The Wilds: 5 Duos We Love (& 5 We Don’t)

The plot of The Wilds is centered around a group of young women stranded on a deserted island, several of them played by actresses brand-new to the screen. This offers the perfect setting to analyze various pairings of characters, since most of the time on the show is spent in isolation with the leads, analyzing the specifics of their relationships.

Even when things move off the island, all aspects of the show invite the viewer to put everything under a psychoanalytical lens. While viewers might not necessarily get at severely analytical as the scientist of the operation, Gretchen, it’s certainly fun to consider what pairings of girls work the best and which are destined to clash.

10 Love: Shelby And Toni

It takes most of the show for Shelby and Toni to finally warm up to each other, but when they finally do they become one of the most loved duos on the island–for viewers, anyway.

The other girls don’t necessarily notice the romance brewing before their eyes, but it’s a pleasure for those on the other side of the screen.

9 Don’t: Toni And Martha

Toni and Martha have the deepest roots in the group. They grew up on the same reservation and have shared many difficult times in their lives. Their closeness can definitely be positive, but in many ways, they are a toxic relationship.

Toni constantly relies on Martha to pick up the pieces and forgive her when she inevitably loses her temper, and Martha continuously serves as Toni’s crutch. In a way, the island actually helps them to work on some of these issues, making them easier to watch as things go along.

8 Love: Fatin And Dot

Fatin and Dot have something special from the start. They are polar opposites, but something about their strong personalities allows them to co-exist peacefully as if each respects just how different the other is.

It’s nice to see these two extremely varied versions of what it looks like to be strong.

7 Don’t: Nora And Rachel

Nora and Rachel might be sisters, twins, even, but this doesn’t mean they are an ideal pair. In fact, the two spend most of their time together at odds with one another.

There is a palpable, uncomfortable tension between them that only just begins to dissolve nearing the end of the first season–and from what the show hints at by the end, Nora won’t be around much longer in season two to reveal much more evolution of their relationship.

6 Love: Quinn And Nora

The relationship between Quinn and Nora is one of the most beautiful in the show, and might even involve some of the best scenes in the show, period.

There’s something very special about what these two share. As Nora says upon being asked to clarify the quality of their relationship, it was “infinite”. They are each odd in a way that makes them stand out against a crowd, not unlike a sore thumb, but when they are together the way they mesh makes their peculiarities fantastic, not odd.

5 Don’t: Rachel And Leah

Leah and Rachel are a tense pair. There are times when each is vying for the role of least-psycho on the island, ending up with them ironically just amping themselves up to look even more out of control.

The earliest most intimate moment they share is when they are diving for items in the ocean and Rachel pulls Leah down into the water, refusing to let her go up for air. While neither is “psychotic”, their high-strung temperaments make them an overwhelming combination.

4 Love: Leah And Fatin

Leah and Fatin have one of the most tumultuous relationships on the island. Each girl has their issues with the next, but none get so intense as these two do when Leah faces off with Fatin for making comments about her romance with Jeff.

There is both physical and verbal abuse, making it seem as though the two are enemies for good–but this only makes their bond stronger with they come together and forgive each other.

3 Don’t: Leah And Jeff

Leah and Jeff seem sweet together. Jeff seems to genuinely like her, Leah is lovely and charming and on his maturity level, even if he seems a little older–except he’s much older than meets the eye. Leah’s maturity tricks the viewer into thinking their relationship isn’t all that notable until it’s made clear that Leah is only a teenager.

It’s sad to see her being manipulated in this way, and even sadder when she becomes obsessive about their breakup. Viewers can only hope that she will move forward in the next season.

2 Love: Dot And Her Dad

Dot and her dad are absolutely tragic to see, purely because from the start viewers know that things are doomed to end in tears. However, many a similar sad story is not done so well as this. It’s not just about telling a sad story, but in showing the kind of person Dot is by featuring her close relationship with her father.

Dot and her dad are two peas in a pod, full of dark humor that lifts the soul and shines a light on why Dot is able to be such a force of strength while on the island.

1 Don’t Love: Gretchen And Linh

Gretchen and Linh have all the makings to be the subjects of adoration of many a feminist fan-girl worldwide–they both have tragic experiences with males in their lives, they are both fiercely intelligent and proactive about changing the world, they both exude infectious confidence and individuality.

Yet the pair is tainted by something foul–possibly the viewer’s knowledge of how Gretchen handles Linh’s death, possibly simply Gretchen herself.