But even scenery as stunning as Yosemite’s, with its towering Sequoia groves and thundering waterfalls, doesn’t work without the

performances to match. Neill is the kind of veteran actor who really has nothing to prove at this point, and yet, he effortlessly commands

attention here with just a handful of scenes. As Chief Ranger Paul Souter, he brings warmth, patience, and a subtle moral flexibility that

 

 

makes him feel fully realized in a series where some characters verge on cliché. Neill’s performance has a measured restraint, conveying years of experience and quiet authority without resorting to melodrama. He becomes the ethical anchor of the show, grounding scenes that might otherwise drift into familiar procedural tropes and giving the audience a character so dependable and comforting, it makes his eventual heel turn all the more thrilling.

Untamed clearly wants to be more than a straightforward crime procedural, reaching for themes that give the story emotional heft, too. Experiences with grief and parenthood run through the series, shaping decisions and relationships, while questions of justice clash with institutional convenience at nearly every turn. The show even gestures toward Indigenous histories and internal park politics, though these threads rarely get more than a moment of attention, leaving more interesting avenues largely unexplored. On paper, it’s easy to see why Untamed could be dismissed as just another Netflix mystery.

There are familiar tropes, somewhat thin character beats, and a final stretch that piles on twists faster than the story can fully support. But somehow, the series works more often than it doesn’t. Its atmosphere, particularly the way the park is felt onscreen, compensates for any gaps in characterization, drawing viewers into a place that feels simultaneously majestic and dangerous. It’s not groundbreaking, but in a crowded field of procedural dramas, Untamed delivers some adrenaline-spiking turns and shocking revelations (especially in its final episodes), that prove a strong sense of place can carry a story farther than an overstuffed plot.

The show leans hard on its visuals and sound to convey that presence. Sweeping vistas, dense forests, and staggering cliffs merge with subtle audio cues – rushing streams, snapping twigs, shifting wind – fueling a persistent sense of unease. (In this place, humans aren’t the top of the food chain, and the show delights in reminding us of that fact.) Wilderness replaces the usual city noir, swapping traffic and sirens for open skies and echoing canyons. Untamed explores the tension between the park’s beauty and its indifference, reminding viewers that nature can be both awe-inspiring and unforgiving, and that the landscape itself is a character shaping every twist of the investigation.