Entertainment
This Netflix Sleeper Hit’s Twisted Finale Explains Its 451.6M Watched Hours in 6 Months
No gritty thriller is complete without a grizzled detective, haunted by his past mistakes, but Untamed does it better than most. After this trope succeeded in grueling shows like True Detective, Netflix took this idea and set in Yosemite National Park. Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner, an investigator with the National Park Service. Living in an isolated shack, he gets called in to investigate the death of a Jane Doe who plummeted off one of the cliffs in the park.
Many of the park rangers believe that she jumped on purpose, but Kyle isn’t so sure. He reluctantly accepts help from a new ranger, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), the only ranger willing to humor Kyle’s idiosyncrasies. Sam Neill also appears in a highly underrated role as Chief Park Ranger Paul Scouter, who knows more than he’s letting on. Similar to Gone Baby Gone, the chief is involved in a case that turns personal. By the end of the series, viewers learn the disturbing truth about Scouter’s role in the case, which is what makes Untamed have immense rewatch value. With only six episodes in Season 1, Untamed gets right to the point while throwing twists and turns along the way. If the series feels familiar, it’s only because it takes after many classic mysteries that have come before it.
Untamed Has All the Hallmarks of a Great Thriller
Untamed works on multiple levels, not just with Eric Bana’s exemplary performance as a jaded investigator, troubled by the demons of his past. The Netflix series follows in the footsteps of Brad Ingelsby‘s HBO series and Dennis Lehane mysteries. Kyle Turner is naturally haunted by his past, which affects his work in the present. Though his troubles with his ex-wife Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt) seem unconnected, these plot points dovetail perfectly in the finale of the series.
On a network with a small slate, Untamed may not have been lost in the shuffle. It has notes of Mare of Easttown and Task, in a series that is a meditation on grief. Turner adheres to many of these tropes, but it doesn’t feel tired. Haunted by the death of his son in the park, he finds there is no way to move on. He is so obsessed with Caleb’s tragedy that he hyperfixates on crimes in Yosemite, hoping that one day, he will be absolved of his guilt, even if there was no way he could have prevented the crime.
Jane Doe’s death helps Turner overcome his grief and form real connections with other people. Always on the periphery, Turner forms a connection with the rookie investigator, Vasquez, who understands the concern a parent can have for a child because of her own dark past. Their camaraderie is the first step that Turner takes toward healing before solving the case of Jane Doe. The crowning jewel of the story is the picturesque mountains that punctuate each scene. The outdoors is serene, a sharp contrast to the brutal story at the center of Untamed. Bana returns to television in another standout role, one that has been a hit, based on audience numbers. This will only be the beginning of a long road, thanks to Netflix’s support of the series.
“Elle [Smith] and I envisioned it as a stand-alone, six episodes,” creator Mark L. Smith told Tudum. “But then the more that we got into it, it was just such a great cast … it was just like, ‘Oh yeah, how do we keep this going?’” Untamed will return with a Season 2, which will see Bana reprise his role as Turner. These classic archetypal characters are perfect for any mystery thriller fan, which lends itself well to a follow-up.
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Nick Murphy