This past week I binge-watched The Wilds on Amazon Prime and the characters, themes, and overall tone pretty much consumed my life. The general premise of this character-based show is simple, a group of young women is stranded on a deserted island. Each woman believes they are on an excursion they call “Dawn of Eve” to grow and better themselves in different ways whether they chose to be there or not. Little do they know, they are participating in a completely unethical social experiment.
After ending up in the water after a crash landing on their way to Hawaii, Leah Rilke (Sarah Pidgeon) helps Jeanette Dao (Chi Nguyen), who is extremely hurt, to shore. None of the women know how they either got into the water or ended up on the island. Things are OVERALL… mysterious to say the least. Sounds interesting to you? Ok, go start the show because there will almost definitely be SPOILERS going forward!
Every member of the ensemble cast of The Wilds is diverse, talented, and beautiful. What more could anyone ask for from a completely female-led and produced show? This island pretty much defeats the need for the Bechdel test by simply eliminating men from the situation. While the women on the island are each carrying complex traumas that, in most cases, involve men, there is something that the character Leah recognizes sometime in the beginning of the series; their traumas certainly did not come from the island. Each woman is a representation of the ways in which young people, specifically women, are oppressed in modern American culture. We see a wide and accurate representation of body types, races, sexualities, religions, and family dynamics through these eight women. As audience members to their near-death experience, we feel as though we are almost partaking in the analysis of the social experiment that is taking place. The power dynamics shift, the priorities change, and the will to survive becomes depleted. Watching the ways in which the women cope with these very real dangers gives us a look into the serious mental health processes that range drastically. Dot, played by Shannon Berry, spent her time before coming to the island caring for her terminally ill father. The ways in which she has confronted death in the past certainly has an effect on how she copes on the island, she becomes a natural leader. Each of their prior experiences helps and holds them back on the island and the way that this show reveals each nugget of information is clever and captivating.
Another thing I loved about this show was its awareness of pop-culture. It consistently felt very current to the extent where I am not sure how well it will age with time. My generation (Gen-Z/ Millenial) will always be able to relate to their references, their insecurities due to the intensity of social media, and their overall “wokeness”. When Shelby (Mia Healey) shows discomfort because of Toni (Erana James), the island’s token lesbian, expressing her queerness outwardly, the rest of the women defend Toni and let Shelby know how unacceptable her homophobia is. This normalization of call-out culture is GOOD! (I think) There is a lot of toxicity in cancel culture and these women don’t completely shun Shelby for her learned homophobia. They call her out and give her the chance to grow! I think this example of the progressive nature of this show is really telling of how young women who have/ will watch this series will be able to not only relate to but also learn from these characters.
