'll work out in the end. Perhaps only at the true resolution are you able to make that distinction.
I'll be back for season two but it's more out of a sense of intrigue, rather than any love for the show.
A insightful ending to a new beginning
adventuresntoto10 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
While the first half of the season focuses on the Earth inhabitants and their problems that they carry over to this new planet, Kepler-22b, this episode makes it clear that the atmospheric weirdness the Earth inhabitants experienced was not something to brush aside. This episode is a confrontation on settler colonialism and the problems of pioneering.
Below, I will give my breakdown on aspects of the episode, how it relates to the season as a whole, and how I interpreted it all to mean.
I noticed that when Mother/Lamia realized she was pregnant she quickly rejected it, and this was a stark parallel to Tempest's rape and rejection of her baby.
Mother, then not understanding what it meant to be a mother, believed to be one meant the baby must be biologically related and that, for her, she was not able to have a child because she was an android. She cherished human ability to conceive. This was a mistakenly pro-life stance that denied Tempest her agency.
In this sense, forces on Kepler-22b strip Mother of her agency and use her weaknesses as a weapon to recreate the monsters the original inhabitants formed. While I don't like the ideas of rape and forced pregnancy, it seems like that was an intentional parallel.
The Earth inhabitants knew little about Kepler-22b except a few basic parallels to Earth. It was the Mithraic societal institution (separate from the actual religion) that found the planet and used it as their Holy Land to escape from the Hell they created on Earth.
Campion Sturges, part of the ruling class, knew of the Mithraic agenda and beat them at their game by sending his own Adam and Eve to restart life on a new planet -- mistakenly pushing for religious intolerance rather than end of structural oppression. Like the Mithraic institution, Sturges also knew little about the planet. It was all to give humanity a last leg after it was taken from them by the Mithraic institution.
Caleb, a character who grew up in the Atheist Resistance, that devoted their life to eradicating to the Mithraic institution, that we still don't understand if this caused complete religious intolerance, or at least the understanding of the end of religious fanaticism and oppression. Caleb was already struggling with the trauma of that, and sneaking into the Mithraic institution's Ark headed for "Heaven" (all for survival and a chance for peace), he becomes a victim of the terror of this new world the same way the Mithraic colonists would have had things gone according to plan. The voices he heard (now being sent to Paul) were from what the original inhabitants of Kepler-22b created. And, quite frankly, a man who never had the space to heal because he always had his guard up possibly facing persecution from Mithraic Authorities, wouldn't do well with those type of ominous voices. His isolation, his attacks, his breakdown -- all of that was a result of the the violence inflicted upon Mithraic Institution's oppression, and thus, he became a pawn of Kepler-22b's own game.
Father is another character who is as interesting. Him and Mary deserved more time to exercise their grief and stories the same way Mother and Caleb got to, but how they ended up and where they are now is something interesting. Father believed he could not love in an emotional way because he was a service module, but he came to love and express other emotions. He came to love Mother, Campion, and the kids most deeply.
Whereas Mary, she loved Caleb and wanted to be there for him because she was dealing with her own traumas (some related to the institution, some not), and she was alone as well. It was supposed to be the two of them, but Caleb became a victim of Kepler-22b, and that caused him to push her away (which we later see the planet isolate Paul from her as well). That love Mary had for Caleb might still be there, but it's not something where she can physically be around him. She has to protect her space, and she does. She has been working through her discomfort with mothering and birth because of her own miscarriage and infertility since finding Paul and eventually coming face-to-face with Mother.
Where Mary is now, she becomes the sole parent to six kids. Father and Mother don't have their kids, but they felt they raised Campion to a degree of independency, and their journey now is to reunite with him.
A show you'd think would simply be about the ways in which the violence of religious oppression corrupts and traumatizes us ends up including the violence of settler colonialism. The show is deeply about found family. It's about parenting and the mistakes made when done so. It's about the idea that you don't need to have a biological child to have a child; you just need to raise, nurture, love, and prepare them for independency. It's also about parenting never stopping just cause the child can be alone.
So, while these are good themes for the characters, we must understand, there was more going on than them. They were still settlers, and there is a violence in Kepler-22b that has yet to be solved.
Below, I will give my breakdown on aspects of the episode, how it relates to the season as a whole, and how I interpreted it all to mean.
I noticed that when Mother/Lamia realized she was pregnant she quickly rejected it, and this was a stark parallel to Tempest's rape and rejection of her baby.
Mother, then not understanding what it meant to be a mother, believed to be one meant the baby must be biologically related and that, for her, she was not able to have a child because she was an android. She cherished human ability to conceive. This was a mistakenly pro-life stance that denied Tempest her agency.
In this sense, forces on Kepler-22b strip Mother of her agency and use her weaknesses as a weapon to recreate the monsters the original inhabitants formed. While I don't like the ideas of rape and forced pregnancy, it seems like that was an intentional parallel.
The Earth inhabitants knew little about Kepler-22b except a few basic parallels to Earth. It was the Mithraic societal institution (separate from the actual religion) that found the planet and used it as their Holy Land to escape from the Hell they created on Earth.
Campion Sturges, part of the ruling class, knew of the Mithraic agenda and beat them at their game by sending his own Adam and Eve to restart life on a new planet -- mistakenly pushing for religious intolerance rather than end of structural oppression. Like the Mithraic institution, Sturges also knew little about the planet. It was all to give humanity a last leg after it was taken from them by the Mithraic institution.
Caleb, a character who grew up in the Atheist Resistance, that devoted their life to eradicating to the Mithraic institution, that we still don't understand if this caused complete religious intolerance, or at least the understanding of the end of religious fanaticism and oppression. Caleb was already struggling with the trauma of that, and sneaking into the Mithraic institution's Ark headed for "Heaven" (all for survival and a chance for peace), he becomes a victim of the terror of this new world the same way the Mithraic colonists would have had things gone according to plan. The voices he heard (now being sent to Paul) were from what the original inhabitants of Kepler-22b created. And, quite frankly, a man who never had the space to heal because he always had his guard up possibly facing persecution from Mithraic Authorities, wouldn't do well with those type of ominous voices. His isolation, his attacks, his breakdown -- all of that was a result of the the violence inflicted upon Mithraic Institution's oppression, and thus, he became a pawn of Kepler-22b's own game.
Father is another character who is as interesting. Him and Mary deserved more time to exercise their grief and stories the same way Mother and Caleb got to, but how they ended up and where they are now is something interesting. Father believed he could not love in an emotional way because he was a service module, but he came to love and express other emotions. He came to love Mother, Campion, and the kids most deeply.
Whereas Mary, she loved Caleb and wanted to be there for him because she was dealing with her own traumas (some related to the institution, some not), and she was alone as well. It was supposed to be the two of them, but Caleb became a victim of Kepler-22b, and that caused him to push her away (which we later see the planet isolate Paul from her as well). That love Mary had for Caleb might still be there, but it's not something where she can physically be around him. She has to protect her space, and she does. She has been working through her discomfort with mothering and birth because of her own miscarriage and infertility since finding Paul and eventually coming face-to-face with Mother.
Where Mary is now, she becomes the sole parent to six kids. Father and Mother don't have their kids, but they felt they raised Campion to a degree of independency, and their journey now is to reunite with him.
A show you'd think would simply be about the ways in which the violence of religious oppression corrupts and traumatizes us ends up including the violence of settler colonialism. The show is deeply about found family. It's about parenting and the mistakes made when done so. It's about the idea that you don't need to have a biological child to have a child; you just need to raise, nurture, love, and prepare them for independency. It's also about parenting never stopping just cause the child can be alone.
So, while these are good themes for the characters, we must understand, there was more going on than them. They were still settlers, and there is a violence in Kepler-22b that has yet to be solved.
The show made us feel so many things about so many things...
dhruvvarma2 October 2020
But the finale was just not worth the whole setup. I was really hoping for something really good to happen, something which will connect the dots on some level. Sci fi feels real when it meets the right physics and chemistry. But here, nothing happened!!
How to undo the series
spin_orbit2 October 2020
I can't speak highly enough for the series and couldn't wait for the finale, all the theories and possibilities of what was alluded to up to this point. Wow.....I looked at the time during the episode and was literally saying there's no way they can recover this mess let alone give us any conclusions, little did I know they would go off on a completely different path and not even attempt to resolve what it had built up, did they change the writers or were they just 'Lost' on where to take it?
I recommended this series to every one as one of the best this year, I humbly have to rescind any recommendations as this left me more frustrated than Prometheus.
I don't think I liked anything about this episode. 9 for the series and Dad, 1 for the finale.
Don't know why this finale is low rated.
raj-bhullar7 February 2022
This finale was good. I don't know why people have rated this so low. What happens is completely unexpected and bizarre which leaves many questions for the next season. It leaves you asking what will happen next. That's what I like about this finale. It's brilliantly shot, well acted, the story is gripping and nothing is predictable. Special effects are great. What's not to like here I don't get it. It's just one of those finales which upsets a few people and they rate it low. I was surprised to see the low rating. Some people are hard to please I guess.
LoooooooooL !
fareslazari5 October 2020
Sooo, now we add Jurassic Park to the already convoluted theme?
Top_Dawg_Critic4 October 2020
Sci-fi. Drama. Horror. Family. AI. Fantasy. Religion. and now, add Jurassic Park to the already convoluted theme.
This is what happens when Ridley Scott is involved with only the 2 first episodes, and then all the writers start getting confused/lazy as the series progresses. Are the same writers that started to mess up Westworld into one convoluted mess trying to disguise itself as an intelligent series also involved in this series? This has to be probably one of the worst season finales to a new series I've seen. It sure is a good way to lose your audience after only 10 episodes, so they better come up with one heck of an impressive first 2 episodes in the second season if they want to save their audience - and the series. 4/10 for the finale ridiculousness from me.
This is what happens when Ridley Scott is involved with only the 2 first episodes, and then all the writers start getting confused/lazy as the series progresses. Are the same writers that started to mess up Westworld into one convoluted mess trying to disguise itself as an intelligent series also involved in this series? This has to be probably one of the worst season finales to a new series I've seen. It sure is a good way to lose your audience after only 10 episodes, so they better come up with one heck of an impressive first 2 episodes in the second season if they want to save their audience - and the series. 4/10 for the finale ridiculousness from me.
Every Episode a New Mystery
dushanstojchev4 October 2020
As every good sci-fi should be! The finale was especially great, echoing themes from Alien and Prometheus. LOTS of stuff to unpack here *possible spoilers below* - why is the native population on Kepler devolving? What about the Neanderthal skull? Is the snake thing how those gigantic snakes actually reproduced, through mental ("Sol") and physical parasitism? Has an extinct Keplerian species now resurrected itself thanks to a synthetic organism from Earth? What are dark photons and is Mother even from Earth, or from Kepler/Sol?
THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT AND FASCINATING QUESTIONS. And so many of them!
Yet I see most people fixate and trip up on such superficial details such as "How did their ship survive passing through Kepler's core??!! TERRIBLE! 1/10!!!" It really betrays a superficial mentality incapable of appreciating philosophical thought. Imagine ignoring everything profound and latching onto unimportant detail like that? And not even thinking it through?
Let me answer their question: The ship survived because: a) It's a pretty advanced ship that probably has shields and has no problem entering atmosphere and deep space! b) the gravity accelerated them fast enough to spend very little time within the core (there's actually science done on this scenario, Google it), c) they're androids so they survived the extreme acceleration and G-forces, d) the core wasn't that hard nor that hot (it obviously wasn't glowing like a star), e) they didn't know the pit went all to the core and didn't know the core was not solid, f) IT'S A SUPER ADVANCED SHIP OBVIOUSLY AND THAT'S NOT WHAT MATTERS IN THIS SERIES. It's called Raised by Wolves, it has religious cults and robots bearing children, it's original and philosophical. It's not called "totally accurate planetary core mechanics."
THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT AND FASCINATING QUESTIONS. And so many of them!
Yet I see most people fixate and trip up on such superficial details such as "How did their ship survive passing through Kepler's core??!! TERRIBLE! 1/10!!!" It really betrays a superficial mentality incapable of appreciating philosophical thought. Imagine ignoring everything profound and latching onto unimportant detail like that? And not even thinking it through?
Let me answer their question: The ship survived because: a) It's a pretty advanced ship that probably has shields and has no problem entering atmosphere and deep space! b) the gravity accelerated them fast enough to spend very little time within the core (there's actually science done on this scenario, Google it), c) they're androids so they survived the extreme acceleration and G-forces, d) the core wasn't that hard nor that hot (it obviously wasn't glowing like a star), e) they didn't know the pit went all to the core and didn't know the core was not solid, f) IT'S A SUPER ADVANCED SHIP OBVIOUSLY AND THAT'S NOT WHAT MATTERS IN THIS SERIES. It's called Raised by Wolves, it has religious cults and robots bearing children, it's original and philosophical. It's not called "totally accurate planetary core mechanics."
Prometheus the TV series
FelixMH3 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The biggest problem with both this show and Prometheus is that there isn't any kind of closure or proper setup for the next season/sequel whatsoever. The build-up was fantastic, the sci-fi world was intriguing, the drama was compelling.
But the big reveal turned out to be some vague sci-fi mumbo jumbo, namely, evil snakes and indigenous Neanderthals wiping each other out in a war? After which the humans somehow "devolved" into the creatures? Who are the telepathic voices? It certainly appears the Neanderthal remnants and snake remnants are both responsible for manipulating the arrivals from earth. How come humans were on Kepler B? Is Ridley Scott seriously rehashing his Engineers seeding the galaxy with life plotline? And the rag-tag Aitheist resistance movement somehow managed to build a bigger and more powerful spaceship than the Mithraic religious government? Then made their way to the planet almost as quick as the Mithraic ark? WTF?
So yes, the problem is that a whole season of fantastic build-up is only answered by implausible/dumb "mysteries" and plot holes, similar to the infamous "only run in a straight line" moment from Prometheus and still not telling us anything about the Engineers' backstory even in 2020.
But the big reveal turned out to be some vague sci-fi mumbo jumbo, namely, evil snakes and indigenous Neanderthals wiping each other out in a war? After which the humans somehow "devolved" into the creatures? Who are the telepathic voices? It certainly appears the Neanderthal remnants and snake remnants are both responsible for manipulating the arrivals from earth. How come humans were on Kepler B? Is Ridley Scott seriously rehashing his Engineers seeding the galaxy with life plotline? And the rag-tag Aitheist resistance movement somehow managed to build a bigger and more powerful spaceship than the Mithraic religious government? Then made their way to the planet almost as quick as the Mithraic ark? WTF?
So yes, the problem is that a whole season of fantastic build-up is only answered by implausible/dumb "mysteries" and plot holes, similar to the infamous "only run in a straight line" moment from Prometheus and still not telling us anything about the Engineers' backstory even in 2020.
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