The mini-series we’re talking about is Untamed. The series has just six episodes, making it easy to binge-watch over a weekend. Untamed follows Kyle Turner, a National Park Service investigative agent in California’s Yosemite National Park. Kyle is trying to solve the strange death of a woman who fell off a cliff. Was it an accident? Was it murder? Soon, certainties collapse and secrets resurface.
A dark, mystical atmosphere a la True Detective
Without ever forcing the issue, Untamed takes up the codes of the noir detective story that True Detective fans know so well. A tormented cop, an isolated setting, an investigation that becomes introspective…
The series skilfully plays with these elements without copying them. The series also makes much of the presence of nature as an entity almost endowed with consciousness, a silent witness to the atrocities humans commit in its midst.
Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) is an investigator consumed by doubt and haunted by a family tragedy. As in True Detective’s first season, the case takes on an almost metaphysical dimension as layers of lies are revealed.
The gigantism of America’s wilderness will appeal to Yellowstone’s orphans
Visually, Untamed is a delight. Yosemite becomes a character in its own right: the park’s giant redwoods, towering cliffs, and golden light lend an almost mystical depth to the story. This connection with nature inevitably evokes Yellowstone.
But unlike Yellowstone, here the story is refocused in a more tense environment. No ranches, no fields stretching as far as the eye can see, but dense woods, mountains, and sometimes dangerous cliffs, but the same fascination with the American territory as a setting for deep-seated tensions.
Perfect timing for this mini-series
The timing of the release of Untamed is not insignificant. Netflix has just added the final season of 1923, the prequel to Yellowstone. Fans of Taylor Sheridan are therefore likely to be looking for their next dose of rural drama and breathtaking scenery.
Untamed positions itself as a credible alternative, less flamboyant but more intimate. In six episodes, the series delivers a well-constructed, sober but effective thriller. No outrageous cliffhangers, no forced twists: just a good story, well told.
Somewhere between an introspective thriller and a contemporary western, Untamed ticks all the boxes to appeal to those who love well-crafted thrillers, heavy atmospheres, and grandiose natural settings. A fine summer surprise to be discovered without delay.
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