Untamed Season 1 Review: Anything Goes in The Wild

This review contains spoilers for Untamed Season 1.

Untamed is probably one of the best series Netflix has premiered in a while. The show takes the viewer on an adventure from start to finish, in which one doesn’t know exactly where the story will end.

Even though the murder of Lucy Cook is the main storyline that brings the characters together over the six episodes, there are several stories within the show that help viewers get to know each character individually. And that is the beauty of the show: the fact that everyone we meet has a story to tell, even if it’s just a few minutes short.

It helps that Eric Bana, Lily Santiago, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ezra Franky, and Wilson Bethel deliver excellent performances. Each of the characters feels real and is an important part of the story.

The Devil is in The Details

From the very beginning, Untamed does a great job of creating an atmosphere of suspense. With Lucy falling off El Capitán a few minutes into the show, the viewer already knows tensions are high.

However, this shot also makes it very clear from the start that nature is an adjacent character to the story. Nature is present in everything that happens to these characters, whether for good or bad.

Every discovery they make is tied in one way or another to the nature that surrounds them. The nature shots, which showcase the beauty of this National Park, make it clear that nature is a witness to their lives and holds the secrets we’re trying to uncover.

Those shots prove why people choose to visit, but also how dangerous the park can be. As Turner puts it, you can’t spell wilderness without wild.

In the same way that the nature shots help tell the story, the flashbacks are the glue that holds the pieces of the puzzle together. Without those moments in which viewers are transported back in time, half the storyline would be lost.

It is through the flashbacks that we learn of Lucy’s story and Caleb’s death. These two storylines are what push the show forward.

On the one hand, because we meet these characters through Lucy’s death, it is important to learn what happened to lead her to that moment. Why she disappeared, how she found her way back to the park, and why she ended up dead.

On the other hand, Caleb’s death is the motor that guides every single one of Turner’s actions. It becomes very clear on episode one, “A Celestial Event,” that the little boy he talks to is dead. The clues are there when he talks to Caleb about going to the lake, and suddenly, he disappears to check the crime scene.

After its confirmation, we understand why Caleb is still there. That character, what happened to him, and everything that happened after his death are what make Kyle Turner who he is. Without the flashbacks, we wouldn’t have understood Turner’s persona.

However, Caleb’s death also determines Jill’s storyline and Maguire’s death. Without that piece of information, viewers wouldn’t understand why Avalos comes around asking about Sanderson and why Turner hates Maguire so much.

Another detail that is important to the story and is introduced very nicely through the conversations Turner has with some of the characters and Lucy’s mother’s story is the Native American beliefs.

Untamed doesn’t forget to mention that the National Park is set on Native American land, which belonged to them before it was colonized. In doing so, it honors those characters and introduces their culture for viewers to better understand the story.

The mention of colonization is paired with the existence of squatters in the park, which ironically is a group of mostly white people who claim the land belongs to them and they can’t get kicked out. That truly goes to show the entitlement people feel over a land that never belonged to them.

Nevertheless, the squatters do provide important details to the story. One of the scenes that stands out the most is the conversation between Glory and Turner in the interrogation room. When she talks about her own journey, he mentions that she has no sympathy for the victims, and she makes it clear that is how honesty sounds, remarking that is how Turner sounds when he talks.

Three other particular details stand out when watching the show. One is the claustrophobic feeling of Naya’s scene when she gets trapped in the mine. Lily Santiago’s performance, the lighting, and the closeness of the camera make the viewer feel just as trapped as she is.

The second is a detail that actually feels like a small mistake. When the tattoo artist texts Teddy about the gold tattoo, he is still wearing his gloves and goes back to tattooing his client right after. That is a big no when tattooing.

Lastly, the tear that rolls out of Lucy’s eye when the medical examiner adds drops for Turner to unlock her phone. It is one singular tear that expresses all the pain of Lucy’s story. Even though she can no longer speak for herself, that tear makes us feel the pain, desperation, sadness, and frustration of her destiny.

Naya Vasquez’s Growth

Viewers usually enjoy when characters have great character growth throughout a show or a season. While Untamed can’t promise every character will end the season being better than they started, Naya Vasquez’s growth is a guarantee.

Viewers meet her as a rookie ranger just fresh out of LA with a police background that might not do her any good working in a National Park. However, because she is paired with Turner to look into Lucy Cook’s murder, part of her background might be good. After all, it is Vasquez who IDs Jane Doe as Lucy.

A big part of Vasquez’s development comes from her relationship with Turner. At first, it is awkward and distant. Turner seems to want nothing to do with her because he has closed himself off to the world, living only in the presence of his dead son.

However, as the season goes on, we witness these two characters bonding. Turner understands Vasquez has also gone through some hard moments as he meets her ex, finds out what he did to her, and finds said ex choking his ex-wife in his cabin. From that moment on, Turner has more respect for Vasquez.

But that respect is also earned through Vasquez’s actions. Time and time again, she proves to be a great ranger. Not only is she a fast learner who can keep up, but she also brings knowledge and skills that help advance the case.

Because of this, Turner is more open to teaching Vasquez the ropes. He indirectly shows her what to do by talking (as best as he can) things aloud and guiding her through the park.

While Vasquez’s motherhood is an important aspect of her character, that’s not all there is to her. The show doesn’t just focus on her being Gael’s mom.

On the contrary, it shows that Vasquez’s career is just as important to her. It is also a means to give Gael the life he deserves after having to escape his abusive father.

Gael’s presence also helps open up Turner and how he connects with Vasquez and the case. He seems afraid at first to be around the boy for what he might feel, but in the end leaves Caleb’s cars with him, showing he has come to care for him.

What physically shows us Vasquez’s growth is the way she acts around horses. On the first episode, she is uncomfortable around the horses and doesn’t feel safe riding them. By the end of the season, she rides with her sunglasses on and only holding on to the reins with one hand.

Jill and Kyle

The dynamic between Jill and Turner is one of the wheels that keeps the show turning. While some may not understand why they stick around if they cause each other so much pain, the love between them is still evident.

When Jill confesses to her current husband that she hired Maguire to kill Sanderson after finding out what he did to Caleb, she says Turner and her split up because she betrayed him. At no point do either of them mention that they stopped loving each other.

They have a bond that ties them between pain and love. They care about each other deeply, but because there is so much pain between them, it is unbearable to actually be together.

However, in times of need, they always show up for each other. Jill’s husband calls Turner when she tries to take her own life. Jill shows up at the hospital after Turner is shot. They promise each other they will be okay.

Their bond is also tied by a big secret. The moment Avalos shows up at Turner’s cabin to ask about Sanderson and he shares that with Jill, we know there is more to that story.

Slowly, Maguire’s comments give away the fact that he is also connected to that storyline. One can tell by those comments and the characters’ behavior that the three of them are behind Sanderson’s death.

The repercussions of that secret are clearly more than Sanderson’s death. It also pushed Turner and Jill toward divorce and created such hatred between Maguire and Turner that, in the end, one of them had to die for the other to survive.

Once again, this proves Untamed is much more than just Lucy Cook’s death.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Maybe Captain Souter derailing Vasquez’s investigation and pushing her to stop looking into the bracelet is the biggest tell there is to his involvement in Lucy Cook’s death. Or maybe it’s when he insists the girl, Grace, isn’t Lucy.

Whatever the case may be, this plot twist is delivered with precision, secrecy, and tension. It isn’t until the last episode, “All Trails Lead Here,” that one truly begins to suspect Souter is involved.

Everything comes together when Faith tells Turner that Lucy used to say her father was a cop who would come and arrest the man holding her. That is when the wheels of our brains begin to turn, and we wonder if Souter could have done it.

Of course, the wheels in Turner’s brain also begin to turn, and he asks for the one piece of evidence that will confirm it.

While this reveal and confirmation feel smooth, Souter’s suicide feels a bit too graphic. Even though it is done in the background of a scene, one can clearly see him shooting himself and falling into the river. Not exactly the justice Lucy deserved.

Nevertheless, that instant doesn’t take away from how perfectly delivered this story is. Untamed gives viewers a storyline that will keep them engaged from minute zero.

---

What did you think of this season of Untamed? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

Untamed is available to stream on Netflix.

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!