You can’t beat Mother Nature. She wins every time, and national parks across America are living proof. From riptide currents, towering cliffs, to unforgiving heat, hundreds of people disappear within the national park limits each year, as detailed below. Whether it’s while hiking or falling from great heights, it’s the sad reality of visiting such magnificent, grand spaces that celebrate wildlife and its freedom. For a place as beautiful as Yosemite National Park, very ugly things occur and reside within it. Just look at Netflix’s new hit, Untamed. The neo-Western thriller is a dramatized story of a day in the life of a special agent working in the park, played by Eric Bana. Created by Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, John Wells also co-produced the summer hit, and it’s got people riveted by both the wonder of America’s national parks and its dangers.
Untamed first and foremost is fiction, and follows a twisting murder mystery across its six episodes. While some of the roadblocks Bana’s character hits throughout Season 1 may feel far-fetched, some of them are scarily close to reality. From a string of murders near the Yosemite National Park campgrounds in the ’90s, to dozens of people plummeting to their deaths off the El Capitan summit in the past several decades, the park has a dark history. While Untamed gets a lot of these dangers right, it gets this one key element wrong.
What Is Netflix’s Thrilling Series ‘Untamed’ About?
‘Untamed’ explores the life of Kyle Turner, a special agent in Yosemite National Park who investigates disappearances and murders while grappling with personal demons. The series highlights both the beauty and peril of national parks through its gripping narrative.
The show effectively portrays the duality of nature’s allure and its inherent dangers.
Bana stars as Kyle Turner, a special agent living in Yosemite National Park who solves disappearances and murders while also battling alcoholism. Still struggling with the death of his 7-year-old son who died years ago in the park, he and his ex-wife, Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt), cling to each other in their depression. When a young woman falls to her death off the El Capitan summit, Kyle is convinced foul play led to her fall. Sam Neill plays the Chief Park Ranger, Paul, and tries to guide him towards moving forward with his life amidst the tricky investigation. While solving the disappearance, Kyle trains the new park ranger, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), who has a dark past of her own. As they interview campers across the park, and a suspicious wildlife management officer, Shane MacGuire (Wilson Bethel), the two realize a lot more of Yosemite’s history is wrapped up in the case.
Netflix’s ‘Untamed’ Gets a Lot Right About National Parks’ Dangers
The show accurately depicts that leading causes of death in Yosemite include falling, drowning, or getting lost. A particularly terrifying scene involves Naya falling through a flimsy structure to caves below filled with bats. The unpredictable terrain can be literal death traps — actress Lily Santiago makes this claustrophobic moment feel like something from a horror movie as she prepares for certain death.
The iconic El Capitan summit is twice the height of the Empire State Building but attracts climbers despite its dangers. The show opens with Lucy Cook (Ezra Franky) falling from its top, highlighting real risks — at least 16 climbing deaths have occurred on El Capitan since 1989.
‘Untamed’ Leaves Out the Devastating Reality of National Park Disappearances
Untamed overlooks that many disappearances in national parks remain unsolved for decades. As of 2017, there were 33 missing persons cases in Yosemite alone. Additionally, during a three-year period, there were 785 incidents at Grand Canyon and 732 at Yosemite — with several cases still open today.
The series may depict numerous disappearances but fails to convey that most cases are due to natural causes rather than sinister plots or murderous cults.
A Serial Killer Terrorized Yosemite in the 1990s
The series hints at dark themes such as drug running and cults within Yosemite’s borders but fails to address historical realities like serial killings that occurred there in the ’90s by Cary Stayner. Stayner was involved in several brutal murders during that time period while working at Cedar Lodge Motel near Yosemite.
Untamed excels at showcasing life’s harsh realities within national parks but could improve by addressing how many disappearances are attributed to accidents rather than nefarious intentions.
The creators were inspired by real-life investigative services within national parks but crafted an engaging thriller that emphasizes fiction over fact.
