Wilderness – Season 1 Episode 1 “Happily Ever After” Recap & Review

Happily Ever After

In episode 1 of Wilderness, we first encounter Liv (Olivia) and Will (William) on their way to the wilderness for a road trip. It appears that Liv is contemplating the realization that she has been pretending since she was a little girl. She goes on to say that she made a mistake by being herself with Will.

Following that, we travel back in time by nine months. Liv and Will appear to be a newlywed couple who are completely head over heels for one another. A woman named Bonnie talks to Liv at a party. Liv tells Bonnie that she and her husband Will uprooted their lives and moved to New York, and Bonnie says she could never have done that.

Carryl, Liv’s mum, calls her on Christmas Eve. We find out that Will has an important business meeting at this point. Following that, we learn that Liv’s dad has moved on with a different woman and that her mum and dad got a divorce. Carryl, despite this, continues to obsess over Liv’s biological father.

Will gets home from work later that day. The joy on Liv and Will’s faces on Christmas Eve is palpable. Will, however, stops the kissing to inform her he has to go to the washroom and clean up first.

Will receives a message from a woman named Sol while he is in the shower. Liv reads it without giving it any thought at first. But the news that her husband has been having an affair with another woman crushes her completely. When Will comes out of the washroom, Liv confronts him. Will attempts to explain himself, but Liv throws him out.

After the events of the previous day, Liv goes through a rather emotional Christmas day. Will surprises her later that day with honeymoon tickets. Liv accepts his apology and his offer to accompany her on the vacation.

Nine months later, we join Liv and Will on their vacation. During a meal, she compliments her mother by calling her a romantic. When Will disagrees with her, she explains that her father’s infidelity left her mother unable to stay warm. She makes this statement subtly implying Will’s infidelity and he gets the hint. Following this, he apologizes to her.

We are transported three weeks back in time. Liv appears by herself with Will’s laptop. She then tries multiple passwords before finally gaining access. She discovers that her husband is seeing another woman, named Cara, after doing some investigating. She finds his sex tape with her on it. Furthermore, they continue to hide the affair.

Liv is understandably outraged and devastated. When Will gets back, she acts like nothing has changed. She is still planning on going on the trip with him.

We are transported once more to Liv and Will’s trip. Liv makes two unsuccessful efforts to have her husband killed while they are travelling. She thinks to herself that she doesn’t want to end up like her mother, seeing the man she loves involved with another woman and dumping her at his convenience. As a consequence, she devises a plan to have him killed.

In the episode’s concluding minutes, Liv comes close to forgiving Will. She, however, overhears him telling Cara that he will be leaving her. The episode concludes as Will comes back into the room and they have sex.

The Episode Review

In episode 1 of Wilderness, we meet Liv and Will, both of the show’s primary protagonists. After we see them in a loving marriage at the beginning, Will decides to have an extramarital affair. This episode lays the groundwork for the premise.

Three timelines overlap during this episode. While this is accomplished without a hitch, it serves only to demonstrate how much the show could have benefited from a more consistent narrative arc. Furthermore, the show so far has a Gone Girl vibe to it. But it seems like an over-exaggerated and sloppy rip-off of the stunning psychological thriller, right down to the backstory, narrative, character arcs, and motive.

Liv ends up listening in on Will and Cara’s conversation as the episode ends. He then proceeds to tell Cara that he plans to break up with Liv. It’ll be interesting to see the way the story unfolds moving forward.