Wilderness Season 1 Finale Recap

Wilderness Season 1 Episode 6 Recap

Where White Knights Go To Die – The episode opens during a police interrogation. Detective Rawlins (Marsha Stephanie Blake) asks Olivia “Liv” Taylor (Jenna Coleman) why Garth Lanahan (Eric Balfour) visited her and Will Taylor (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) immediately after being released from prison. Rawlins reminds her that the three of them only met a few weeks ago. Liv points out that the three of them were the last to see Cara Parker (Ashley Benson). Rawlins says reminiscing results in her being threatened by a gun. Liv suggests someone can only take so much Rawlins questions why she delivered four additional blows when the first was “significant.” Liv explains how his being on top of her made her feel like she was about to die. Rawlins asks why she delivered more blows after realizing she was going to live. Detective Wiseman (Jonathan Keltz) tells her that the “Castle Doctrine” is a law that gives a person the right to defend themselves if they feel threatened on their property. Alone, Wiseman admits to feeling bad for Liv. Rawlins suggests Liv wanted the book thrown at her.

Rawlins informs Liv of the DA’s calling it “criminally negligent homicide.” Wiseman points out that Will is loyal to her. Will and Liv arrive home to a disheveled house after the police investigation. He agrees to deal with it but she refuses before grabbing her cleaning supplies. She cleans up the blood and scrubs the floor. Later, Liv is startled awake by a nightmare of her hitting Garth.

Will arrives home to inform Liv of his approved transfer request with compassionate leave. He adds that they can leave for London at the end of the week. He suggests telling his parents that he received a promotion, so they can stay in their flat. He says they will soon need a place with an extra bedroom. He assures her that they will rekindle their marriage once they put everything behind them. She agrees to a new start before asking for a divorce.

Ash (Morgana Van Peebles) suggests celebrating Liv’s divorce. Liv and Ash get intimate while dancing. Later, Liv returns home to find Will drinking. He warns that there will be no divorce. She assures him that he cannot stop it. Liv admits to having sex with Ash. When he calls her claim “bulls**t,” she asks why because only he can cheat. He pleads with her to not do it. She reminds him of it being his doing. He confesses to loving her before vowing to change. She asks what would make their marriage worth saving. He stresses over facing his father without her by his side. She says he has already failed. She admits to regretting her decision to stay when she initially learned about his affair. He threatens to tell the police that she intentionally killed Garth if she tries to divorce him.

While the shippers pack up their belongings, Will suggests a nice dinner just the two of them. Before leaving, he kisses and says he loves her. Later, she looks at her and Will plane tickets when Marissa (Natalie Sharp) calls.

At Will’s farewell party, Bonnie (Talia Balsam) questions HR’s judgment in approving Will’s compassionate leave. Will reminds her of Garth attacking them in their own home. She warns that relocating to another city makes it seem as if he cannot deal with Cara’s death. He claims to miss England. Bonnie asks what Liv thinks of it. Liv assures her that she is happy if Will is happy. Climbing up on a table, she gives a speech about Will bulldozing his colleagues with his charm. She says Will doesn’t need to believe the “sh*t” that he is shoveling as long as they believe it. Later, Marissa tells Liv that she heard Will was leaving from Bonnie, not him. Will demands to know what she is doing. Liv sarcastically says they are comparing notes. He knocks the cigarette out of her hand. Marissa offers to stay if Liv feels unsafe. Liv assures her that she has not felt safe for a long time. Once alone, Liv tells him that she never promised to return with grace. He demands she never speak of Cara again. Hoping in the taxi, she orders the driver as Will bangs on the window.

After a visit to Cara’s gravesite, Liv appears to transfer evidence to a USB stick. She sets her phone to record when Will approaches. She reminds him of how they felt so optimistic when their things were still in boxes. He blames himself for breaking their marriage. A weepy Will stresses the need for her to believe he isn’t a bad guy. She says he saw Garth was going to kill her. He tells her that he should have saved her, not her saving herself. They embrace as her phone continues to record.

In the line at the airport, a TSA Agent (Daniel Yip) asks Liv and Will to follow him. Rawlins informs them of a video that they received last night. Liv gasps when she sees Will and Cara having sex. As Will is restrained, he denies it was his doing.

During the interrogation, Will accuses Marissa of sending the video. Rawlins asks how could Marissa incriminate him if he is not the man in the video. He assures them that the video proves nothing. She warns that if the video confirms he obstructed the course of justice, he could be facing a prison sentence. He admits to having an affair with Cara but denies killing her. Rawlins asks where he was on the night Cara was killed.

Weepy, Liv assures Wiseman that Will would never harm anyone. Rawlins points out that she was “blindsided” by Will’s infidelity. Wiseman suggests she is afraid to question it because Will controls her. Liv claims Will had not returned to their hotel room at 6:30am. She says he was “distant” and his clothes were soaked when he returned. Liv tells them that he asked her to lie for him.

Will’s attorney (David Stuart) boasts of there being no evidence to connect Will to Cara’s murder. Wiseman lays a bag containing pieces of a red windbreaker on the table. Will confirms it belongs to him. Rawlins explains how Cara’s father ended up with the windbreaker.

Wiseman informs Liv of Will facing a minimum of 25 years in prison. He urges her to talk to someone. Rawlins warns Liv that she sees her.

Three Months Later – Ash and Liv are in Central Park when Liv receives a call from Rikers Island Prison. Later, she visits Will in prison. Will admits to needing something to give him hope. She asks why she would agree to wait for him. He accuses her of killing Cara before reminding her that she said “I’m sorry” the night Garth attacked them. He urges her to enjoy the win. She confesses to knowing about his and Cara’s sex video. Laughing, questions why she waited to betray him. She says he never learned. He tells her that she is nothing without him. She claims to be pregnant with his child. She reminds him of their having sex after returning from Chez Georges. He accuses her of lying and trying to drive him insane. He asks why she killed Cara. She admits to believing Cara was him. He tries to attack her when the guards subdue him.

Caryl (Claire Rushbrook) reads Liv’s book manuscript. Liv returns to the place where Cara went over the embankment. A ranger (Vanessa Walsh) warns her to be careful because a woman went over a while back. He says she was a “silly girl” out here by herself. She says it had to be her fault because she didn’t have a man to protect her. She says in the end, women become wolves. The episode ends.

 

Wilderness Synopsis

Will asks for a transfer to a London-based office. Liv is not keen on the idea because she wants a divorce. Will tries to assure her that they will rekindle their marriage when they put everything behind them. She makes a spectacle of herself and him at Will’s farewell party.

Will refuses to give Liv a divorce because he cannot face his father without her by his side. He threatens to recant his statement that she accidentally killed Garth. She later records him saying Garth’s death was an accident and sends Rawlins and Wiseman Will and Cara’s sex video. She recants her statement that Will returned to their hotel room at 11:30pm. She claims he returned sometime after 6:30am with his clothes soaked. Will is arrested for Cara’s murder at the airport. A damaged red windbreaker found at the scene belongs to Will.

Liv visits Will at Rikers Island. He asks her to wait for him because he needs something to give him hope. She admits to knowing about his and Cara’s sex tape. He figures out that she killed Cara and Garth. She claims to have mistaken Cara for him when she shoved her over the embankment. She tells him that is pregnant but he doesn’t believe it. Liv later returns to where she killed Cara.

Wilderness Review

It is not unbelievable that Liv would set Will up to take the fall for Cara’s murder. However, the series takes Liv’s revenge to the next level. Will is initially a serial cheater. Out of left field, he becomes a controlling, manipulative, abusive husband. The final scene of the finale sums it up. Liv goes on a rant about it always needing to be the woman’s fault. It would be impossible to sum it up in a few words because people will interpret it differently.

Jenna Coleman is a top-tier actress. She isn’t a believable psychopath or should I say, Liv isn’t a believable psychopath. Either way, Jenna may not have been the right choice for Liv.

The finale deserves a 5. Get more Wilderness recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds online awareness, click the link to learn more.