The entire premise behind the Dawn of Eve project on Amazon Prime's original series The Wilds was to prove that young women could evolve, work together, and create a thriving community on their own when they were left with little resources, despite their life traumas. Indeed, each of the young women who ended up stranded on the island after the orchestrated "plane crash" was dealing with her own issues, as revealed in their backstories.
And each young woman evolved throughout the series, whether it was finally coming to terms with something in her life, having a major breakthrough, or perhaps even suffering a massive breakdown, every character arc was compelling in its own way.
10 Toni Shalifoe
Toni didn't evolve much from the beginning of the series to the end. She still didn't get her anger issues in check, and while she came to realize the importance of being accepting of others, especially after she pre-judged Shelby, what impact this had on how she might behave once back home remains in question.
Toni's journey was fairly one-dimensional through the entire first season, aside from her going from being jealous of Shelby and her growing friendship with Martha to becoming the girl's romantic interest.
9 Dot Campbell
Dot's character arc doesn't rank near the top of this list simply because she was a strong character right from the get-go. It was evident that she was the one girl on the island who had survival skills and would become the de facto leader. It was also clear that she was used to being in charge, acting as a caregiver at home for her ill father, with only the help of a day nurse while she attended school.
Things did evolve when Dot had finally had enough and let others take charge, though they had no idea of the pressures and responsibilities that were on her for so long at home. It was interesting to learn that she was aware of the project, but in terms of her arc, Dot both began and ended strong.
8 Gretchen Klein
It was fairly clear from the get-go who Gretchen was and what she was about. As the story evolved, fans got to see just how clever and cunning she could be, as well as how she might be too obsessed with her project to see clearly.
Her obsession grew over time and it became apparent that she would stoop to questionable levels to get what she wanted. The big twist for her came in the end when it was revealed that she had a son, but her arc wasn't as compelling as some of the other girls.
7 Jeanette Dao
While Jeanette was gone pretty quickly in the first episode, she later returned when her backstory was revealed. Not only was her name not even Jeanette, but she wasn't even a high school student. Real name Linh and from Australia, she was a fan of Gretchen's work and a talented college student.
When Gretchen approached her about the Dawn of Eve project, Linh, a dedicated feminist who had once been sexually abused, was all in. They devised a fake backstory and persona to get Jeanette on the plane and pretend to be someone she wasn't.
6 Leah Ritke
Leah's character arc was interesting in that she seemingly finally let go of her obsession with Jeff, offering up his book she had been clutching onto the entire time to add fuel to the literal fire. This move was representative of her finally being able to move on.
She went through various periods of mental states, including suffering a breakdown, feeling depressed, angry, and finally paranoid about the truth and suspicious about what was really going on.
5 Nora Reid
Nora was a mystery, in the beginning, presented as an awkward and shy bookworm who couldn't be any different from her athletic and confident fraternal twin sister, Rachel. But as the season progressed, so did Nora.
She proved herself to be useful on the island, far more capable and fun than others realized, and caring of others. But most significantly, it was revealed that she had a boyfriend back home who died and she was actually part of the Dawn of Eve project with Gretchen.
4 Rachel Reid
Rachel was seemingly sent on the retreat after suffering a variety of setbacks due to having an eating disorder. Obsessed with being a top athlete and making it as an Olympic diver, Rachel resorted to dangerous methods when her coach told her she just wasn't good enough. She not only became bulimic, she also over-exerted herself in a desperate attempt to make the team.
Rachel's anxiety was high most of the time on the island, and she found it difficult to shed her A-type, controlling personality and jealousy of her sister. But she seemed to soften by the end and finally accepted that she needed to focus her energy in life on something else and move on from diving.
3 Fatin Jadmani
A lot was revealed about Fatin in her backstory, but on the island, Fatin was initially viewed as nothing more than a selfish, wealthy princess who did her make-up while all of the other girls did manual labor to build shelter, look for water, or find food.
Eventually, Fatin proved that she was no slouch. She took off on her own and found the group a significant source of water. She chipped in in many ways and started to become more accepting of others to whom she had initially turned up her nose.
2 Shelby Goodkind
Those scenes with Shelby in the darkroom being interviewed by Daniel and Dean, a menacing look on her face and her head shaved bald, perfectly represents how dramatic Shelby's character arc was. She began as a sunny and sweet deeply religious pageant queen who always saw the good in everyone and everything.
By the end, she had reached her breaking point. She chopped off her own hair, got drunk, let go of her inhibitions and hooked up with Toni, seemingly finally accepting that she was gay or bisexual.
1 Martha Blackburn
Another powerful image is Martha with the massive rock held above her head as she is about to slaughter the goat. Of course, killing an animal is never something that should be glamorized, but it was all about symbolism. Martha loved animals, but she had to let go of her feelings and emotions and realize that without eating, the girls would not survive.
But below the surface, this scene was more about Martha finally accepting that she was abused as a child and that her abuser deserved to be punished. It was a powerful moment to see Martha go from a naïve girl to a strong young woman.
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January 13, 2021 at 04:30AM
