Ridley Scott's science fiction HBO series, Raised by Wolves, has had people talking since the start of its first season. The story of androids raising children on an alien planet sparked interest from sci-fi fans everywhere, and the series itself explores fascinating questions about humanity, sentience, emotion, and family.
The final episodes of Raised by Wolves' second season brought many new revelations to light. However, it also raised several new questions — not to mention that there are some lingering from early in the season, or even Season 1, that have yet to be answered. Some, of course, are obvious: namely, the true agenda of the entity that inhabits this planet. Others, though, are more complex. While we wait with bated breath for Season 3 to come one day, here are a few questions that are plaguing fans' minds.
The Reasoning Behind The Mouse's Bio Bomb
In the Season 2 episode "Control," the Trust, the AI that runs the atheist camp, manipulates Paul into unwittingly taking a bio-bomb into the encampment of the man who posed as his father, Marcus. Once it is activated, Marcus takes quick action, and the rest of the Mithraic escape. Paul is the only one affected by the toxin, and as a result is encased in a cocoon in which (as the following episode reveals) he is slowly transforming into a snake.
Why would the Trust choose this particular effect to inflict upon Marcus' clan? It seems much more complicated than simply killing them. Of course, from a story perspective, the writers likely wanted to save Paul's life — but even so, the toxin could have simply rendered him comatose instead of putting him in a snake cocoon. Was there something symbolic behind the Trust's decision to slowly and painfully turn the Mithraic into snakes? After Mother's deactivation, we may never know.
Marcus' Fate
After Lucius tortured him and hung him from the tree, it seemed that Marcus, traitor to atheists and Mithraic alike, had finally met his end. Yet, the finale episode's final shot calls that into question: Marcus is seen hanging in the air, in a reverse crucifix position, above Lucius' head.
Is Marcus truly dead? Has the mysterious entity of Kepler 22-b, which some believe to be the voice of Sol, saved him from death? Is the entity planning to use him — or his corpse — to further its own ends? The final shot of the season feels heavily symbolic, but what it foreshadows isn't quite yet clear.
The Condition Of Tempest's Baby
Tempest's character arc is one of the most emotionally complex in Season 2. Carrying the trauma of the rape that left her pregnant, she is understandably terrified to bear the child — yet after she gives birth alone on the rocky shores and the baby is stolen from her arms, she is determined to save the child, even if she can't bear to raise it herself. She, Hunter, and Father eventually find the baby in a seaside cave, nursing from the creature that took it.
Though Tempest is willing to let the creature raise the baby, Hunter takes it back, and upon returning to the collective, a medical exam shows mutations. Though corrective surgery is performed, the issue seems to resolve too quickly. Why would the show bring up the mutations, if they were fixed moments later? It does tie into Mother's realization of Grandmother's plans to devolve the human colony — but even so, judging from how the show has progressed so far, it seems unlikely that the issue is resolved. Will Season 3 show Tempest's baby developing unique attributes? Could its mutations offer insight into the devolution process? Will it be uniquely equipped to survive on 22-b, or will it be weakened as a result of its experiences?
Campion's Immunity To Radiation
Midway through Season 1, it's established that the four children who died of illness had been poisoned by radiation that came from the food they had been eating. Campion was the only one who survived — but how and why? It's not just a one-off incidence, either; throughout Season 1, the other children reference the fact that he can eat the carbos, the radioactive foods. And in Season 2, after being exposed to the radiation of Vrille's breaking-down body, Mother makes another reference to Campion's radiation immunity.
As of the end of Season 2, the reason behind this immunity has not been explained. Mother and Father postulate that all the children born on the planet had some resistance to radiation, which is why they were affected more slowly than the Mithraic children — but the radiation sickness still killed every one of them save Tally and Campion. What amplified Campion's resistance? Is this attribute of his merely plot armor, or will there be an explanation in Season 3?
How The Entity Reached Sue Within The EMF
Early in the second season, it is established that the tropical zone of Kepler 22-b is surrounded by an electromagnetic field, or EMF. This field prevents the signal sent by the planet's mysterious entity from reaching anyone inside the tropical zone. However, it apparently sent a message to Sue before her transformation, when it told her how to cure Paul of his aforementioned snake cocoon condition.
The entity makes its presence known in the tropical zone later on in Season 2, to which Marcus and Paul theorize that the tree which grew from Sue is acting as a sort of transmitter, allowing the entity's signal to reach inside the EMF. Still, this doesn't explain how Sue heard the entity's voice long before the tree grew, and long before Mother's battle with Number Seven damaged the EMF. How did it reach her? Has another such tree survived from ancient times, to transmit the signal? Or is it simply a plot hole? Hopefully, as long as it's not the latter, fans will get an answer in Season 3.