'Raised by Wolves' Episode 5 Review: Mother uncovers secrets of her past as new mysteries arise
Spoilers for 'Raised by Wolves' Episode 5 'Infected Memory'
It's a new day for the Mithraic, as they explore Keppler-22b in search of their stolen children, leading to some surprising new tools in the fight against Mother (Amanda Collin), while at the same time raising some new questions. Meanwhile, back on the settlement, Mother and Father (Abubakar Salim) deal with the fallout of last episode's traumatic attempts to teach the children hunting. As Father seeks space to supervise the children his way, Mother returns to the simulation machine that helps her relive old memories — this time uncovering memories she never knew laid buried.
There's a lot going on in this episode. The Gordian knot of Mithraic leadership practices is cut straight through as Marcus (Travis Fimmel) is elected to be the new Eminence for his sheer sense of practicality. With Marcus now in charge, he and Sue (Niamh Algar) now lead on to find their missing children. This part of the story is where most of the series' new mysteries arise, and a lot of elements are introduced in what is already a very layered show. The mysterious stranger who picked up the childrens' signal devices and has apparently been keeping track of the androids all their lives, the introduction of Tempest's (Jordan Loughran) rapist, and the mysterious voice that Marcus is plagued with leading him to inexplicable and gory hallucinations. Add to this the question of how Tally's (Grace Li) ghost seems to be more than just a realization, and there may be just one mystery too many for some viewers.
Fortunately, it's all still well-balanced by the heart of this story — the strange family life at the androids' settlement. Campion (Winta McGrath) and Paul (Felix Jamieson) bond in their reluctance to hunt, becoming the kind of obnoxious, holier-than-thou vegetarians that undermine their own cause — Campion in particular. More focus is given to Tempest in this episode, unfortunately highlighting the fact that Jordan Loughran is one of the weaker links in a cast of powerfully compelling performers — especially given how Tempests' pregnancy centers her story in the larger scheme of things.
Everything fades away, however, in the light of Mother's story. It's a relatively small part of the episode, but it outshines everything else. The sets featuring the war back on Earth, the story of how Mother was forcibly reprogrammed from a Mithraic Necromancer to a nurturing Mother by the atheist Campion Sturges (Cosmo Jarvis). The emerging love story between the two is told against a backdrop of violence and decay, as conditions in Sturges' workshop go from bad to worse. It's an emotional, touching story, one that never leaves the darkness too far behind. It includes a gasp-worthy shocking moment of a baby's neck snap that is notable for how much it doesn't revel in its own violence — the baby is immediately revealed to be a fake. It's not shock for shock's sake — it's meant to press home just how deep Mother's programming goes. It's worth wondering whether or not Campion was truly able to remove all of it.
Shock aside, Mother's time with Campion is a love story that was tragically taken from her, and is now returned. The question of whether or not androids are capable of love is obvious enough from the way Mother and Father care for their children, but this reveal shows just how much Mother is a woman in her own right — for the first time, Mother is given a glimpse of a life she had outside of her familial responsibilities, and it's everything to her.
With new mysteries introduced, and Mother's already complex emotional motivations deepened, this episode sets up a lot to be unpacked over the latter half of the season. It's hard, at this point, to be able to tell just where things are going, but the mystery is just compelling enough to want to stick around for the ride.
Episodes 6 and 7 of 'Raised by Wolves' air September 17, on HBO Max.