'The Wilds' Season 2 Ending Explained: Did Leah outwit Gretchen?
The first season of Amazon Prime Video's 'The Wilds' — which was a real treat when it debuted in late 2020 — began with a statement that said it all: "Being a teenage girl is difficult." The line from 'The Wilds,' implies that this YA drama will be about more than discovering how to fashion skirts out of palm fronds and a wonderful lunch out of a rat.
Season 2 sees Amazon reduce the episode count from ten to eight, which crippled the show. Season 2 of 'The Wilds' loses much of what made Season 1 wonderful, post the Season 1 cliffhanger in which Leah (Sarah Pidgeon) viewed clips of a bunch of lads on an island in a position similar to the one she was just in. It's hampered by too many characters to explore and not enough time to do it especially the temptation to surpass the first season.
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'The Wilds' Ending Explained
We understand if you've already binge-watched Season 2 in one sitting and are now looking for answers. We are another season down, with eight episodes under our belts, and we still don't know whether the "control groups" made it, or if they did (a reference to the opening scene of episode 8), HOW? Although there has been no official announcement for a new season, the Season 2 finale's cliffhanger suggests that we are in for another "wild" adventure.
Shelby (Mia Healey) addresses a gathering in a pub in the first scene of episode 8, talking about the two loves of her life and how she lost them. As she begins to sing, the camera pans to a very differently dressed-up Toni (Erana James), who appears to be listening to her monologue and humming along to her song. Is this a sign that they're still together? Didn't Shelby just talk about the "love she lost?" We were about to get a definitive answer, only when the infamous Gretchen Klein (Rachel Griffiths) spoiled the moment, again. She walks into the green room, where Shelby is getting ready to meet Toni, and asks her to choose between two gummies (?), which could indicate that the girls did make it out of their hostage situation, although there were a few snags.
We're quickly transported back to the time on the island, when Fatin (Sophia Ali) and Shelby are on the verge of making a major discovery and escaping. They are shortly interrupted by a helicopter, which they take as a sign of hope, but which appears to be Gretchen's attempt to gain control of the situation before the girls discover the reality. On the other hand, with Seth (Alex Fitzalan) gone (again), the boys are doing their best, only to be rescued by Gretchen and her team shortly after as things go haywire there as well.
From here on out, things get interesting and completely perplexing. Things take a dramatic turn for Gretchen as she prepares for the big day and has one-on-one conversations with each member of the "control group." She chooses to begin with Leah, expecting her to sign paperwork that would otherwise legally safeguard Gretchen and her research. Leah appeared to have the upper hand in the game! A few flashback scenes show how Leah meticulously arranged everything leading up to this point to expose Gretchen's reality and free everyone from their shackles. Everything was planned, from keeping an eye on the notes Dean (Troy Winbush) and Daniel (David Sullivan) used to have while interrogating her to creating tantrums to take the key to her room!
She deliberately used the one phone call she had with her to contact her old buddy Ian Murnen (James Fraser), making sure he was aware of "Dawn of Eve" and getting the help she needed to get out of there. Ian can be seen approaching Devin, who is both Gretchen's son and one of the members that went off to the "Hawaiian" retreat with the rest of the boys. His death was staged in the first episode, and he was retrieved by his mother's crew. He seems to have cut himself off from his mother after questioning her experiment. Due to their relationship, he was able to assist Ian, who eventually approached the FBI. Things were going according to plan for Leah, but it seems like Amazon is already planning Season 3. When the girls and boys are finally able to leave their cells, they discover that they have never left the island!
With Gretchen on the run and Seth (of all people) in charge of the "control group," viewers will have to wait another season to see if they ever make it out, and if they do (as Shelby and Toni are seen out in the world in the opening scene), how did they do it, and how long did it take? It's no surprise that the season finishes on a big cliffhanger, laying the groundwork for a third season. All we can say is that Prime Video needs to renew this riveting drama, or we'll be in misery for the rest of our lives waiting to see how this saga concludes.
'The Wilds' Season 2 is now streaming on Amazon Prime.