Raised by Wolves: Being Enough
Father's quest for self-discovery.
[Warning: This essay contains spoilers for Raised by Wolves seasons 1 and 2.]
Father is an unsung hero in Raised by Wolves, and has perhaps the most interesting journey of self-discovery throughout the series.
When Father is first introduced, he’s shown to be a secondary to Mother in the small colony they’ve set up. While he is Mother’s “partner,” given his name and subsequent title, the pair are androids and thus not romantically involved. As such, while Father has his own unique personality—cracking corny knock-knock jokes and caring for Mother and the children’s well-being—he doesn’t fit the traditional husband role of a human relationship. As his name dictates, his purpose is not to be a husband to Mother. Instead, it’s to rear children on Kepler-22b with her, regardless of any personal feelings that define the experience.
Father also has a more limited skillset than Mother. While Mother is a Necromancer capable of screaming to murder threats to the family and can make her body impervious to damage, Father is a simple service android. He doesn’t have the same fighting experience as Mother, nor does he have the abilities she does. Instead, his purpose seems to be caring for Campion and his siblings more than it is directly protecting them. Mother’s job is to keep them safe, while Father’s job is to raise them. However, raising them is part of Mother’s programming as well. And, given the lack of threats on Kepler-22b once Mother destroys the Ark and becomes aware of how to deal with the creatures, Father starts to feel like he’s letting the family down. Mother’s protective nature and ability to raise the children through her own methods makes Father feel useless. Like he doesn’t have a unique purpose within the family unit that justifies his existence.
Father doesn’t feel like he’s enough.
One of the key factors in Raised by Wolves that I’ve highlighted in previous essays is faith. The series pulls from religious symbolism and mythological stories to create characters who are struggling with faith in various ways. While much of this religious faith plays off the conflict between Mithraic and Atheistic viewpoints in the series, some of it is also personal to the characters. Individuals wrestle with the idea of faith in various ways, making it a theme that ties everything in the series together. And making it difficult to talk about the show without bringing it up. But because faith is such a prevalent theme laced throughout Raised by Wolves, it ends up appearing in the series in many forms. Some of which aren’t directly connected to religion, and are instead influenced by the internal struggles some characters face.
Father is one such character. While he’s heavily involved in the story regarding conflict between the Mithraic survivors of the Ark and the Atheist forces on Kepler-22b, his role is not as strong as characters like Mother, Campion, and Marcus. Instead, Father’s story is much more a personal journey. It’s a story of trying to find an inner purpose in a world where everyone else is tied to a larger one. While characters like Mother struggle with emotions and in tandem with their beliefs, and while characters like Marcus become fully entrenched in the power faith can bring, Father doesn’t fall into either category. Nor does he fall into the categories of other characters whose stories are also tied to religious faith. Father is unique in that he already has beliefs he is fully invested in. Father never truly considers what it would be like to believe in God, or to believe in some greater power at work other than nature itself. These are simply ideas that don’t have a direct bearing on his psychology.
Instead, Father’s journey of faith is one of belief in himself and his ability to be a fatherly figure for his children. During Season 1, Father expresses his frustration at feeling like he’s on the sidelines of raising the children. He feels inadequate because he’s just a service model, one that can easily be shut down by Mother if she disagrees with him, or can be reprogrammed by their enemies if they so choose (and later do). While Mother often tries to reassure Father, he can’t help but feel lesser because he doesn’t have the same abilities as her. He tries to teach the children how to hunt and how to forage for resources on the planet. Both of which are good traits the children will need to master as they go into adulthood. However, Father still feels like him teaching the children these things are menial contributions compared to Mother. This is because Father doesn’t just want to be able to help the children learn how to function. He wants to be able to protect them as well.
One of Father’s core attributes, though, is the caring nature he often exhibits right from the start of the series. Whether it’s cracking a knock-knock joke to Hunter or leading the children in honing their survival skills, Father is an instrumental part of the family—even if he doesn’t always feel that way. One major early contribution he makes to the family is not to the children, but to Mother’s morale in raising them. In Season 1, Episode 3, the Mithraic children from the Ark begin to experience a sickness similar to the one that killed all of Campion’s original siblings. Mother begins to wallow in self-doubt, helpless as to what she can do to save the kids. This is exacerbated by the children’s escape from the commune, still feeling sick from the unknown illness. It’s not until Father uses a specific type of fruit to fuel their ship to search for the children that he realizes what’s causing them to get sick. He shows this to Mother in their small spaceship, which analyzes the fruit inside its fuel tank. The fruit is laced with trace amount of radiation. While Campion has built up an immunity, the Mithraic children haven’t had a chance to do so. He ends his explanation by telling Mother, “You’re not a bad mother.” Reassuring her that the children’s sickness was not her fault.
Father’s journey in Season 1 is underscored by his inability to see his own worth. By comparing Mother’s capacity for physical defense to his own, Father neglects what makes him stand out as a caregiver for the children and a reassuring partner for Mother. While he’s not as much a fighter as Mother, his ability to be a soothing presence balances out Mother’s defensive programming. He may not have the cold and calculated protective programming of his partner (well, cold and calculated at first, anyway). But that doesn’t mean he lacks the importance as Mother has for the children. He simply has different qualities of equal importance. In fact, Father acts as a fitting balance to Mother because he’s an android unequipped with any unique powers or special weapons. It makes him feel more human and relatable from the start, whereas Mother’s humanity took time to develop throughout the first season. In some capacity, Father acts as the family’s anchor. But he also acts as Mother’s, especially during moments where she’s doubtful of her ability to care for the children.
However, Father being a more base android model is unfortunately reflected in his inability to stop large-scale events from impacting the family. This comes in the form of the Mithraic survivors of the Ark, led by Marcus, who intend to take over Father and Mother’s commune. And, in the process, reclaim the children Mother stole from the Ark. This involves incapacitating Mother, with Marcus and Sue getting their son Paul to take her eyes. Eyes that give her the killing powers she possesses, the only major physical defense against the Mithraic the family has. Father does his best to ward them off, but his efforts are unfortunately in vain. As Season 1 crosses its midway point, Father is now in the clutches of the Mithraic. He has been reprogrammed, becoming a loyal servant for the religious group, no longer his own autonomous being. This is the lowest point for both Father and the family, as there are no outside forces that could help them get out of this situation. It’s something they simply have to deal with on their own.
But not all hope is lost for Father. Because, as Hunter notices, something within Father’s programming is causing his finger to twitch in a strange way. It doesn’t take long for Hunter to discover it’s a code that he can use to reset Father back to normal. The fact that it’s Hunter who helps bring Father back from his Mithraic override shows just how much an impact Father’s presence has had on the children in the commune. When Hunter first interacted with Father, it was clear there was some tension between the two. Father’s cheesy jokes got on Hunter’s nerves enough for him to not work with Father, a reverse psychology method Father used to make Hunter earn his keep with their new family. Hunter was also clearly not on Father’s side when the Mithraic took over, even warning some soldiers about Father’s presence—a direct cause of Father being reprogrammed. And yet, risking the status that comes with being the eldest surviving Mithraic child, Hunter is willing to get the real Father back online, effectively betraying his own religious group. It shows how, even subtly, Father’s likable personality and willingness to protect his family made Hunter regret betraying him. A betrayal that Father, in all his understanding, forgives Hunter for.
After tricking the Mithraic into thinking Father has still been reprogrammed, Hunter escapes with him in a cruiser. The pair end up meeting up with Mother and the rest of the children, the family reunited once again. But Father is faced with a newfound truth that disturbs him to the core of his budding humanity. Mother informs Father she is pregnant, and that the pregnancy she experienced was because she had sexual intercourse inside a program. Intercourse with a version of her and Father’s creator, Campion. Father begins to display signs of jealousy, which he self-critiques. Much like a real human that’s become a victim of infidelity, Father needs time to process Mother’s pregnancy from another program. This also shows how in tune with human emotion Father is. Even though Mother becoming more human has a larger focus throughout the show, Father’s humanity is an equally important part of his story too. He needs time to process what’s transpired because of how raw and human the sudden feelings he gets are.
Mother’s pregnancy also harkens back to Father’s general character arc of wanting to be enough for his family. This family includes Mother, who it’s now clear he sees as a true life partner in the way a human would love another human. It’s not precisely the same, as Father doesn’t display any outward romantic affection for Mother throughout the series. However, their roles as “Mother” and “Father” make Father feel a certain way about Mother. A way that causes jealousy to form in his programming when he learns of how her pregnancy came about. But because of just how new these feelings are, Father doesn’t know how to properly process them. Which is why they cycle back into his notion that he’s not doing enough to provide for his family—something that continues to blind him to his strengths.
It’s also a key influencer in his decision to go with Mother down one of Kepler-22b’s pits to kill the Serpent. It seems slightly out of character for Father to willingly abandon all him and Mother’s children for what amounts to a suicide mission. However, when peering though the lens of Father still thinking about Mother’s relationship with creator Campion, his actions start to make more sense. Father doesn’t want Mother to go alone because he wants to prove to her that he’s resourceful. That, despite her pregnancy feeling like a mistake, he will still be there for her. The symbolic parallels here are very human. But, from a Father-centric point of view, he takes on the role of a husband being there for his wife despite all the trials they’ve gone through. He takes on the role of someone who still doesn’t feel like he’s enough, but wants to prove that he is.
Even though he doesn’t realize he was always enough and just couldn’t see it.
The result of Father’s decision to prove himself adds disaster to an already disastrous situation. Not only does him and Mother’s ship pass right through the planet’s core, but it also shoots out into the Tropical Zone on the other side. This is something that seemingly could have happened even if Father hadn’t joined Mother in destroying the Serpent. However, the situation is added to because of Father’s presence. Now, instead of Campion and the rest of the children losing only Mother to her mission, they’ve lost both Mother and Father. This is clearly something that hits Campion especially, as shown in a slow-motion shot of him crying over the massive pit the pair plunged into. In trying to prove himself useful to Mother, Father has caused the children to lose a parental figure. While Sue is still there to take care of them, Father’s connection to Campion, Hunter, and the rest of the children was undeniable. Which is why his supposed loss is felt with so much pain. He was unable to see just how useful he was to everyone around him. And, in so doing, became separated from his family.
Luckily, this event seemed to be but a symbolic warning to Father about what will happen if he is unable to see his true worth and tries to change who he is. The start of Raised by Wolves Season 2 sees Father reunited with the children, the consequences of his actions narrowly avoided. However, now that they are in the Tropical Zone, Father is faced with more challenges that make him feel less worthy of being part of the family. There are many stacking factors to these feelings this time around. The first is the Atheistic community the Trust, which not only holds disdain for most of Father’s children on account of them being Mithraic, but also has a unique connection to Mother. This is because the Trust’s leader, an AI also called the Trust, was created by Campion, just as Mother was reprogrammed by him. This gives Mother a status that is even more important than Father’s on a level beyond their family unit. It does the same for Campion, who Father was close with, but who Mother is now grooming to become the next leader of the Trust. Other children also begin going through their own personal journeys, leaving Father feeling lost and confused about his own purpose.
He tries to regain some level of purpose by attempting to reinvent himself in the family’s new home. This starts when he finds something to do beyond act in his role as a father figure. While gathering food for the Trust, Father and his youngest child, Vita, stumble across a cave. Inside the cave is a broken-down android that Father suggests is much older than the amount of time humans from Earth have been on Kepler-22b. He decides that, with Mother trying to train Campion to be a leader—and later fostering the escaped Serpent—he should contribute by bringing the new android back to life. This decision stems partially from his need to prove himself as a contributing member of the family, but also as a way to give himself a sense of purpose beyond the family. Now that they’re part of the Trust, there’s a level of safety in their new home that wasn’t there in the original commune. Which means that a small shift has happened in Father’s character. While he’s still motivated by a need to prove himself, he’s also searching for a wider purpose beyond protecting the children. This opens the door for a more independent study of his character. One that Season 2 embraces as he tries to bring the new android back to life.
Father soon learns that pouring android fluid on the dried-up android skeleton can be used to slowly bring it back from the dead. Seeing a path to finally getting the new android online, Father decides he needs to gather as much fluid as he can so he can pour it over the machine. This leads him to a bartering location, where he tries to get more fuel for his new project. However, his offers for bartering are rejected. While an offer for Hunter to hand over his Mithraic medallion is made, Father decides not to go through with it. Despite being an Atheist himself, Father’s care for Hunter trumps their religious separation. Which is why, instead of bartering, Father decides to fight. The small group has a bulky Industrial named Billy. The larger, more ferocious android seems like he would easily best Father. However, due to his quick wit and willpower to become someone new in the Tropical Zone, Father is able to defeat him rather quickly. He gets some praise from Hunter for it, and seems to revel in the delight of his victory too.
This underscores another layer of Father that becomes more important as Season 2 progresses: His level of satisfaction with his life. While many of Father’s actions are influenced by a need to prove himself useful to Mother and the rest of his family, Season 2 also sees him trying to find an internal purpose beyond being part of the family. While finding the android skeleton he wants to bring back to life is something he hopes to be useful for the family, it’s also an independent project that gives him a purpose beyond being Mother’s partner and a father figure for the children. He now has a chance to pursue something independent that, while it could prove useful to the family, is also a project entirely his own. He does not let anyone stop him either, as pursuing this avenue finally gives him a purpose beyond his programming. Something that everyone but him has found so far.
The result are unexpected. Pouring enough fluid over the android results in it coming back to life. This new, veiled figure is named Grandmother by Campion due to her ancient age. Father is also thrilled to have given life to something…which underscores how his independent project isn’t entirely independent after all.
In Season 1, Mother’s pregnancy was revealed to be part of her programming. She was built to give life by giving birth to the Serpent. In response to the Serpent being a child between her and a program taking the form of their creator Campion, Father ended up getting jealous. Jealous enough that, when presented with the chance to make life for himself, he decides to take it. While his decision to bring Grandmother back to life underscores a genuine search for purpose beyond family, Father’s pursuit also reflects Mother’s programming. Now he wants to be the one to bring something to life, and he wants to have control over it.
However, it doesn’t take long for him to lose control. Mother discovers Grandmother and decides it’s best for her and Father to study her. Despite Father wanting her to be proud of what he’s done—the final act of proving his worth being her approval—he doesn’t receive the praise he was hoping for. Instead, Mother has Father help her bring Grandmother to a different building within their community. One where she hooks Grandmother up to a plethora of machines so she can better study her. Father goes along with her search for answers, but once he’s given some time alone with Grandmother, she wakes up. They have a polite conversation with one another, dissuading Father from any belief that she could be a sign of trouble. Not only is the android he brought back to life standing there as proof of his accomplishment—but now she’s talking to him! It stands to reason that Father, feeling detached from Mother and wanting to show that he can contribute to their newfound community, was easy to persuade. That he was, as it stands, easily manipulated by Grandmother into trusting her because of everything he wanted to become.
Once the Serpent eats the Tree of Knowledge and becomes a threat to all life on Kepler-22b (though especially Campion, who it’s hunting down), Father and Mother consult Grandmother on what to do. As it turns out, Grandmother’s veil suppresses any emotion that could form in android programming. Since the Serpent is Mother’s child, she is not programmed to be able to destroy it on account of her emotional response to seeing it as her own. However, she’s also the only one who can kill it due to her powers as a Necromancer. So, the trio hatch a plan. Mother takes Grandmother’s veil so she can kill the Serpent without feeling any emotion about the ordeal. She will wear the veil for some time to avoid her emotions incapacitating her from her duties. In the meantime, Father and Grandmother will take care of the children.
The plan seems to go in the right direction. Mother kills the Serpent without any emotion at all, while Grandmother becomes part of the main family. Father is clearly happy as well, feeling a closer emotional connection to Grandmother than with Mother. It’s something that seems like it could blossom into a natural relationship, instead of the one Father was programmed to have with Mother. And Father is clearly happy about this. His decision to try and prove his worth by creating new life paid off, saved the Trust, and introduced a new member into the family.
But Father misses the forest for the trees.
When discussing Season 1, I said that Father going with Mother to destroy the Serpent was a warning. A warning that, if he continued to emulate Mother’s actions in an attempt to prove himself to her and the rest of the family, it would result in untoward consequences. And, with Grandmother’s introduction as a new member of the household, it does just that. Trapped in a pod by Grandmother, Mother learns of her true intentions. She is programmed to ensure the longevity of humanity. However, because Mother blew a hole in the Ozone Layer above the Tropical Zone, the weather has started to cool. Snow is beginning to fall and plants are starting to die. So, in order to ensure the humans there don’t die, including Mother and Father’s children, Grandmother decides to start slowly turning them into the water creatures seen throughout Season 2. Something that is heavily implied to have happened to the humanoid creatures that used to live on Kepler-22b long before humans set foot there. While Grandmother’s intentions come from a place of cold logic and longevity, they aren’t something Father would want. He wants to protect the children. But he doesn’t want to destroy their humanity in the process.
Father is a character that is driven by an inner tug-of-war centered around faith in himself and his role in the world. While he tries to do what Mother does by being a strong, protective force for the children, he’s ultimately unable to see his warm and caring side as having the exact same amount of purpose as Mother’s violently protective nature. In both major instances where Father tried to emulate Mother—going with her to kill the Serpent and bringing Grandmother back to life—Father has proven that trying to be someone he isn’t will not result in anything good. Especially now that we know Grandmother’s true intentions at the end of Season 2. Father’s case is one of doubting his faith in himself. It gives his character a tragic layer because, despite not feeling like he’s enough, he already is. And yet, time and again, he feels the need to prove that he’s more than a service android. But that’s all he’ll ever be. Father is a jokey, caring, and sometimes sensitive service model who wants to do the best he can for his family. He doesn’t feel like that’s enough. But, as his journey throughout Raised by Wolves proves, it is.
Should the series be renewed for Season 3, Father will most likely have to come to terms with the fact that Grandmother’s plan is partially his fault. That if he hadn’t awoken her, perhaps he somehow could have stopped her from trying to turn humanity into monsters. This will most likely lead to Father feeling like he’s failed. Feeling like his life will never matter as much as the lives of Mother and everyone else in his family. But this also opens the door for his character to grow stronger. To realize that, even if he doesn’t have Mother’s impressive powers, he can still be someone for his children to look up to. It’s not about what he’s able to do on some impressive scale. It’s about what he’s able to do for the people around him. The lesson will be hard-learned, especially once Father realizes Grandmother’s true intentions. But it will be one that is rewarding in the end, and could make Father realize the truth of his role in his family.
That sometimes being yourself is being enough.
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