Sorry for the long delay, but I had to help a few people take care of a dog that I have been paying a little less attention to lately. In general, there was always something distracting me from writing my impressions. These were very positive, I was surprised by the level of the show because I had some concerns about Ridley Scott. He is a director with great achievements, with many merits for the cinema, but at some point, which I cannot place in the timeline, he started making medium or poor films more often than good ones. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that he is a poor director, he has simply disappointed me more than a dozen years in a positive way. However, the first two episodes directed by him dispelled my doubts. I liked them very much and they were a great introduction to this universe. My girlfriend was not that enthusiastic, but she had a rather good time and was far from complaining. Another discussion should appear by September 27, perhaps I will write about more episodes now. Due to the fact that there have already been 7 of them, I will not avoid spoilers in the next reviews.
Let me start out by sketching the plot without going into too many things. A religious war broke out on Earth between atheists and people who believe in God Sol. The religion most inspired by Catholicism and the beliefs of primitive cultures in God the Sun. At least this is what I see after the 1st and 2nd episode, it may still change and there will be elements characteristic of, for example, Islam or Judaism. The Mithraits are dressed in clothes that remind me of a bit of medieval armor in a somewhat futuristic version, and their religious rites, as well as the activities of priests, remind me most of Christians. I can be wrong, I am talking about my associations, if they are wrong then I apologize for my ignorance. Atheists decided to send two androids and human embryos to the Earth-like planet (Kepler 22b), the conditions of which would allow for the creation of a new civilization free from religion and, as atheists said, the prejudices resulting from it. A civilization based solely on science, technology, on emotions perceived as positive, without judging or praying to the Deities they believe are the product of human desires and weaknesses.
The series has a fairly neutral approach to the world-outlook conflict, not putting one or the other group in an excessively negative or positive light. Similarly, in the case of the mother and father, they show characteristics of both sexes. The father-figure android is more subdued, follow logic, controls his emotions, and acts in a pragmatic way, while the woman is more driven by emotions, as evidenced by both maternal kindness and the action of affection when it is necessary to save children regardless of the cost and consequences. The series shows the latter especially well, i.e. when a woman feels that her children are in danger, it will destroy everything in its path, regardless of the price and consequences. Generally, you can treat the plot of "Raised by Wolves" as a criticism and praise of certain elements of the left-wing and right-wing perception of reality, depending on what we want to see in this series. In the case of progressives, it is a blind, sometimes thoughtless entrustment to science. The mother explains everything in a scientific way, leaving no room for spirituality, as well as overlooking human flaws and limited perceptions of reality. And in the case of conservatives, sometimes excessive adherence to the rules (I'm not saying that you have to abandon them) when they are unnecessary or only disturbing. Due to excessive attachment to them, they lose the ability to adapt to new challenges and problems, and thus, they are unable to deal with them in an effective way. In a way, it reminds me of "Dark", which you can watch on Netflix. Both series take a very scientific approach to the subject, without ignoring the hard-to-grasp metaphysical aspects. One can deny the sense of religion, as well as quite effectively argue that God is an aberration resulting from human weakness, the willingness to believe that something exists after death. On the other hand, it is difficult to deny spirituality, even if it is one of the many human needs.
As for the actors, I have to praise Abubakar Salim and Amanda Collin first and foremost. They perfectly portray male and female character traits, both with their facial expressions, tone of voice and gestures. Although they are androids, they perfectly reflect the emotionality of their heroes. Amanda acts like a caring and compassionate mother, but when she has to show her anger, she scares her with unbearable gaze. Not to mention the scenes where he goes ahead, devastating everything along the way like a bulldozer. For this purpose, it does not even have to enter its combat form, which further enhances this impression. The father, in turn, is a refuge of peace, he is full of understanding and tries to be as best as possible, not imposing his narrative on others. Some might complain that he is too submissive to his "wife", but I see it differently. She is aware of her partner's strength and approaches it in a pragmatic way. Travis Fimmel aka. Ragnar Lothbrok hasn't had many opportunities to show his skills yet. Well, since they engaged him to such a role, I believe that in the next episodes he will show something more.
Just as you can complain about some things about Ridley Scott, it's so hard for him to refuse special effects and abilities to portray the world of the future, portray technology, or androids. This series shows his many years of extensive experience and exceptional skills in this field. The visual setting of "Raised by Wolves" stands out from the background of many sci-fi series and although some elements present a television standard, many scenes do not differ from the cinema level. I mean especially the finale of the first episode, as we see in the action of the Necromancer. In addition, the scenery is at a high level - ships, the design of the Earth city, Necromancer in its combat form, I have nothing to complain about.
As for the soundtrack, none of the songs are memorable, but the intro is beautiful. I know, I've talked about it on a lot of TV shows and I'm susceptible to such emotional songs, but I don't think any of them have had that effect on me yet. The openings for "Black Sails", "Dark", "Daredevil", "Jessica Jones", "Stranger Things" also affect my emotions, but not in the same way as "Raised by Wolves". This song makes me feel like ... Hmm, a little baby being hugged by a loving parent. Thanks to him, I mentally go back to the times when I was a few years old and emotions that I could feel as a little man. Perhaps my perception will change over time, but that's how I feel right now. And when it comes to the overall quality of the soundtrack, Ben Frost is responsible for it (known from series such as "Dark", "Fortitude" or "Rainbow Six: Siege" games) and so far I have not been disappointed with his work . He has a good sense of climate, knows how to affect emotions, generally knows his job.
To sum up, I am very pleased so far, we will see what the next episodes will bring.