There's an old trope of TV writing that states "the status quo is God." It generally refers to non-serialized TV shows' tendency to gravitate back to wherever the next episode must always begin, but the season 2 premiere of Raised by Wolves turns that idea on its head.
The first two episodes of season 2 of Raised by Wolves were directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, best known for the 1992 film Juice and a storied career in TV. The episodes were written by overall series creator Aaron Guzikowski, best known for writing the 2013 film Prisoners. Spoilers ahead for the first season of Raised by Wolves, but anyone attempting to jump on at season 2 will find themselves hopelessly lost regardless.
Fans of the series will recall that season 1 concluded with an attempt at a heroic sacrifice, gone sideways by circumstance. Reprogrammed war machine Mother and good-natured service android Father piloted a small space-craft into the mysterious hole to destroy Mother's newborn monster. After Mother's mysterious pregnancy revealed itself to be a nightmarish flying serpent, the pair left their adopted son Campion and the reclaimed Mithraic kids to fend for themselves on Kepler-22b.
Rather than destroying themselves and the serpent, Mother and Father find themselves crash landing on the often mentioned tropical side of the planet. Meanwhile, atheist turned prophet Marcus began his one-man-war on the growing atheist forces after the slaughter of his entire peer group. Viewers rejoin Mother and Father as they are collected by the atheists who inhabit the tropical area and reconnect with the children and Campion.
In short order, Mother, now more often addressed by her proper name Lamia, and Father are introduced to the atheist Collective and its governing entity. Rather than any sort of deity, a powerful AI known as The Trust is the decision-maker within The Collective. Given Lamia's importance to Campion Sturges' vision, she, Father, and their children are given a home and allowed to stay together. This represents a bizarre return to form for the early days of the series.
Rather than advancing the questions about the serpent or the mysterious circumstances that led to Lamia's pregnancy, the two new episodes spend a ton of time on the old status quo. Meanwhile, Marcus begins trying to swell his ranks by reaching out to spurned members of The Collective and faithful prisoners of war. Marcus has fully completed his moral arc from lying grifter faking his way into the Mithraic army into evangelical war-priest talking non-stop about the scripture. The first episode really doesn't make much progress, but what is presented is enjoyable enough.
By episode two, the serpent comes back into play, turning the entire plot in its direction. Referred to mostly as Number seven, the entire Collective turns toward the task of hunting Mother's bizarre offspring down. The serpent is the most interesting aspect of the narrative since Lamia lost access to her eyes and its continued interplay with the main cast remains intense.
Both The Collective and Marcus' tiny Mithraic resistance seek to capture the monster, but its goals and even its capabilities remain a mystery. The action scenes of these first two episodes are swift and sudden, the serpent and the enemy army pose only partial threats in the face of Mother, and that has been an issue since the early episodes.
Raised by Wolves is an ensemble piece, it tries to focus on the entire cast and give equal time to its many storylines, but those narratives are not created equal. Mother, the emotionless war machine capable of eliminating all life but reprogrammed to cherish humanity is the draw of the show. The first season effortlessly recasts her as a horror movie antagonist and powerful hero within moments. By season 2, she's entered a holding pattern. Most of what season 2 touches on has already been covered thoroughly in the first season, and what it is adding is somewhat less interesting.
The best parts of the show, its outstanding imagery and occasional brushes with clever symbolism, are still present. Blending biblical allusion, philosophical treatises about AI, and probing questions into the intricacies of human belief make the series worth watching. A ton of this new season is dedicated to uncovering the dark sides of the atheist forces in a way that screams "maybe both sides are bad!" as its major philosophical stance. It's ostensibly about faith, but it already seems to be running out of interesting things to say. If viewers think too hard about the characters' actions, they'll find a fair amount of them without justification. Everything about the season 2 premiere is hit or miss.
Most of the cast remains excellent. Amanda Collin's performance as Mother is still stellar and she still handily carries the show. Abubakar Salim is still charming and fun as Father. Travis Fimmel's performance as Marcus is intimidating while remaining charismatic. There are many child actors in the show, the fact that as many of them succeed as they do is surprising. Winta McGrath, Jordan Loughran, and Ethan Hazzard stand out as Campion, Tempest, and Hunter respectively. Beyond the cast, the cinematography remains excellent. The special effects are typically solid, but a couple of moments look weirdly outdated. It isn't distracting, but it is odd that visual quality would dip substantially throughout a single episode.
There is still a lot to like about Raised by Wolves, but it feels like it's not boldly moving forward, so much as it is lying in wait. There are a ton of interesting places the remaining four episodes could go, hopefully, it's building to a new horizon rather than residing in the same domain.