Wilderness review: A pulpy thriller with wasted potential

The title of Prime Video’s new psychological thriller, Wilderness, isn’t only about the vast and open space where most of the show’s tense action unfolds. It also embodies a grander metaphor about the wasteland that is the cursed relationship of Liv (Jenna Coleman) and Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Their marriage appears picture-perfect on the surface, but it’s rooted in deep abandonment issues and their chances of surviving together seem basically non-existent. Over the course of six episodes, Wilderness (which premieres September 15) navigates the wild maze of a romance that was pretty much doomed from the start.

Wilderness evokes a narrative cliché: the wronged woman on a path of revenge. It clearly references hits like Fatal Attraction and Gone Girl, even using the phrase “bunny-boiler” at some point. Despite these classics looming in the background, the TV drama gets brownie points for trying something different with the topic. It doesn’t subvert the genre as much as embrace it for all it’s worth. There’s no startling innovation here, and it still works because the trope itself exists and is fun for a reason. The early episodes of Wilderness are twisted and entertaining, as Liv unravels Will’s web of lies and plots vengeance. It’s edge-of-your-seat and pulpy. (Episode two, in particular, is a remarkable, surprisingly sentimental standout.) And then boom, the excitement tapers off.

Sadly, Wilderness falls back on its own promise of a complex tale of all-consuming revenge, desire, and death by concluding with a timid version of the story it started. Marnie Dickens’ screenplay is based on B.E. Jones’ novel of the same name—but the book is far more audacious and playful than its adaptation. The show doesn’t take as many creative risks and ends up as a straightforward and somewhat preachy thriller, dulling the impact of its engaging beginning.

Back to that beginning: The show kicks off when Liv and Will move from the U.K. to New York City after he gets a fancy new job. It means a lavish apartment and a fresh start away from their respective toxic families. However, once she discovers his infidelity with a coworker, Cara (Ashley Benson), Liv’s image of a happy marriage is shattered. The facade of his perfection fades because the so-called love of her life is a master manipulator and gaslighter. He eventually convinces her to go on her dream vacation, road-tripping across the Arizona desert, as a way to reconnect. And that’s when it hits her: The dangerous terrain doubles as the perfect spot for an “accident.” If she gets rid of Will, she gets rid of having to live with him and the knowledge that he might move on with another woman someday.