| Scavengers Reign | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | Nicolas Snyder |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Editor | Jason Klein |
| Running time | 23–26 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Max |
| Release | October 19, 2023 – present |
Scavengers Reign is an American adult animated science fiction drama television series created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner for Max, based on their 2016 short film Scavengers. HBO Max announced the series in June 2022, and its 12-episode first season premiered on October 19, 2023.[1][2]
Synopsis
The series follows the survivors of the damaged interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227 who are stranded on Vesta, an alien planet bustling with flora and fauna but filled with dangers. The survivors start off separated in three groups: Azi and her robot companion Levi, Sam and Ursula, and the isolated Kamen.
Cast
Main
- Sunita Mani as Ursula, a crewmember in the Demeter's horticulture lab; stranded on Vesta with Sam.
- Wunmi Mosaku as Azi, a cargo specialist on the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Levi.
- Alia Shawkat as Levi, a robot from the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Azi.
- Bob Stephenson as Sam, commander of the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Ursula.
- Ted Travelstead as Kamen, a crewmember on the Demeter who is struggling in his career and in his marriage with wife Fiona; while stranded on Vesta he forms a bond with Hollow, a telepathic and telekinetic creature. Co-creator Bennett stated that Kamen's presence has "introduced human greed and gluttony into this animal kingdom,"[3] which causes Hollow to become more sinister.
Guest
- Alia Shawkat as Fiona, the Demeter's robotics engineer; and Kamen's estranged wife.
- Sepideh Moafi as Mia, a passenger on the Demeter who forms a romantic connection with Azi.
- Skyler Gisondo as Charlie, a passenger in cryofreeze on the Demeter.
- Pollyanna McIntosh as Kris, the leader of a scavenger group from another planet; intends to loot the Demeter.
- Freddy Rodriguez as Terrence, a member of Kris's scavenger group.
- Dash Williams as Barry, the youngest and least experienced member of Kris's scavenger group.
- Masha King as Mascha, a healer that Ursula and Sam meet in their travels on Vesta; part of a group that was stranded on Vesta many years prior.
- James Kyson as John, a member of Mascha's group.
Episodes
| No. | Title [4] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Signal" | Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner | Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner, Sean Buckelew, James Merrill | October 19, 2023 | |
| Two cargo employees discuss a missing spaceship, the Demeter 277. The spaceship is shown heavily damaged and the crew ejecting from the ship onto a planet full of strange and hostile flora and fauna. Sam and Ursula appear to be searching for a working battery after determining that their attempts to improvise the technology using parts scavenged from wildlife will not suffice. They explore a cavern with Ursula nearly dying after being exposed to toxins, however they manage to get the battery they were looking for. Azi and Levi are shown growing crops however lose most of their harvest to wildlife encroaching on their homestead, the robot Levi being heavily damaged during one such incident. Meanwhile, Kamen is isolated on his own and runs into a telepathic creature. | |||||
| 2 | "The Storm" | Jonathan Djob Nkondo | Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner, Sean Buckelew | October 19, 2023 | |
| Sam and Ursula determine that the spaceship has landed on the planet, however it is quite some distance away. Azi is shown in a flashback focusing on their work, Levi retrieves their body parts, however alien life appears to be integrating with the mechanical components of their body. Kamen continues to be lead by the telepathic creature who shows him visions of his wife. At some point during these events, massive storm clouds approach and winds of 200 MPH force all the survivors to find shelter. In the process of finding shelter, Ursula and Sam sneak into the protective egg sac of a large aquatic creature, however when predators come to eat the eggs the two are nearly killed but manage to defeat the hostile creature. The three separate parties manage to get through the storm, each through different means of shelter. | |||||
| 3 | "The Wall" | Vincent Tsui | Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner, Sean Buckelew | October 19, 2023 | |
| A small animal is seen crawling onto the crashed Demeter 277 spaceship. Ursula and Sam continue on their path but run into a great wall, they manage to figure out a way through, however Ursula gets sidetracked and discovers something very strange. After sharing her findings with Sam, they argue and during the argument Sam and Ursula get separated when a local predator grabs him and runs away. Levi continues to exhibit increasingly autonomous and spirited behavior for a robot and Azi grows further concerned, the pair run into a massive stampede and end up being directed by the herd. Kaman continues to follow the telepathic creature and is manipulated into providing it food, the procurement of food however begins taking a more dangerous turn as Kaman begins slaughtering local wildlife and the telepathic creature becomes accustomed to consuming meat. | |||||
| 4 | "The Dream" | Rachel Reid | Sean Buckelew | October 26, 2023 | |
| Levi experiences a dream like sequence, later on Azi attempts to perform a deep clean of Levi as Azi is concerned about the growth festering within Levi, however the cleaning is cut short due to an attack from a creature that brings down its prey using poisonous fur balls. Ursula tries to find and rescue Sam but is having trouble figuring a way into the tree he taken up in, she eventually covers herself in the orange sap that the predators are able to smell and uses that has bait to get them to take her up the tree. She continues to search for Sam and finds him near a crashed escape ship looking despondent at the dead crew. Kaman using traps to continue sourcing food for the telepathic creature which has grown much larger. He fails in a hunt and the creature expresses its displeasure, after which Kaman begins crafting weapons to hunt even larger land animals. It is revealed in a flashback that Kaman caused the crash of the Demeter 227 by changing the route to a much more risky path. | |||||
| 5 | "The Demeter" | Christine Jie-Eun Shin | Jenny Deiker Restivo | October 26, 2023 | |
| On the crash landed Demeter 227 spaceship, local animals are trying to consume the humans trapped in cryostasis. One of the men who were in stasis manages to break free and escape the ship. Once out of the ship, the local hostile wildlife nearly kills him, while on the run he meets Kaman and introduces himself as Charlie. Charlie lets Kaman know that there are survivors on the Demeter 227, however the telepathic creature kills him. After killing Charlie, the creature appears to absorb Kaman after Kaman gives up on trying to hunt more food for it. Azi's wounds dealt by the poisonous fur balls have festered, however she finds a solution to them by letting a local aquatic species eat them after she soaks in a body of water. While walking through a forest, Sam is bitten by a strange creature, Ursula notices that there are many animal bodies buried in the area they are walking through. | |||||
| 6 | "The Fall" | Diego Porral | James Merrill | October 26, 2023 | |
| 7 | "The Cure" | Jonathan Djob Nkondo | Charles Huettner | November 2, 2023 | |
| 8 | "The Nest" | Vincent Tsui | Jillian Goldfluss | November 2, 2023 | |
| 9 | "The Mountain" | Rachel Reid | James Merrill | November 2, 2023 | |
| 10 | "The Decision" | Christine Jie-Eun Shin | Jenny Deiker Restivo | November 9, 2023 | |
| 11 | "The Return" | Diego Porral | James Merrill | November 9, 2023 | |
| 12 | "The Reunion" | Vincent Tsui | Sean Buckelew | November 9, 2023 | |
Production
Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner created the original 2016 Scavengers short film for Adult Swim, where it aired as part of the Toonami block. The eight-minute animated short contains no dialog and depicts a pair of humans engaging in an intricate series of interactions with alien creatures. From 2018 to 2019, Bennett and Huettner expanded the concept into a series pilot that did not go forward at Adult Swim, though the show was later picked up by HBO Max.[5] The twelve-episode series was produced over two years by Titmouse, Inc. and Green Street Pictures with a crew including international animators working remotely from locations including Mexico, Spain, Portugal and France.[6]
Reception
The series has received critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an 100% approval score with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 16 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Disturbing and wondrous, Scavengers Reign presents a vividly realized world that beckons exploration by its marooned characters and television viewers alike."[7] James Poniewozik of The New York Times called it "a lush, magnificent, hypnotic story of human survival in a place that feels, in a way that sci-fi planets only occasionally manage, truly otherworldly."[8] Andrew Webster of The Verge deemed it to be "equal parts beautiful and brutal, and it might be the most original piece of science fiction of the year."[9]
References
- ↑ Rice, Lynette (June 15, 2022). "HBO Max Orders 'Scavengers Reign' To Series; Adult Animated Sci-Fi To Premiere In 2023". Deadline. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ↑ Spry, Jeff (October 19, 2023). "Astronauts embark on a surreal survival odyssey in new series 'Scavengers Reign' (exclusive)". Space.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ↑ Edwards, Belen (November 9, 2023). "'Scavengers Reign's alien ecosystems are things of beauty". Mashable. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Shows A-Z - Scavengers Reign on Max". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ↑ Spry, Jeff (October 1, 2023). "Savage Planet: How 'Scavengers Reign' Creators Evolved Their Acclaimed Short into a Thrilling Sci-Fi Series". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ↑ White, Abbey (October 23, 2023). "How Max's 'Scavengers Reign' Created an Animated Series Like "Nothing You've Ever Seen"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Scavengers Reign: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ↑ Poniewozik, James (October 18, 2023). "Review: 'Scavengers Reign' Is a Gorgeous, Hypnotic Space Trip". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ Webster, Andrew (October 12, 2023). "Max's Scavengers Reign captures the beauty and terror of a truly alien world". The Verge. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
External links
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