‘Raised by Wolves’ S2E7 ‘Feeding’ leans into themes about motherhood

March 10, 2022

The joys of figuring out TV are back to its best kind of television with Raised by Wolves season two and today’s episode is further proof of that. Episode seven titled “Feeding” spins directly out of episode six when the main character was turned into a tree bearing fruit. That fruit appears to have the meat of flesh and blood. Yikes, but will it poison everyone or save them all? The themes of faith vs. science continue to rage on.

This episode opens with Paul (Felix Jamieson) looking quite nervous as he drags some fresh fruit into the colony. He’s clearly having reservations about giving fruit to people not knowing if it’ll hurt them. Of course, Marcus (Travis Fimmel) is more interested in seeing what will happen and not worrying about anyone’s life. Fimmel is very good at capturing the complexity of a man who can think he’s a god and a leader one second, while in another, be completely unsure of what is even going on.

Meanwhile, Tempest (Jordan Loughran) wants her baby back after it was captured by an alien mermaid. She’s clearly changed her mind about being a mother and even goes as far as cutting open clearly male mermaids to see if her child is inside. Still, it’s hard to get over the fact that she’s flip-flopped about being a mother, even if it’s feelings mothers actually deal with in real life. Nothing brings a community together better than a calamity and a large portion of the community is banding together to find it including Campion (Winta McGrath) and Father (Abubakar Salim).

These stories in Raised by Wolves eventually collide and it’s neat to see how the actions of nearly everyone are involved in the creation of the new threat. For a show where disagreeing ideologies end up getting both parties killed, harmed, or otherwise off track from progress, one can see how a mutual enemy could shift the focus of the show.

Photograph Courtesy of HBO Max

If you’re looking for themes, this show has them in droves. The themes surrounding a surrogate mother who can’t have kids being turned into a tree that bears fruit shouldn’t be lost on anyone. It’s certainly the more confusing of symbols in this episode. Raised by Wolves isn’t overtly messaging this so it’s not obnoxious messaging, but it’s also so unclear, it’s hard to come to a conclusion without chatting with friends. I challenge anyone to not whisper expletives out of frustration when Mother’s (Amanda Collin) child flying snake eats the tree of life and immediately evolves into something far more dangerous.

Other themes include mothers rejecting their children, mothers sacrificing their own needs for others, mothers blindly taking random children under their care, and even the ancient robot from another civilization sharing her thoughts on caring for others. If this show was your introduction to motherhood you’d likely come away with the conclusion that being a mother can be too much for anyone to bare no matter the situation.

Another major power shift takes place in this episode involving Marcus and Mother which makes sense on paper, but it’s a bit hard to believe. Why would Marcus trust Mother when he doesn’t trust a single robot, nor does he have a good standing relationship with her? Why would Mother allow Marcus to run about in the colony when he’s clearly a bad influence on anyone he speaks to? The show brushes these details aside to keep the plot moving, which in some respect is appreciated.

If you’re expecting answers from Raised by Wolves this week, think again. This episode leans fully into the themes of motherhood exploring the general awfulness of being a mom, more or less. The plot thickens in various ways, though, as it builds towards a final showdown that may band characters together if only for a short spell.

‘Raised by Wolves’ S2E7 ‘Feeding’ leans into themes about motherhood

Raised by Wolves S2E7 'Feeding'

If you're expecting answers from Raised by Wolves this week, think again. This episode leans fully into the themes of motherhood exploring the general awfulness of being a mom, more or less. The plot thickens in various ways, though, as it builds towards a final showdown that may band characters together if only for a short spell.

Reader Rating1 Votes

8.7

Interesting exploration of motherhood and all its awfulness

A new threat develops and some info from the ancient robot sheds some light on things

Always well acted with good special effects

Tempest continues to be obnoxious

Very few answers

Good