The Wilds

:

Season 2
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9

Critic Reviews

  1. Paste Magazine
    Reviewed by: Alexis Gunderson
    May 5, 2022
    93
    The benefit of The Wilds treading so much of the same glittering narrative water this season as it did in the first is familiarity, one that gives viewers a rock-steady structure to hold onto as they work to make sense of what are (now that Leah’s in on at least some of Gretchen’s sociopathic secrets in the post-island timeline) even twistier games of cat-and-mouse. ... I’m telling you now: it’s magic.
  2. Decider
    Reviewed by: Jade Budowski
    May 9, 2022
    80
    While adding boys into the mix takes away some of the singular magic of the first season, The Wilds remains an extremely entertaining and beautifully performed series.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Kristen Baldwin
    May 2, 2022
    75
    The sophomore season hurtles through its eight episodes, dropping in satisfying reveals about the girls' island timeline, seeding new mysteries for the larger group, and tackling themes of racism, sexuality, and domestic violence.
  5. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    May 6, 2022
    70
    A very watchable, hyper-paced eight-episode second season. Some of the magic has been diffused, however, largely because the show basically doubles its cast, feeling like it’s just getting more crowded instead of developing on the foundation of the first year. There’s still enough to like here, but the parallels to “Lost” are strangely more prominent than ever.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Lauren Chval
    May 3, 2022
    67
    The good news is that the women of The Wilds are still intriguing, dynamic, frustrating, and accessible. The bad news is we get way less time with them.
  7. Salon
    Reviewed by: Alison Stine
    May 9, 2022
    50
    It has to balance them [the girls from season one] with all the boys. A lot of boys. It doesn't balance very well, and the second season seems to undo a lot of the good of the first and muddle its message.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Tim Surette
    May 2, 2022
    50
    It's all a result of trying to do too much with too little time. Following the boys (on the island, in flashbacks, and in interviews at the research center) and the girls (on the island, mostly) with less time (8 episodes, as opposed to Season 1's 10) means we can never get the same depth to the characters that we got in Season 1.
  9. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Jordan Julian
    May 5, 2022
    30
    We don’t need the boy version of Lord of the Flies! It already exists. It’s called Lord of the Flies. ... Overall, the result is less time with the characters we already know and love, and half-baked backstories for the new guys, who never get the chance to evolve beyond their crude caricatures the way their female counterparts did.
  10. Collider
    Reviewed by: Chase Hutchinson
    May 2, 2022
    25
    By starting from scratch with a whole new group of characters, The Wilds bifurcates its focus and renders everything more shallow as a result. It is ill-conceived from the jump, digging itself into a narrative hole that it spends far too long trying to get out of.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 4 out of 9
  1. MetacriticOnur
    May 8, 2022
    3
    bad
    [ bad ]

    adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
    not good in any manner or degree.
  2. Donnaraposo
    May 8, 2022
    10
    Shelby and Toni are one of the most beautiful things about this tv show. I’m so in love with them
  3. sleepysloth
    May 7, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. I usually do not leave reviews for shows even when I've seriously hated the path they've taken after their first season, but The Wilds will be my exception. Why? Because I actually really love this show, and it means so much to me.

    I am tired of writers being fully aware of what their fanbase doesn't want, and continuing to do that very thing anyway. When I heard there were boys being added to the show, like everyone else, I had my reservations, but I got over it and decided to give them a chance. After the first 4 episodes, I simply could not take it anymore, I skipped every single scene of theirs, especially after we were subjected to watch a COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY SA scene. It was grotesque, disgusting and just lazy as hell. It was a pathetic attempt at shock value in the most gross possible way. For that alone, the show lost many points for me. They had done a much better job in the first season when they were showcasing Martha's experience with this issue without actually showing the act itself.

    I understand that because this show is about a comparative science experiment, it was inevitable that we had to see some of the boys' island to get context into the final conclusion of the study, but the way that they went about it was just wrong. The boys' scenes were boring, long and sluggish. None of them were truly likeable. The only moment that I thought was good was when Kirin sided with Josh after his traumatic experience with Seth. This whole notion that their presence in the show somehow enhances the female experience is a total lie. I resent the actors for trying to talk us into giving the boys a chance with that whole narrative because it wasn't even true. The boys detracted from the girls' character developments. They are still basically the same characters from s1 because there was no time dedicated to them. This season was basically all about the boys with some of the girls sprinkled here and there as filler.

    1. We did not see Dot's progress when it comes to healing after her father's death.
    2. Rachel wasn't allowed to grieve properly.
    3. For another season, we have yet to see Toni grappling with her feelings of worthlessness and we haven't seen the backstory that showcases where that comes from.
    4. Shelby has not gone through the coming out stages that are necessary for her arc. Everyone just randomly finds out about her and Toni, and we don't even get a scene of all of the characters reacting to the news.
    5. Although Shoni was one of the shining moments in the show, it still felt rushed, and their break up was very forced. All the relationship milestones that are usually so important in shows were glossed over and sprinkled here and there i. e. the "I love you" scene. No real importance was given to these scenes.
    6. We have Toni saying that she will love Shelby forever only for her to immediately blame her for something she isn't responsible for and leaving her in the next episode.
    7. Fatin wasn't developed either in terms of her individual backstory.
    8. Nora's appearance was lazy.

    I could go on and on, but I only have so many words to use for this review. All in all, I am extremely disappointed with the writers for putting their main characters on the back burner and sacrificing their complex storylines to add characters no one asked for. I am disappointed that they focused so much cramming as much representation as possible that they forgot to actually make a coherent, interesting, nuanced plot that made **** sense.

    The shining moments of the show lie solely on the girls' performances. Even with their lack of development and screen time, their chemistry is unmatched. I hope that the writers actually listen to their fans concerns and apply them if the show gets renewed for a third season. What was done to the girls was an injustice and a massive disservice to the show.    … Full Review »
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