Two climbers work their way up the side of Yosemite’s El Capitan, taking their time so as to evaluate what’s ahead. As noted in “Free Solo, ” the colloquially-named El Cap flaunts a surface of sheer granite, one that necessitates precise planning and thought lest a simple error turn into something potentially fatal. In the opening scenes of “Untamed, ” however, something out of either climber’s control not only acts as the cause of what could have quickly gone terribly awry, but sets the events of the show in motion.
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It’s a body, falling from above, the cause of which and the identity of the victim, both unknown.
In steps Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), an agent with the National Park Service Investigative Services, here to butt heads with Yosemite’s staff rangers and who quickly zeroes in on a mysterious tattoo adorning Jane Doe’s wrist. Despite his grizzled focus, a partner is needed, one found in Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), and as Turner attempts to gain traction on whatever manner of foul play befell our victim, his ex-wife Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt) doesn’t see this particular case as beneficial to Turner’s current state of mental health, as does Paul Souter (Sam Neill), chief ranger and someone with a deep connection to Turner. There’s baggage Turner can’t help but carry over into the case, specifically his deceased son Caleb, while Vasquez has her own maternal issues with which to contend via a custody battle with her ex. It’s clear there’s much, much more feeding into the narrative than a simple murder, and at what point does it all come to a head?
Turner’s largely expressionless gaze masks the pain of Caleb’s loss, and as he and Vasquez venture throughout the park, one remarked as being roughly the size of Rhode Island, to confer with the inhabitants of a tent city as one such occupant may have the answers to the meaning behind the tattoo, or an on-site dealer Turner can’t help but threaten in an effort to extract a potential lead; life has not been kind to Turner, and those emotions bubble just below the surface. Though a few episodes are all it takes to reveal Jane Doe’s identity, it’s clear that a long runway lies ahead, with the show only slightly gaining altitude as time goes by.
Is it worth a view? There’s no denying the photography, with the show cutting between scenic vistas and claustophobic tree-lined environments frequently, and Bana, Santiago, Neill and DeWitt each deliver in their own way, each immediately establishing a character (even if Neill’s suffers somewhat in this regard) in the face of a by-the-numbers series of scripts that get the job done despite occassional shaky dialogue. Is there an end to Bana staring intently at any number of objects believed to be evidence? It’s slow to reach its destination, clearly by choice, but after the intensity that is the show’s opening moments, the expectation that such a sensation is to continue soon evaporates into a mist occupied by Eric Bana, presumably on horseback.
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Nevertheless, “Untamed” never trips fully off the side of the cliff; there’s plenty of substance to keep curiosity afloat enough as the next episode begins to roll. Unfortunately, said substance can’t help but lose its own connective tissue as an intriguing murder mystery devolves before long into something not at all unlike what came before, ultimately transforming into just another show about people trying to get to the bottom of something unusual. It may be called “Untamed, ” but this is one show a bit too tame for a landscape filled with many others. [C+]