Why Scavenger's Reign Actually Feels Alien

 

SOURCES

Executive Producer Sean Buckelew mentions Herzog as an influence:

MUSIC (via Epidemic Sound)

Dagslanda - Ave Air
Broken Clouds - Tellsonic

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The Nerdwriter is a series of video essays about art, culture, politics, philosophy and more.

[repletereplete]

I totally adored this show. The pollination scene alone is one of the more moving and engrossing scenes I've seen in a long while.

[NecroMoz]

Best sci-fi for years. What The Expanse did for gravity, Scavenger's Reign does for biology

[amdinga]

I've spent time in the Amazon and while I get where Herzog's coming from, I think he missed a lot. Yes it's life stacked on top of life, and in every square meter you will find interspecies war and a level of competition and violence not seen anywhere else. But you will also discover a similar intensity of symbiotic relationships, cooperation that borders on telepathy. I think humans are very familiar with the first bit, but it's the second part-- symbiosis-- that feels alien to us. This is also what Scavengers Reign captured well imo. It wasn't the violence that made the world feel alien, it was the interconnectedness of the environment.

[Kelnef]

Watching the life cycles of completely alien creatures is so crazy. The blue boy in the brambles was incredibly poignant for no reason

[ricopena]

Speculative astrobiology at its finest. This has been the most interesting sci-fi story I’ve experienced since Arrival.

[AmbroseReed]

LOVED this show, love this reflection. The whole show balances horror and wonder on a knife's edge, which just feels so real.

[BrentARJ]

I feel like what Herzog was trying to get at is the idea that nature is unmediated, whereas we live most of our lives in comfortable nests where reality is chewed up and regurgitated for us to safely consume. Outside the nest is a harsh world that was not designed for us and cares nothing for our survival. We are better there as food and fertilizer. Thats the feeling that Scavenger's Reign evokes.

[BrokenWingman]

I hope we get more of this show. It's the best sci-fi series in fucking decades. The ALIEN feeling of this world is tremendous. It's SO foreign and strange and weird and beautiful and horrifying. It feels like there's a real ecology, it's not just dominated by 1 or 2 species that the humans have to deal with; there are HUNDREDS of creatures and plants that all interact with each other. Compelling, fascinating, and truly unique.

[eric.byrdeart]

Oh how I loved this show.

From start to finish, it was so moving, imaginative and just incredible.

[stuargh]

This show invoked a sense of wonder/terror, for which I can count on one hand from movies and tv throughout my life. Thank you for drawing the comparison of Burden of Dreams and so wonderfully breaking down a show that will be with me for a long time.

[kaboombox]

I love this show. It seems very much an homage to Moebius and René Laloux. I do hope that there’s a season 2.

[fraga.matias]

I cannot recommend this show enough to everyone. Breath taking animation and great sci fi!!

[jamesjoelholmes]

Your essays always break me in the most valuable way. Thank you for the work you do, you nerd.

Scavengers Reign opened my mind to things I didn’t know were possible. The scene with the little creature who took the deep breath to show this alien human something important and perplexing. My God. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful. And then she’s just thrust back into harsh, mundane reality. She can’t quite explain it, and her colleague isn’t particularly interested. Just. I feel that way sometimes. And the music, the poetry, the dark humanity, and compassion expressed here!!! My goodness. And incredibly beautiful work of beauty and art in an increasingly ugly world. So grateful for you nerd. ❤

And that poor little creature seemed like she dreaded and embraced her role to play in conveying this message. She knew she had to give her life, yet was willing to do so. That deep breath at the beginning, her eyes opening, the play within the play. Life! This changed me forever.

[HenhousetheRed]

Brilliant storytelling through visuals. You're introduced to dozens of alien biologies, and with a few queues you begin to understand the logic of the ecosystems.

[ossiejon-nwakalo]

FINALLY!!!Ive been waiting for any of the YouTubers I’ve been subscribed to, to talk about this show!! Thank you for this!

[JimJansen]

A profoundly beautiful analysis of a profoundly beautiful show. It's truly great when videos like these actively enrich and deepen my appreciation for something I already love.

[itsleehere]

When i was watching this show, i couldn’t stop saying how “alien” it felt unlike anything i’d seen in such a long time. I’m glad other people are thinking/feeling the same lol

[gokham]

THAT scene in episode 4 "The Wall" was jaw dropping, one of if not the best alien encounter scene I've ever seen

[cineturon]

Thanks to this video, I found out about this amazing show. 4 episodes in and this is amazing, James Cameron can only dream of achieving this level of depth and emotion.

[kingkazuma]

I love how everything has a relationship on this planet. Mutual, symbiotic and parasitic