Grief can be a bullet to the chest. The finale of theNetflixseries,Untamed, showed audiences that, literally. The new series delivered six airtight episodes, starringEric Banaas Kyle, a special agent at Yosemite National Park who investigates disappearances and murders. Battling the grief he still feels for the death of his young son six years ago,Untamedis disguised as a murder mystery that really explores grief, which the finale makes crystal clear. It’s a fresh, exciting take on westerns and wilderness adventures, with its examination of the human condition and not just the surrounding woods. Its finale aloneis leagues away from fellow neo-western,Yellowstone, and its soap opera antics. Yes,Yellowstonecould bring the drama, butUntamedbrings real stakes and palpable pain.
Bordering the Yellowstone National Park, a lot of murder and bad deeds go on at the Yellowstone ranch, with every season culminating in some sort of showdown with shotguns and chases on horseback. Similarly, a lot of bad things go down at Yosemite National Park inUntamed, but in an unexpected move,the Season 1 finale moved away from bullets to explore internal wounds instead. Created byMark L. Smith(The Revenant) and executive produced byJohn WellsofThe Pitt,Untameduses bumpy terrain and vicious rivers as a metaphor for the inner turmoil of its characters. The last 10 minutes alone go harder than any finaleTaylor Sheridanever produced forYellowstone, and that is an argument for whyUntamedis taking over the crown of the most exciting western on TV right now. Featuring a thrilling scene between Bana and co-starSam Neillin a shocking confrontation, the final moments ofUntamed arelike standing on the edge of a cliff, and the only way out is down.
Eric Bana and Sam Neill’s Final Scene in ‘Untamed’ Is a Thrilling Reveal
One major theme that runs deeper than the rivers in Yosemite National Park inUntamedis the relationship between fathers and their children. It winds up being the ultimate price Neill’s character, Paul Scouter, pays in his final moments during the thrilling stand-off between him and Kyle. Revealed as the true killer of Lucy Cook (Ezra Franky), his failure to be a father to her is what kills him in the end. It’s also what sets Kyle free from the prison he’s created for himself at Yosemite, furthering his journey towards moving forward. Just when it had seemed like everything was tied up in a neat little bow, it’s revealed thatslimy wildlife management officer, Shane Macguire(Wilson Bethel), is not Lucy’s killer. Paul’s stunning descent into evil during his confrontation with Kyle is exhilarating to watch, and the two actors unleash decades of pain in the chilling moment. Yes, it can be a blast watchingKevin Costnerblast away bad guys onYellowstone,butwhat Eric Bana and Sam Neill do in the last few minutes ofUntamedis a masterclass in grief, and ultimately, acceptance.
Waiting in the curtains for the entirety ofUntamedas a supporting character,the series hinges on Neill’s embittered performancein the final scene, as an unremorseful father who has never faced his guilt head-on. In Kyle and Paul’s conversation, Neill goes for broke in the final twist that he is Lucy’s killer, andit’s like a dagger to the back after a season of him playing Kyle’s father figure. Their meeting over the waterfall hangs in the balance of both actors, wielding words like bullets, andunmasking what trauma looks like. Bana’s face is a map of disgust and anger, while Neill plays Paul with a sinister energy, and feels dangerous for the first time. When dealing with grief, things like bargaining and denial often accompany it, and that’s exactly what is happening with the manipulative Paul in his scene with Kyle. By trying to convince Kyle of his innocence, he’s really trying to convince himself, as he still hasn’t quite grasped what he’s done to his own daughter.
When Paul takes out his gun as Kyle walks away to inform the authorities, for a second, it looks likeUntamedcould be headed towardsYellowstoneterritory in the theatrics department. But it would be a letdown, as Paul was never a cartoonish villain or downright bad guy, and loved Kyle like his own son. So,the harrowing final twist of him pulling the gun on himselfis a sign that he’s finally stopped bargaining over what he’s done, and instead accepts it. Kyle’s refusal to stop pushing Paul to reveal the truth of what he did to his daughter sends Paul over the edge as he falls to his death, just like Lucy.It’s a full circle moment in a series about parents and their children, and generational trauma. Kyle and Paul turned out to be complete opposites in their battles with grief, with Kyle being haunted by what he wasn’t able to do to protect his son, and Paul being haunted by what he had done to his daughter.
The ‘Untamed’ Season Finale Is Ultimately A Moving Exploration of Grief and Letting Go
Grief comes for everyone, and looks different on whoever wears it, which is whatUntamedunderstands all too well. For Kyle, it’s alcoholism. For his ex-wife, Jill, played by the fantasticRosemarie DeWittin a scene-stealing performance, it’s through denial and an eventual suicide attempt. Both Kyle and Jill are teetering on the edge of death throughoutUntamed, in their inability to let go of the horrific murder of their seven-year-old son, Caleb (Ezra Wilson). Kyle’s acknowledgment of how Yosemite Park cannot be his home, and that he is actually doing self-harm in Bana’s fantastic scene in the hospital with DeWitt, encapsulates their battle with trauma.They are two people holding onto the past, and Kyle is literally living in it, still wandering the woods and fields his son died in.
That’s what makes the final minutes of the show, where Kyle peacefully drives out of the park, so cathartic and beautiful. He leaves behind Caleb’s box of toy cars for Ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), and it symbolizes what he’s really finally doing. He’s letting go, while still honoring the memory of his son by passing his love for him forward.The series seized the moment to do something new and inventive with its season finale, and not fall back on tired tropes of the western genre. Whereas every purpose of any season finale inYellowstoneisthe shoot-out for vengeance,Untamedis about the beauty of letting go. By getting the big shoot-out out of the way within the first five minutes between Kyle and Shane, it’s able to focus the episode on the meat of the story. In saying goodbye to Yosemite, the end is really just the start for Kyle,especially with a Season 2 renewal already being announced. Driving on the road towards the unknown after leaving the park inUntamed’sfinal minutes, Kyle is continuing his journey of grief, but at least he’s finally moving forward.
Untamedis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
