‘Wilderness’ Recap: ‘The Other Woman’

9/26/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Jenna Coleman as Liv Taylor in Episode 102 of ‘Wilderness’ – ‘The Other Woman’. (Photo Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Prime Video.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Wilderness’. To revisit the Series Premiere, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

We like to believe, that we are beings that can handle any trouble that heads our way, with a level head and with incredible strength that cannot be broken, and there’s merit to that line of thinking. After all, we can handle a lot when the going gets tough, and we can forge ahead and function when our spirits are broken, and time and time again we hear about how that helps so many people grow and understand their limits. But while that is wondrous and gives us hope when trouble arrives… the fact of the matter is… there will come a point where the pressure surrounding us, can and will break us. For everyone has their red line, their breaking point, and it really is best we don’t find out what that is. Because to do so invites real trouble, as evidenced by the next episode of Wilderness on Prime Video.

For ‘The Other Woman’ saw Liv Taylor be pushed to it, when she honestly thought she could handle the stress that brought her to it. A feat this story accomplished by robbing her of the power and agency she found in the premiere. Because she thought she finally had leverage and control over Will, and that she could use her knowledge of his most recent affair with Cara… to push him about, enact some revenge. The kind that wouldn’t cause major harm. But a surprise on a hiking trail changed all that. Because Cara showed up, with a friend no less, but he was clearly there for show. For Cara wanted Will in her grasp and that… buckled Liv’s psyche. Because she truly wanted to be in control here, she absolutely wanted to enact her plan, and this mucked everything up.

To the point where the situation spiraled out of control for Liv. Because just like that, her beloved was torn between his lustful instincts and putting on the show, and she had to play nice with the other woman in question and that was a lot to bear. Because the good in her and the anger in her, had to find common ground. To project that strength, to keep that peace and to try to reset the narrative so she could punish Will her own way, and for a time it seemed as though pushing forward and not acknowledging the messed-up nature of all of this or calling a spade a spade… might pay off. That it might be the better way and not harm her and not push her to the utter brink of her breaking point. Because Will, behaved, and Cara was actually offering kindness.

But Will’s explosive behavior when he wasn’t treated as the king and Cara’s decision to invite Will to be near her in the middle of the night… was more than she could bear. Because it spoke to the fact, that she had no control here, and that revenge would mean nothing because Will’s needs mattered over anything else. Which sent her, over her breaking point, and prompted her to really think upon what she could do, to feel peace, to feel agency and control and sadly… she chose quite the rash act. Because Will didn’t see that spicy and encouraging message, so she went out in the middle of the night to meet Cara. Likely to be nice and perhaps vent, but when she saw Cara… standing there, waiting for her husband, the man she loved… it was more than she could bear, and she pushed Cara over the side of a cliff.

A move that perfectly encapsulated… the horror of the breaking point and why we should take a step back when we feel real pressure and real emotion. Because those rule the day and that’s never good and now… Liv, a normal woman with good in her heart, has transformed before our eyes into a broken person, a fallen angel if you will and that made for one powerful and angry episode. One that really did hammer home the central theme in an impactful manner and took this story in a bold direction. Because now… there’s murder in the air and an uncertain future for Liv as she tries to reconcile crossing every single line, and that… leaves us hungry for more. To see how a regular, decent person handles the reality of what they’ve done and of course… to see what comes next… now that Liv has taken a life in anger and has to wake up every morning with that memory/reality in her mind. Until next time.

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