The Dark Revenge Thriller Series That Proves Karma Is Real

Wilderness revolves around Liv (Jenna Coleman) and Will Taylor (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a newly married British couple whose picture-perfect exterior hides their turmoil. The audience is taken back nine months to when the couple relocates to a lavish New York City apartment after Will is promoted. To support her husband, Liv has to give up her journalism career due to visa restrictions.

Although she is relegated to the role of a housekeeper and aspiring novelist, Liv is happy with her new life. But the first cracks in their seemingly ideal life appear during a chaotic Christmas, where Liv discovers Will’s infidelity. Despite Will’s pleas for forgiveness and a grand gesture in the form of a West Coast road trip, Liv learns that the affair is more intricate than he initially admitted.

Fueled by rage and deception, Liv secretly plans her husband’s accidental death, only to have her scheme disrupted when they cross paths with Will’s mistress, Cara (Ashley Benson), and her boyfriend, Garth (Eric Balfour), during a Yosemite National Park hike. While the initial episodes might seem like a typical revenge thriller, Wilderness takes a surprising turn in Episode 3.

The portrayal of women in Wilderness is carefully crafted, avoiding the pitfall of positioning them in competition with one another. Jenna Coleman’s performance as Liv is particularly noteworthy as she transitions between endearing vulnerability and monstrous determination. The series also confronts the societal label of female hysteria and explores the breaking point that can be reached when trust is shattered repeatedly.

While Wilderness takes a bold step in exploring the circumstances that can drive any clearheaded person to the brink when dealing with lies and gaslighting, it is not without some flaws. Some revelations about Liv’s past and her relationships feel belatedly introduced, and certain subplots, like her friendship with her neighbor Ash, come across as a superficial afterthought.

Despite those slight imperfections, Wilderness offers more than just a tale of revenge. It unravels a marriage built on lies, showcasing the consequences of deception and the transformation of individuals into their darkest selves. The series suggests that the pursuit of perfection can lead to a web of lies that traps not only the people involved but also innocent bystanders.

Wilderness premiered on Amazon Prime Video in last September. The series received mixed reviews following its release and currently holds a 68 percent critics score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 61 percent audience score. The biggest critique was that the show tends to lose itself in an excess of revenge clichés.

Fortunately, its many unexpected twists may appeal to fans of intricate drama. Moreover, the Wilderness novel and series have significant plot and character development differences. Perhaps most importantly, the series also has a very different ending.