Like most nights, I was aimlessly scrolling Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, searching for yet another series I could really get into, and then an Amazon Prime banner popped up showing their new young-adult series "The Wilds".
*I'll give a disclaimer: there will inevitably be spoilers in this post*
The ten part series is essentially about a group of teenage girls whose plane crashes into the sea near an isolated island while on route to a female empowerment camp in Hawaii. The girls then have to battle to survive, but this is cleverly weaved together with flashbacks into each of the girls past as their stories are told throughout the season.
I think when most people hear the cliche, girls stranded on an island plot, most are inclined to roll their eyes and skip to another show - why watch a show with a story that has been told ten-times over. However, "The Wilds" offers viewers a sense of familiarity as they know the basic premise of the plot, yet the series contains unforeseen twists as directors attempt, and I would argue succeed, to put their own spin on an unoriginal idea.
The short synopsis I attempted (and probably failed) to give is an extremely shortened version of what actually plays out in the episodes, with the show covering extremely important topics like; racism, foster care, euthanasia, addiction and suicide, primarily through the flashbacks I mentioned previously. Saying that, the show is not all doom and gloom, in fact I think Amazon have done a brilliant job of showcasing the strength, courage, and resilience the modern young woman has. I love the fact the show is made up of a predominately female cast, with the 'villain' of the show being female too.
Rachel Griffiths takes on the role of psychotic psychologist Gretchen Klein, a powerful woman driven by her desire to fulfil her social experiment named The Dawn of Eve. Viewers later find out the plane crash was planned and each one of the girls, or participants, were chosen by Gretchen herself for their personality traits. Reminiscent of Orwell's telescreens in his novel 1984, Gretchen watches over her participants via hidden cameras on the island, which are then projected onto a large screen set up in her laboratory.
Each one of the girls are allocated an individual episode exploring their past, and although all of the characters have thought-provoking pasts, I found Shelby and Dot's episodes most captivating. Not only because of the stories being told, but also through the careful weaved editing, scripting, and acting - the casting is great and you're inclined to feel empathetic towards teenage girls.
I must admit, I did watch the entire season in two days, so I'm extremely thrilled "The Wilds" has been renewed for a second season, and that felt kind of inevitable to me because of how the directors decided to end season one. Cue the biggest spoiler: with Leah finding video footage of an almost identical experiment, but this time with male participants.
"The Wilds" leaves viewers with a myriad of questions; who are the men? Why does Rachel only have one arm? Will the group of girls ever escape? Whatever happens, I'm sure Amazon will keep us eager and waiting for the next instalment and I cannot wait.
"The Wilds" is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.