‘The Wilds’ Recap: ‘Day 30/1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘The Wilds’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that television audiences have a love/hate affair with cliffhangers, and rightfully so. Because while the cliffhanger does indeed do a wonderful job of shocking us and leaving us utterly starving for more of the story, more often than not… the follow up leaves a lot to be desired. Since so many shows have struggled with thinking beyond the big surprise at the end of any particular season… and how to wrap up said surprise. Which is why so many TV fans approach cliffhangers with nervousness and trepidation. Since they don’t want to get their hopes up and be utterly disappointed when things go south. 

If anything, that conflicted relationship with cliffhangers is top of mind today, simply because that concern had to be present for fans of the Prime Video series, The Wilds. Because the big surprise at the end of season one, in that there was another group of ‘shipwrecked’ teens out there comprised of boys… was a stunning surprise. One that served as a powerful cliffhanger and also had the potential to go south quickly. For if nothing was done with it, then what was the point of showing us that? But thankfully, this is one of those rare shows that doesn’t shy away from fleshing out its ideas so that its fans receive a quality experience through and through… as evidenced by how the season two premiere of this show played out.

For ‘30/1’ is a story that wasted little time in introducing us to the new all-male group of castaways, a move that informed us that this story is going to leave no stone unturned and explore everything it introduces and well… we quickly came to learn that the boys’ story will be just as fascinating as the girls, if not more. Simply because… the group that Gretchen has collected, are nowhere as calm or collected or focused as the girls certainly are. In fact, it was a period of the show mired in chaos and infighting and male toxicity, making it clear that this group is going to deliver some serious drama, the kind that will be ugly for certain since some members of the group, won’t have to answer to anyone if they let loose and that’s the right way to reengage us and surprise us and satisfy us when it comes to that cliffhanger.

But of course, this is an episode that doesn’t forget about the girls. For they too have issues and problems to still deal with, such as how to reconcile more death and strife and well… that leads to some powerful moments for certain. The kind that forces everyone to react in unique ways to loss. Some of which are positive, some of which are downright scary for certain… but that speaks further to the extreme duress they’re all under, courtesy of Gretchen and her weird and strange plans when it comes to the Dawn of Eve and the Twilight of Adam and speaking of that… it was also fascinating to be reminded of how far she’s willing to go to manipulate both groups to get whatever reaction she desires, as evidenced by the fake death that took place here.

If anything, this was just… a wonderful way to kick off season two. Simply because everything that happened here informed us of the fact, that season two is going to be bigger and bolder and have more to say about our teenage years and the ugly aspects that come with them and of course… one would imagine that more secrets about these two programs will be revealed as season two rolls along. To the point where perhaps we can finally truly understand what motivated Gretchen to bring forth an experiment this wild and this dangerous, and that alone is fine motivation to continue this harrowing and powerful journey. One that is as original and unique as they come. Until next time.  

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