Untamed (2025/USA) Mini Series is a slow-burning murder mystery that takes place in the scenic locales of Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. A woman is found dead under mysterious circumstances right at the beginning of the show, and then it leads us to a complex murder investigation.
Fascinatingly, a few of its key characters in this series are trying to escape from their painful past and hide in the wild. So, in this layered tale of the murder mystery, the slow but steady pace of the probe takes us back and forth in the past as well as the present.
“Untamed” Is A Wild, Shocking & Slow-Burning Murder Mystery Of A Woman Killed In A Wilderness
Spoiler Free Review: Untamed (2025/USA) Mini Series
Trailer & Synopsis
In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman's brutal death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain — where nature obeys no rules but its own. Eric Bana stars as a special agent for the National Parks Service whose murder investigation sends him on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his past.
The introduction
The calm and serene natural beauty of the National Park is a sight to behold. But then the selfish humans come in, with their agendas to sully the pristine beauty of the wild forest. We have been aware of numerous similar criminal cases in the past. And this one, the murder mystery case, is no different.
A gripping but slow-burning murder mystery
This human crime drama is set in a beautiful forest area, where an eerie feeling is always present. So, in this slow-burning murder mystery, there are quite a few shady characters who are doing questionable acts. Maybe they are trying to escape their painful past. But, can one outrun their past? The past always catches up, in one form or another. And this is what happens in this crime drama. A young woman, Lucy (Ezra Franky), tries to reconnect with her past; however, that gets her into much deeper trouble. And, then finally, she ends up dead.
So, two special agents for the National Parks Service, Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) and Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), investigate the brutal murder of Lucy in the wilderness. Can these two agents, Kyle and Naya, unmask the killer in this crime thriller?
Liked the odd pairing Eric Bana and Lily Santiago
In this show, the agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) seems to be running away troubled past. However, the pain and grief from his bad old days have never left him. No wonder, he is a rough character. On the other hand, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) is still trying to build a new and safe future for her family, far away from her clear and present danger. She moved away from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park to escape from her abusive past. But then, as we said earlier, the past tends to catch up with the present. We liked the lead pair of Eric Bana and Lily Santiago in the show.
Good – Acting, Direction, & Cinematography
The ensemble cast has done an adequate acting job, as some of them did try to pass themselves off as the murderer. In a crime show such as this, most often the killer hides in plain sight. And this is what happened in this mini-series, too. So, our viewing experience assisted us as we could guess the identity of the killer, rightly. The breath-taking beauty of the National Park forest area is magnificently captured by its cinematographers. The show director has brought out the contrasting world of the so-called wild nature and civilised humans in a thought-provoking way. All of them make it an engrossing murder mystery to watch.
The conclusion
It is interesting to note that the evil wrongdoings of humans are often characterised as animalistic. But, is it so? The issues of abuse and mistreatment of kids are the crux of the subject matter here in this tale. And that is a shocking truth. Perhaps, the harsh reality of the society in question. The innocence of childhood is lost because of the selfish adults. The honesty is missing. The lies and deceits rule the world. However, one cannot run and hide for long from one’s true self. Nature takes its own course. And then nature reveals the truth, in its own time.
And to be honest, we remain unconvinced by the explanation and the justification offered by the killer of the young woman Lucy. So, finally, the untamed become the tamed and get caught. Nature’s justice is done.
Key Details
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original Language | English (USA) |
| Season | First (1) Season |
| Episodes | Six (6) Episodes |
| Creators & Writers | Elle Smith & Mark L. Smith |
| Directors | Thomas Bezucha, Neasa Hardiman & Nick Murphy |
| Composer | Jeff Russo |
| Cinematographers | Michael McDonough & Brendan Uegama |
| Cast | Eric Bana (Kyle Turner), Sam Neill (Paul Souter), Lily Santiago (Naya Vasquez), Rosemarie DeWitt (Jill Bodwin), William Smillie (Bruce Milch), Wilson Bethel (Shane Maguire), Raoul Max Trujillo (Jay Stewart), Josh Randall (Scott Bodwin), Ezra Franky (Lucy), Ezra Wilson (Caleb), Raoul Max Trujillo (Jay Stewart), etc. |
| Network | Netflix |
Poster
FM Rating
| FM Rating | 3.70/5 |
Spoilers Alert: Summary of its Six Episodes
Peek into the Summary of Six Episodes of the Untamed (2025/USA) Mini Series
Episode 1: A Celestial Event (S1, E1)
After a deadly fall from El Capitan in Yosemite, special agent Kyle Turner investigates what he believes wasn’t an accident.
Episode 2: Jane Doe (S1, E2)
The mystery around Jane Doe deepens as Turner and Vasquez investigate a strange symbol and visit a remote encampment in the woods.
Episode 3: El-o’-win (S1, E3)
Jane Doe’s identity raises new questions about the life she left behind and connects to an old case that has haunted Turner for years.
Episode 4: Gold Rush (S1, E4)
A grim discovery in the mines makes Turner question the squatters’ role in the case; Vasquez fights to protect her son when his father reappears.
Episode 5: Terces (S1, E5)
Turner takes the investigation to new extremes, with serious repercussions; Jill gets caught up in Vasquez’s conflict with her ex.
Episode 6: All Trails Lead Here (S1, E6)
As the investigation comes to a close, Turner discovers the truth about Lucy’s death and the long-buried secrets that set it in motion.
Poster and Featured Image of the Untamed (2025/USA) Mini Series are credited to Netflix.
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