S02.E08: Happiness

[AnimeMania]

Season Finale

Grandmother reveals her own agenda, Marcus seeks revenge, and Mother sets out to neutralize the serpent – but is leveled by the fallout.

Original Airdate: Thursday, March 17, 2022     

[Tachi Rocinante]

Well, that was better than last season's finale at least.

[peridot]

I didn't realize this was the finale.  I hate they left things there.

I was not expecting that from Grandmother, I thought she was just trying to replace Mother in the family dynamic.  Devolving everyone is pretty messed up!  I want to know what the entity is and how Grandmother is tied to it.

Is Marcus dead?  I thought he was moving at the end, but I wasn't sure.  I guess he's becoming a Messiah-like figure regardless. 

I wonder why the trader gave out the game stars if she was so wary about Grandmother?

[Ottis]

All I've learned from this show is that believers become nonbelievers, and nonbelievers become believers. So what's the point of any of it?

It's the same for androids and humans. Some androids show more humanity than biological humans, and some humans do horrible things more appropriate for a nonemotional android. And now that Grandmother's emotion-shielding veil is off, will she reverse her past choice of helping humans devolve?

In a way, this planet is like Westworld, with an alien entity influencing the environment to either create desired responses or be entertained by how humans/androids respond themselves. 

I felt sorry for 7, which was influenced by the entity and others and never really had a chance to be whatever it was. And then its mom kills it.

Also, I think the humans in the settlement regressed way too fast to what seems like a backward village on an old Star Trek: TNG. They don't have the resources and technology they had, but they act like they have never had it. Is anyone trying to create or invent anything?

Ultimately, I love some of the characters. I don't like the narrative or plot, whatever it is.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Ottis

[blixie]

Quote

All I've learned from this show is that believers become nonbelievers, and nonbelievers become believers. So what's the point of any of it?

I believe someone said something one time about an opiate of the people and with the introduction of the matrix like head space/devolution, that really drives it home. This finale still didn't answer the one question I wanted before it is somewhat justifiably canceled (what or who is Sol/Entity) but I think at least this pulled things together. Grandmother's game seems awfully like what the Believers used on the flight to Kepler and if the idea is that their whole religion is based the ancient culture of Kepler as encapsulated by Grandmother than voila. 

I will always appreciate how weird this show was determined to be and how little sense it every cared to make, but especially the imagery the whole sequence in space was gorgeous and I feel like the Christ/Mom Bomb and Satanic inversion of the cross/Marcus was some nice if whack you in the face symmetry, and to some degree neither has full free will in their roles as agitprops.

I also really loved unhinged and no longer dulled mother promising Grandmother she would grind her parts to dust. Hopefully they do somehow get a season three and we get to see more weird nonsense.

[marinw]

Not sure what to make of this show. It's weird for the sake of weird but I kind of love it. The actress who plays Grandmother is stunning.

So the totem for the Serpent Slayer looks like a Crucifix. I see what they did there.

Edited March 21, 2022 by marinw

[snickers]

10 hours ago, Ottis said:

And now that Grandmother's emotion-shielding veil is off, will she reverse her past choice of helping humans devolve?

Anything is possible with this show, but I don't think she will...because....Mother/Father were reprogrammed by Campion Sturgess, a human....I think their creator did something to their programming to mimic human emotions, I know people will probably look at Grandmother as "evil" and while I don't think her character is "good" I think the point of her character at this point to me is to show that Grandmother/Mother have the same goals, they just have different philosophies on how to achieve those goals.  Grandmother is more like the Trust, thinks with logic, Mother rules with emotion, as does Father.

I had my initial suspicions about Grandmother for this reason:  she was found in pieces in the so called, "safe zone" of the planet

It looks like the damage had already been done in terms of her devolving humans, but I have a feeling something or someone managed to blow her up, then took off or died---I'd like to know who put that electro magnetic field up to keep "the entity" out.

As for "Sol", some people theorized on the net, that there are two voices, I actually don't think they are, I think there's just the one-but I don't think the entity is Sol, i actually think Grandmother is "Sol" she glows like a halo, is the color of the sun, etc.  Someone theorized that the Mithraic on Earth who ended up worshiping Sol is really the religion of the Technocrats/non-believers...I could see that, if Campion Sturgess was able to accurately translate the scriptures, it would explain why he flipped on the Mithraics....

But what was most disturbing to me, that I don't see a lot of chatter about, is the ancient "believers" I guess they worshiped the entity but the entity doesn't seem to like humans very much, but seeing what the elected to do to themselves with the tree/seed, maybe they were trying to not be human anymore? I'm glad they explained/showed what actually happened to Sue, which I think most figured that's what happened to her, but to see it, even in computer form was still pretty disturbing and to see that those ancient people CHOSE to do that to themselves....whereas Sue was tricked by the entity....

Also a tragedy...number 7....another victim of the entity....but, maybe just maybe he will be back, after all, Mother said machine's don't die they "break down" but if he's not back and really is dead...that was a waste....I really don't think he was going to kill Campion

As for Marcus, I think the helmet did something to him ala Tree/Seed, maybe he'll birth a snake next season 😂

 

 

 

 

[shrewd.buddha]

This show does not seem to care about logic or science.  It seems to only care about symbology, specifically religious symbology. 
Giant flying snakes, organic androids that can regrow after a million years, people turning into trees within seconds that produce fruit within minutes.  

There is no adult leadership structure.  These people who managed a 30+ year space journey are mostly milling about  like desert rats in shanty-style tent villages.  Everyone is always standing in some sort of line for something -- just there to react to whatever Mother or her group are doing.
For some reason, there is an even lower-class tent city further away that spends its time bartering for goods and watching android fights.
Sometimes a group of armed guards appear -- but only during some scenario that needs them to even exist at all. 

Paul ends up back in his same bed despite all his shenanigans during the season. 
Campion befriends an android that viciously murdered several people (and almost his 'sister'), but he decides it has a soul. 
Father seems to be more gullible and moronic with each passing episode.

I feel that if there is a season three, the show will magically manifest a new group of people for Mother and Father to deal with -- and some new barren landscape for everyone to be constantly wandering through. 

Is this show even popular?  There doesn't seem be any buzz about it -- no cast interviews on the typical talk shows -- no 'breaking news' after significant events of an episode. 
... tho if West World is any indication, HBOMax will make more of this, because all the streaming services seem desperate for new content  .... just for the sake of content.

Edited March 19, 2022 by shrewd.buddha

[marinw]

10 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

Is this show even popular?  There doesn't seem be any buzz about it -- no cast interviews on the typical talk shows -- no 'breaking news' after significant events of an episode. 

The New York Time sknow that this show exsists: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/arts/television/raised-by-wolves-hbo-max.html "A character turns into a tree, whose fruit contains a delicious, bloody pulp. Mother becomes inexplicably, biologically pregnant and births a flying serpent from her mouth. Later, her snake-child eats the person-tree, a clause I am pretty sure has never before been typed."

Edited March 19, 2022 by marinw

[Mr. R0b0t]

On 3/19/2022 at 6:04 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

This show does not seem to care about logic or science.  It seems to only care about symbology, specifically religious symbology.

Yes!  This show isn't about the roots of faith, it's about the symbology and fanaticism born from it.  Or maybe it's snakes and robots.  Either way, I think I'm out after this season.  I find myself actively rooting for characters to die a gruesome death and others to make their way to a better show.  

[qtpye]

2 hours ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

Yes!  This show isn't about the roots of faith, it's about the symbology and fanaticism born from it.  Or maybe it's snakes and robots.  Either way, I think I'm out after this season.  I find myself actively rooting for characters to die a gruesome death and others to make their way to a better show.  

The one character I liked became a tree.

I like father but grandmother is all his fault. It never occurred to him she might not be trustworthy?

There is weirdly absolutely no buzz about this show at all. 

Edited March 21, 2022 by qtpye