Read, Watch, Listen

Raised by Wolves, Season 1 Finale

Scott Baerst

Oct 1, 2020 • 1 min read

Raised by Wolves isn't going in the direction I thought it would. It may not be going in the direction I want it to. I'm invested. I told myself, perhaps disingenuously, that the finale would be a decision point with respect to whether I continue watching. I say disingenuously because the ultimate decision probably would have more to do with whether I am an HBO Max subscriber when the second season starts. I think I will be...there are Lovecraft Country episodes to watch.

Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, and Niamh Algar are joys to watch. They are putting in incredible performances. It is refreshing to see actors you're not familiar with take center stage. I'm a fan of Josh Brolin, I think he's a fantastic actor. But in October 2020 (hello October), when I see him on the cinema stage, my mind is juggling Sicario, Avengers, and Dead Pool. (I hope he takes some smaller, quieter roles soon.)

I have to watch the Raised by Wolves finale again. I loved it, even though my we've been here before sensors were firing. Alien, Prometheus, Dune?

The things we watch and read. It seems inevitable that we watch and read them in conjunction with what we are experiencing, seeing, and feeling in our own lives. We never watch, read, or hear things in a vacuum. Anyone watching Raised by Wolves now is watching it against a backdrop of a global pandemic, economic distress, isolation, increasing nationalism, and a tense election cycle.

Empathy, communication, understanding, and forgiveness. Our superpowers. They're the keys to moving forward. They seem at risk. I haven't got scientific examples to support that. I have got some anecdotal support. Jump on Twitter for 5 minutes. Do you feel better or worse? Hmmm, that's not the right question. Do you feel better or worse, and why?

I can't stop listening to the opening song for Raised by Wolves. Headphones on, a quiet night, free from flashbangs and sirens.

Opening Titles, Mariam Wallentin and Ben Frost.

Wallentin's voice is amazing. Here's a Tainted Love rendition with Ben Foster.

Mariam Wallentin and Ben Foster, Tainted Love.

"Pulling you from the sky, just like love will do."

Sign up for more like this.