Here’s a breakdown of the provided text, focusing on its key elements:
Overall Impression:
The text is a review of a new limited series, likely a crime drama or detective show, titled “Untamed.” The reviewer seems to have a mixed but generally positive impression, leaning towards comparing it favorably to “true Detective.”
Key Elements of the Series:
Genre: Crime drama,detective fiction,limited series.
Setting: Likely a natural, possibly remote, location (implied by “face of El Capitan,” “ranger,” “park,” “woods,” “animals”).
Premise: A dead woman’s body is discovered hanging from a cliff face, initiating an inquiry.
Main Characters:
Kyle Turner (Eric Bana): Special agent, taciturn, stoic, a “man of the forest” with tracking skills, but also deeply troubled by past family tragedy, drinks too much, lives in isolation.He’s described as “heroically proportioned and handsome.”
Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago): New ranger, former police officer, single mother with a difficult ex, from Los Angeles. She’s positioned as a potential junior partner to Turner,with a developing relationship.
Bruce Milch (William Smillie): Grumbling ranger, critical of Turner.
Paul Souter (Sam Neill): Turner’s boss, sympathetic, tries to keep Turner on track. Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt): Turner’s remarried ex-wife, sympathetic.
Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel): Wildlife manager, Turner’s freind, described as “toxic.”
mato Begay (Trevor Carroll): Indigenous policeman, Turner’s friend, described as “nontoxic.”
Themes/Plot Points:
Trauma (especially for Turner). The contrast between urban (LA) and rural/natural environments.
The dark side of stoicism.
Relationships (Turner’s ex-wife, potential partnership with vasquez, friendships).
Environmental themes (implied by “Our Earth, our land”).
Mysterious elements: gold tattoo, indigenous glyphs, old mines.
Tense scenes (tight tunnel, rising water).
“Hot cases and cold cases” with collateral damage.
Hippie squatters.
Reviewer’s Opinions and Criticisms:
Positive:
Leans toward “True Detective” in quality.
Good quality for a pilot, suggesting potential for future seasons if prosperous.
The narrative wisely stays focused on the main characters and plots.
The six-episode length is praised as a positive and encouraged for streaming series. The show stays busy with multiple plot threads.
Negative/Mixed:
Antipodean actors wearing American accents (a recurring observation).
Characters could be reused,but perhaps with “less of the trauma peeking out at every corner.”
Dialogue sometimes feels like it’s “coming off a page rather than out of a character.”
Characters are “essentially static.”
* “Last-minute heavy surprises don’t register emotion.”
Overall Tone:
The review is analytical and descriptive, offering insights into the plot, characters, and themes.The reviewer uses a somewhat informal and opinionated tone, employing phrases like “f-ing Gary Cooper” and “contrive a way to make it live again.”
In essence, the text describes a new crime drama that, while having some familiar tropes and occasional dialogue issues, offers a compelling central character, a focused narrative, and an engaging mystery set against a natural backdrop.
