Appearances can be deceiving.
Untamed
All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix. I've seen all six episodes.
The opening sequence, set at the famed El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California (U.S.), is breathtaking for the beauty of the setting, which quickly becomes the backdrop for the death of a young woman.
(Much of the series, it must be noted, was produced in British Columbia, Canada.)
Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), a special agent for the National Park Service, begins his investigation on frosty terms with the Park Rangers, and is not terribly happy to be assigned to work with a rookie ranger, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), a new arrival from Los Angeles. Vasquez may be unaccustomed to how things are done in the park, and outdoors in general, but she is far from a rookie in law enforcement, having multiple years of experience in the Los Angeles Police Department.
As the episodes proceed, we learn more about Kyle's past; his ex-wife Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt), who lives in town with her second husband, Josh (Scott Randall); and their son. We also learn about Naya, her four-year-old son, and her former boyfriend.
We also get a look into the friendship between Kyle and his boss, Paul Souter (Sam Neill), who is constantly worried about Kyle and his emotional state, as well as the relationship between Kyle and a shooter hired to cull the park's deer herd, Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel), a mean character.
Created and written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and Elle Smith, who collaborated together on The Marsh King's Daughter, the series was directed by Thomas Bezucha, Neasa Hardiman, and Nick Murphy, displaying a unified approach to the material, which carries the viewer along as it flows through a murder mystery that ties into the principal characters.
It very much feels like a modern version of miniseries that were made in the 1970s, sometimes advertised as "novels for television," only Untamed is a character-based mystery that becomes a thriller at times, pumping up the volume, as it were, and helping to sustain consistent interest throughout all six episodes.
The quality of the writing, direction, cinematography and production details help the series to rise above a standard potboiler, as well as the sturdy performances, especially by the principals, which convey deeper emotions than might be gleaned upon first appearance. Through his eyes and the set of his face, Eric Bana communicates clearly that he has fallen into a deep well of pain and grief, which is gradually unpacked throughout the series.
The six episodes are plotted and paced so that they are constantly moving forward, even as past memories surface from deep within the characters. Untamed sometimes falls victim to its own melodramatic excesses, yet for the most part the police-procedural aspects and the character explorations feel true and authentic.
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