Girls still rule in the second season of The Wilds

After a year and a half, Amazon Prime’s survivalist series The Wilds has finally returned for a second season. With the introduction of the boys island, and subsequently eight more primary characters, the second season isn’t quite as strong as the first, but still leagues better than many other streaming shows, making it absolutely worth your time.

The Wilds season 2 picks up exactly where season 1 left off, with the Unsinkable Eight trying to assist Rachel during a shark attack, losing Nora in the process. The use of Taylor Swift’s epiphany during the sequence makes for the most heartbreaking return to this world, one that sets the scene for the rest of the season.

The critical response to this season has been a mixed bag, to say the very least. Many critics pan the inclusion of the boys, stating that their overshadowing of the girls brings down the quality of the show and makes for a sophomore slump. Others praise the use of the boys, stating that their stories only uplift the girls’.

I find myself in the middle of these two claims, because they both can be true at once.

Firstly, the boys take up a lot of screen-time. According to a Twitter user, they are on screen for over an hour and a half longer than the girls; episode 3 finds the girls only on screen for a little over 13 minutes, their least involved episode of the season.

The heavy focus on the boys makes the girls feel like the B-plot of the season, only popping up occasionally between the ‘main’ storyline of the boys’ experience on the island. Season 1 felt so incredible and groundbreaking because of its singular focus on the female experience, specifically the teenage girl experience, and that is definitely lost during its second outing.

While every scene with the girls is incredible, and truly where the series feels like itself again, they are a bit too far between to capture the same magic of the first season.

Though, the boys also allow the girls to shine as well. In addition to just making the girls a breath of fresh air after intense scenes on the boy island, the parallels The Wilds draws between a few key characters allow the show’s central messaging to shine through, to the girls’ benefit.

Within the girl group, Martha’s story of sexual assault and survival was empowering during the first season. She struggled with her reality for a very long time, but found herself coming to terms with it while on the island. She was able to turn her trauma into her power, finally coming into her own.

Though, as the second season progresses, Martha finds herself more and more haunted by her trauma, resulting in her going nearly catatonic by the final episodes. Despite the girls’ overwhelming efforts, she remains in such a state until we finally see her again in the bunker.

In contrast, Josh from the boy group finds himself becoming a victim of sexual assault on the island itself. Seth, the operative for the boy island and a true wild card, violates Josh while he’s alone in their makeshift tent. Though, unlike Martha, Josh uses his anger and resentment from this experience to become a bully to others, including those that had nothing to do with the pain he experienced.

While it’s normal to have a negative reaction to a situation like that, Josh’s trajectory mirrors that of a school shooter-type. He had been beaten down his whole life all leading up to a truly horrific event where his power was stripped bare, only to turn around and become the bully the moment he gains any power within the group.

The contrast between his trajectory, in being victimized but turning to the destruction of others, and Martha’s, in being victimized but turning to self-preservation, highlights the difference between men and women. Martha would rather retreat into her own mind than live with the pain, and she does so in a way that protects both herself and those around her. Meanwhile, Josh would rather take his pain and turn it on those around him, becoming the bully rather than the bullied, riding the high of newfound masculinity.

This successful comparison, which can be found between other boy/girl pairs throughout the season, is where the boys begin to shine as an important element. The show would feel incomplete without the example of what boys would do in the situation to compare the girls’ experience too, just like Gretchen’s experiment.

As mentioned, anytime the girls are on screen during The Wilds season 2, the show is truly magical. The character work done throughout this season is incredible, especially concerning characters like Rachel, Leah, and Shelby. Fan-favorite relationship Shoni, Shelby, and Toni, also takes a front seat to the benefit of the series.

Overall, the second season, while not as incredible as the first, is still great, albeit quick, watch. The ending of the season, which provides answers but poses many more questions, is incredible and turns up the heat on the entire series. If renewed for a third season, I think this show still has so many strides left to hit and so many highs yet to reach.

The Wilds season 2 is streaming in its entirety only on Amazon Prime Video.