The Wilds season 2 is almost upon us, and if the first – and so far, only – trailer is anything to go by, then the drama that unfolded across the show's binge-watch-worthy first chapter "is only the beginning."
Created by Sarah Streicher, the show – which follows multiple timelines, much like HBO hit Yellowjackets – centers on a group of unacquainted teenage girls, who all sign up for a young women's empowerment retreat. Their wellness trip soon turns into a nightmare, though, when the plane that was supposedly taking them to Hawaii crashes into the ocean – and we learn that they're being unwillingly subjected to a dangerous social experiment.
Following on from the season 1 finale, The Wilds season 2 is set to introduce the all-boys island, as the youngsters continue to fight to survive. In flashforwards, we'll likely see the lucky ones that made it try to escape the "rescue" facility. While we wait to see what goes down, we've rounded up everything we know so far about the Prime Video series' next chapter, from its release date and cast, to what's out there about the plot. Check it out...
The Wilds season 2 release date
The Wilds season 2 release date is officially set for May 6, 2022. All ten episodes of season 1 were uploaded to Amazon Prime Video on December 11, 2020, so it seems likely that season 2 will follow the same format and release each installment all at once.
The Wilds season 2 trailer
After the series' Twitter account told followers that The Wilds season 2 trailer would release early if they were retweeted more than 10,000 times, the next chapter's first full trailer was revealed on April 6 – exactly one month before its premiere. Set to UNSECRET & Moonwater's atmospheric tune 'Only The Beginning', it's predictably tense.
In it, the Dawn of Eve girls appear to learn of the Twilight of Adam boys, whose group was revealed to us in a flashforward right at the end of the season 1 finale. But will their inevitable union prove to be a good thing or not?
"We all started wanting to be things," new character Rafael can be heard saying in the promo, presumably being interviewed in a flashforward sequence like some of the girls were in season 1. "We wanted to be men but the truth is... some of us were becoming monsters."
Elsewhere, Gretchen Klein, the head of the program that's running the dangerous social experiment can be seen sharing her findings on the boys. She argues that they "were the perfect control group" but that "there's no question they imploded". Given all the shots of them fighting, we think she might be right...
The video ends with survival skills expert Dot creeping up behind Rafael back on the island, and grabbing his mouth as she forcefully whispers, "Don't scream."
The Wilds season 2 cast
Sophia Ali, Reign Edwards, Jenna Clause, Shannon Berry, Mia Healey, Erana James, and Sarah Pidgeon are all set to return as Fatin, Rachel, Martha, Dot, Shelby, Toni, and Leah, respectively. Rachel Griffiths is also reprising her role as puppet master Gretchen Klein.
Helena Howard's Nora may have been killed in The Wilds season 1 finale while trying to save Rachel, her twin sister, from a shark, but thanks to the show's multiple timelines, she'll likely be in season 2 still. With no glimpses of any pre-plane crash flashbacks, the trailer doesn't give any indication as to her being back. But given that the character was revealed to be working with Gretchen at the end of season 1, we wouldn't be surprised if there's more story to tell there.
Of course, there's the new all-boys group of survivors, too, which means that The Wilds season 2 has a lot of new additions actor-wise.
Zack Calderon is among the fresh faces, playing Rafael Garcia. Aidan Laprete will portray Henry Tanaka, while Nicholas Coombe joins as Josh Herbert. Charles Alexander (as Kirin O'Conner), Miles Gutierrez-Riley (as Ivan Taylor), Reed Shannon (Scotty Simms), Tanner Ray Rook (Bo Leonard), and Alex Fitzalan (Seth Novak) round out the cast.
Earlier this month, The Wilds released 15 character posters, which highlighted each of the reluctant islanders. Check them out above.
The Wilds season 2 plot
The official synopsis for The Wilds season 2 reads: "Survival hangs in the balance for a group of teenage girls stranded on a deserted island, after the explosive discovery that what's happening to them is an elaborate social experiment. Season 2 ups the drama and keeps you guessing, with the introduction of more test subjects – a new island of teenage boys – who must also fight for survival under the watchful eye of the experiment’s puppet master."
Judging by the trailer, Rachel looks to be wrestling with the guilt over her sister's assumed death, and coming to grips with losing her arm in the shark attack, while some of the boys challenge one another and attempt to prove themselves by taking charge. Oh, there will be lots of topless rituals held around the campfire, too. You know, standard stranded-on-a-remote-island stuff.
Elsewhere, Shelby and Toni's secret romance is set to spark tensions between the group, as some of them start to fret about closer allegiances being made within the camp. "Have you noticed any new vibes, between some of the people here?" a concerned Martha asks Fatin after she spots Shelby and Toni kissing in amongst the trees in the clip.
It's not all drama and potentially life-threatening situations, though. One moment teased in the promo sees the girls throw a birthday party on the beach, while another sees Fatin, who tended to only look out for herself prior to the plane crash asking, "What's wrong with me?"
"You just care is all," replies Leah, to which she jokingly claps back, "I know, it's disgusting."
As some of the island girls make contact with the island boys in the trailer, Leah, in a flashforward, looks to introduce herself to one of the male test subjects in their "rescue" facility. Only time will tell as to whether the teams clash, or come together to take down Gretchen Klein, the ruthless woman in charge of overseeing the Dawn of Eve and Twilight of Adam trials.
The Wilds season 2 premieres on Prime Video on May 6. While we wait for the new episodes to arrive, check out our roundup of the best shows on Amazon Prime, and maybe add a few new titles to your to-watch list.
