Untamed is exactly the kind of show that Netflix should be investing more in. And I’m not even talking about giving them a second season, as they have done in a shocking turn of events. Untamed was a limited series starring Eric Bana. But it did so well that we’re going to see more of the National Parks Service agent who investigated the death of a young woman while also dealing with the grief of the end of his marriage and [spoilers.] But even before Untamed got a surprise renewal, the story was a closed loop.
Let me explain.
More often than not, TV shows are being canceled left and right. It’s gotten to the point where I can say with 100% confidence that that show that you liked watching growing up, wouldn’t make it past Season 1 if it premiered today. Streaming services and TV networks aren’t giving shows a chance to breathe. That’s why I found Untamed to be so special. It told a full circle story with no big loose ends. And by the time that you finished it, you felt satisfied with the journey that you had gone through and that you never were going to see Bana’s Kyle Turner again.
Untamed being a limited series gave the writer’s room an opportunity to tell a twisted story about a husband who lost everything but still tried to ground himself in the land that he knew and respected. This time limit also allowed the writers to not waste time with frivolous storylines and instead invest in beats and characters that showed you who these people were, why they found themselves in Yosemite, and how they handled the investigation ahead of them. Basically, the writers room of Untamed moved with purpose because it was a limited series.
That’s not to say that this show is perfect. It’s not. There was one story thread towards the end that I felt came out of nowhere or could have been tightened up. But that’s with every show or piece of media. And I do think that Turner partner Naya Vasquez could have been a little bit more nuanced. Sometimes people want a change in their lives because they just want one. It doesn’t have to be because they’re running from someone or something. But I guess it’s a trope because it works time after time.
Going back to the reasons why this show worked and why you should be watching it besides the renewal, we have to talk about the backdrop of Yosemite. I’ve only visited Yosemite once and it was breathtaking. And I don’t know any other show that has used this sort of backdrop to tell a story. And they did it in a way that was meant to appreciate the land while also respecting that it is the wild and it’s unforgiving. Also, let’s not forget the indigenous representation, which was shown through a lens of appreciation instead of stereotyping.
Finally there’s the women. I know that I talked about Bana’s character and how Untamed told a beautiful story about a husband and father who is dealing with grief while trying to piece together what happened to this young woman. But the women themselves are not one dimensional. Without giving away major twists and turns, Vasquez and Turner’s ex-wife Jill Bodwin are given the space to play with expectations. We think a woman should be one thing and then she flips things around and fights tooth and nail to be something else. And that’s always refreshing and welcome as a viewer and as a woman.
A part of me is worried about Untamed getting a second season. The show could forget what worked in Season 1 and how perfectly it was all tied up together. But hopefully they’ll treat Season 2 as another limited series and not leave us dangling like Netflix has done with dozens upon dozens of canceled shows since its inception. A girl can hope, can’t she?
Untamed is available on Netflix.
