Wilderness is a British revenge thriller released on Prime Video on September 15, 2023. It is based on B.E. Jones’ novel of the same name and was created by Marnie Dickens. The 6-part series was directed by So Yong Kim and produced by Ron Mcleod.
The ensemble cast of the series includes Jenna Coleman as Liv, Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Will, Ashley Benson as Cara, Eric Balfour as Garth, Claire Rushbrook as Caryl, Marsha Stephanie Blake as Detective Rawlings, Morgana Van Peebles as Ash, Jonathan Keltz as Detective Wiseman, Talia Balsam as Bonnie, Crystal Balint as Liana, Natalie Sharp as Marissa, Geoff Gustafson as Zach, Jake Foy as Anton, Jerod Thomas Winfrey Blake and others.
Wilderness Review
A vast scenic landscape and a seemingly handsome couple drive along the empty roads, smiling at each other but on the inside, both are hiding an ugly truth that might ruin their lives. Instantly, Jenna Coleman’s narrative voice taking us through her troubled childhood with a cheating dad who left, and a mom who couldn’t move past the breakup, reminding us of Gone Girl. As her voice hints at a sinister plan to probably get rid of her husband for good.
Liv and Will moved to New York from the UK, 9 months ago, because of Will’s job in a Hotel Company. She used to be a Journalist but is now trying her hand at becoming an author and being a good wife to her hardworking husband. However, cracks start to appear in their glass-walled marriage when she finds a raunchy text on Will’s phone from one of his colleagues. Forgiving it as a one-time mistake, Liv gets obsessed with getting to know the person he cheated with and finds that it definitely isn’t a ‘one-time’ mistake but a full-blown affair.
Just then Will proposes a trip around America’s epic National Parks to give their relationship a fresh start, Liv imagines an accidental tragic end to their relationship. But pushing someone you love, off the cliff is not so easy and sometimes you might end up killing someone else. That’s what happens with Liv who ends up killing the mistress, whom they coincidentally met on their trip and now has to cover her tracks before the fingers get pointed at her. Or even collaborate with her cheating husband she loathes.
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Initially, it looks like the story is going to be about how Liv escapes the blame for her husband’s accidental death but rather she joins hands with him to keep her image and marriage taintless. By the third episode, it started to feel similar to a Korean drama where new revelations change the course of the plot in every episode and it’s not a mere coincidence that the director is also South Korean.
Going along with Liv’s journey is definitely a ride through the wilderness, as your mind is baffled to understand what exactly is going on in her head. Is she really so naive and broken or there’s another sinister persona, hidden behind her model wife’s demeanour?
Her mother definitely plays a big role in the way she has grown up with a twisted & bit obsessive personality. When she enters into Liv’s broken married life in New York, you realise how self-absorbed she really is, when her first instinct is to search the house to find evidence of Will’s cheating or something similar.
Liv is not a brave character that we need to empathise with, nor is Will less guilty or capable of being forgiven when all accounts of his affairs come to light. They are more or less grey characters that are consumed by the dark aspects of life while trying to appear as normal as possible. Overall, it’s an entertaining thriller with a somewhat satisfactory, a bit confusing but feasible end.
Rating: 3/5
Wilderness is available for streaming on Prime Video.
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