Mystery novels where the resolution of the case at hand causes a small town to fall apart, with the final twist being that the kindest person is the murderer, have become commonplace. This year alone, we had Hound's Hill, where a series of murders exposed the town's sordid past and also showed that the patriarchal figure's pursuit of justice wasn't exactly fair. Caught was a Harlan Coben adaptation; what more do you need to know? The second season of Paatal Lok, which took Hathi Ram Chaudhary to northeast India, showed that politicians and bureaucrats will never truly care about the common people as long as their coffers are full.
The Glass Dome commented on lawmakers who become lawbreakers to satiate their most grotesque desires. While miniseries like Adolescence, Secrets We Keep, and The Survivors primarily dealt with the deterioration of youth, they also highlighted how this was a result of lies and corrupt practices that have been ingrained in society for generations.
Stars: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt
Created by Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith, with episodes directed by Thomas Bezucha, Neasa Hardiman, and Nick Murphy, Untamed is set in Yosemite National Park, where residents are left reeling after an unknown woman falls from El Capitan. Lawrence Hamilton, a high-ranking official determined to ensure the influx of tourists is not hindered, orders the National Park Service rangers to solve the case as quickly as possible. Chief Paul Souter, Ranger Bruce Milch, and rookie Naya Vasquez are more or less content to dismiss it as an isolated case of suicide or an animal attack that sent her over the cliff.
But Special Agent Kyle Turner of the Investigative Services Division believes there's more to it than meets the eye. So, with Naya by his side, he embarks on a mission to interview all the suspicious individuals living around the park and find out if they have anything to do with this incident. This leads to the discovery of several truths, many of which are actually related to the personal lives of those who live there, especially Kyle. Kyle's success or failure in overcoming his inner demons so that justice prevails is the crux of the story.
Untamed has all the hallmarks of a Nordic noir narrative. There's a hardened detective with a sordid past. He has an overzealous partner, which masks his troubled history. The setting is idyllic, with something rotten festering at its core. The plot twist revolves around a character who has been staring you right in the face throughout the series. And it seems the Smiths are aware of these similarities. But rather than shying away from them, they embrace these tropes and underscore them with a host of complex emotions. In doing so, the hunt for a killer becomes a search for what makes us human. It might be envy, ambition, pride, righteousness, or our instinct for survival. However, based on my interpretation of the show's themes, what truly matters is what we choose to do with the finite time we have on this vast planet, which differentiates us from animals. Now, I won't say this approach is entirely without flaws, as the writers struggle to find a balance between crime-solving and existential drama. They also make the glaring error of postponing the heart of the story until the last episode, making the journey to that point feel a bit redundant. That said, I'll always appreciate a disorganized work in this genre that isn't afraid to question the point of uncovering the truth when the damage caused by lies is irreparable, rather than a generic work with nothing relevant to say.
When it comes to Netflix shows, or shows and movies in general, there's been a collective pushback (at least online) against the increasing use of shallow focus, as it dulls the images, thus robbing the frames of texture and personality. The first thing I noticed when I started watching Untamed was its sharpness, especially in the outdoor scenes, thanks to the use of deep focus. This is because the Yosemite landscape is as central to the story as the rest of the characters. Even if you're watching it on your phone, I think you'll feel the magnificence of the place on your skin. And if cinematographers Michael McDonough and Brendan Uegama had followed the trend probably started by, I don't know, Ozark, the contrast between the beauty of the environment and the ugliness of (some of) the people who inhabit it wouldn't have been so palpable. So, yes, the show looks incredible. The action sequences are surprisingly solid, and the one set in a cave system is reminiscent of Sicario. Despite my criticisms of the plot, the direction, editing, pacing, sound design, score, and the performances of the entire cast kept me incredibly engaged from the first scene to the last.
I don't think Eric Bana's Kyle is groundbreaking. If you've seen The Dry or Deliver Us From Evil, you already know the kind of stoicism Bana employs. But what keeps it from being a simple rehash of old stereotypes is the chemistry he shares with Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lily Santiago, Wilson Bethel, Raoul Max Trujillo, Josh Randall, Ezra Wilson, and Omi Fitzpatrick-Gonzales. Neill and Bana have a father-son dynamic, played so naturally by both veteran actors that the final twist feels like a shock. Bana, DeWitt, and Randall are forced to explore truly delicate terrain, something they address in the series itself.
Yet their expressions of pain and despair are so relatable (I cried) that you can understand why the characters they play need each other, thus subverting the cliché that a man's ex-wife and her current husband have to hate him. Bana and Santiago's relationship evolves through these dad jokes and the way they begin to care about each other. Bana and Trujillo's conversations are like a constant, self-conscious commentary on the role of Native Americans in a land that has been occupied by white Americans for tourism, and it's truly thought-provoking.
Without giving anything away, the glances shared between Bana, Wilson, and Fitzpatrick-Gonzales broke my heart. I also can't say much about Bana and Bethel, but their antagonistic attitude toward each other is funny. And, look, I do make fun of people who don't distinguish actors from the comic book characters they've played. Still, I couldn't help thinking, "Hey, that's Bruce Banner and Benjamin Poindexter" every time they appeared on screen. Also, I should mention that Untamed made much better use of Bethel's skills than Daredevil: Born Again. As for the rest of the enormous supporting cast, yes, they're all splendid!
As mentioned, Untamed is undoubtedly cut from the same cloth as any other small-town crime drama filled with questionable characters. And if that's a genre you're deeply into or a staple of your comfort-movie viewing, then this miniseries is definitely for you. It doesn't seek to reinvent the wheel, especially in terms of the narrative structure that films and series in this genre typically follow; so it would be unfair to criticize it for failing to achieve something it never set out to do. But it definitely makes us reflect on human nature, the price of the lies we spread, the various factors that lead people to an untimely death, and more (which I can't reveal because it contains spoilers).
Most of the topics the series addresses will cause some discomfort, but I invite you to analyze it, analyze it, and then form an opinion on the series' perspective on them. Furthermore, the series looks great and is packed with incredible performances. I know everyone will be excited about Bana, Bethel, and Neill, but my favorite of all is Santiago. I hope to see her in more films and series in the future. Anyway, that's just my opinion on Untamed. If you want to share your thoughts on the miniseries, feel free to leave a comment.
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