The nearly two-minute first look revealed the stunning visuals of Scott and creator Aaron Guzikowski’s concept. There were cities on fire, androids blowing stuff up, and a parable of the Three Little Pigs. It was awesome. But was it awesome because it was so enigmatic? The teaser didn’t have to shoulder the burden of revealing the plot to viewers or giving a sense of how all these cool concepts and visuals would meld into a coherent series.
The lush visuals are still there of course but so is some helpful exposition. Humanity is in search of a fresh start on a new planet. And as such it has utilized the services of two androids to create and then raise human children. Yes, “Mother” isn’t just a helpful callsign for the female-appearing android – she actually gets to experience something resembling gestation and childbirth. Weird! And creepy! She also displays some human emotion by crying happy tears. That’s probably fine and not an indication that things have gone horribly wrong.
Per HBO Max’s official plot description: “Raised by Wolves centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.”
The trailer also reveals the nature of those religious differences. It would seem that Earth was torn apart by a war between a religious organization and atheists. Now most of humanity may be gone, but a small sect of the religious crowd remains and is en route to the same planet that houses the atheists’ great android experience. That should go well.
The cast includes Amanda Collin (A Conspiracy of Faith), Abubakar Salim (Fortitude), Winta McGrath (Aloft), Niamh Algar (The Virtues), Jordan Loughran (The Infiltrator), Matias Varela (Narcos), Felix Jamieson (Game of Thrones), Ethan Hazzard (The Long Song), Aasiya Shah (Call the Midwife) Ivy Wong (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Travis Fimmel (Vikings).
