'Raised by Wolves' Episode 5: Big mysteries concern Mithraic prophecy, Tally's ghost, Marcus' voices and aliens?
Though 'Raised by Wolves' is, at its heart, a story about family, religion, and society at large, it also sets up a number of smaller mysteries throughout its run that are likely to have much larger connotations down the line. With the series having reached its halfway point with Episode 5, it's worth taking a look at the biggest questions raised by the series so far.
Is Campion a Mithraic Prophet?
"A child raised in an empty land," goes the prophecy, and the arid wastes of Keppler-22b certainly fit that description. After the death of his siblings, Campion (Winta McGrath) remains the only child left in all of known existence who could possibly fulfill the cryptic Mithraic prophecy. Whether or not such a prophecy is to be believed, is, of course, a matter of faith, but faith is something that's quickly become something that matters very much to Campion. Though it's against his parents' wishes, Campion is already a fervent believer in the afterlife. Coming into the Mithraic faith from an outside perspective, he might be exactly the kind of leader the Mithraic need - one who has found faith independently, and is not mired by the centuries of corruption that have taken over the religion. The prophecy itself might not be real - but enough people believe in it, it could be.
Is Tally a ghost, or an illusion?
One of the biggest mysteries of the series is whether or not Tally (Grace Li) was real. However, now that she's been seen by Father (Abubakar Salim), Mother (Amanda Collin) and the Mithraic children themselves - who never met Tally, or know what she looked like when alive - it's safe to say that the figure that looks like Tally is real, and not just a figment of imagination. Whether or not that's Tally herself is another question entirely. We know that androids like Mother can alter their appearance to look like other people - is there another android on Keppler-22b? Or is this truly the ghost of Tally, come to haunt her former family? In either case, there's a more pressing question - what are its motivations?
Why is Marcus hearing voices?
A deeply religious person hearing the voice of their god is nothing out of the ordinary, but when Marcus (Travis Fimmel) begins to hear his own voice, that's cause for concern. Marcus is an atheist, through and through, and he's never bought into their beliefs. So where is this voice coming from? Marcus first heard it near the strange, 5-sided polyhedral shape out in the desert, but the voice has been following him ever since, making him hallucinate bloody images - and he's not the only one who hears it.
Is Mother breaking down?
Mother has been under a lot of stress - first losing her children, and now having to keep her new family safe from the treat of the Mithraic. As an android, she already has a complicated relationship with what humans would consider the standard for mental health. As stress after stress piles on her, however, it seems clear that Mother has slowly been going insane, and may already be over the edge. Part of this could be just reverting to her old programming as a Necromancer - a killer. To exacerbate things, however, Mother has been plugging herself into a machine that repeatedly warns her was not designed for androids - could the machine be having a detrimental effect on her mind? Is Mother finally breaking down after all these years - and if she becomes a threat, is there anyone alive who can stop her?
These questions are worth keeping in mind as the series continues, with answers sure to unfold as the show progresses. Episodes 6 and 7 of 'Raised by Wolves' will release on September 17 on HBO Max.