Netflix’s big new mystery thriller stars Eric Bana and Sam Neill as federal agents at a national park, where a massive Jane Doe case has everything at a standstill. Untamed unravels details painstakingly slowly, but there are some things we’re quite certain of. Kyle needs therapy, and he’s not going to get any. Jokes aside, though, if you haven’t seen the show, this is a spoiler warning. Trudge on and give us your take if you’ve seen it and feel differently about Kyle’s predicaments. While Untamed is mostly just a mystery thriller about a girl found dead after having fallen off a cliff, it still has some ties to the Native Americans who are a part of the story. Kyle is the brooding protagonist of the show. He’s lost his son, Caleb, but he’s also a special agent at the National Park Service, a job he takes very seriously, and possibly the thing keeping him alive.
Now, it’s your choice to believe whether Untamed grapples with the supernatural or not. As somebody trying to analyze Kyle’s character, I’d like to look at both sides, because while some things can be explained away using psychology, some could simply be spiritual forces that tie Kyle to the park so strongly. In episode 6, “All Trails Lead Here,” Kyle finds himself alone near the lake again, but there’s something bugging him. He doesn’t know who Lucy’s dad is. This is the one thing that’s stopping him from jumping in and joining his son Caleb at the El’O’Win for good. From my understanding of the show, El’O’Win refers to heaven, or that’s the closest translation, but it’s a place you’ll end up after death, where things are beautiful and peaceful and free. When Maggie was sick, she told Lucy that she would end up there when she died. While Kyle and his family are not Native, they’re tied to the park. He always talks about his connection to the park, and we can see it in the way he knows the land and the people, the way he looks at the trails, etc.
So, I don’t think it would be wrong to assume that he’s become accustomed to the culture and spirituality of the natives as well. Specifically in his friendship with Jay, we can see that he believes in the Native rituals and spiritual beliefs and respects them. I think this is why he can hear screams at the lake. Not only are they the ghosts of his past haunting him, i.e., his failures, which he can hear as haunting screams, but he also believes it’s a call from his dead son. However, when Jay’s with him near the lake, he warns him against the screams of Wuyi, suggesting that “he” will grab him by the leg and take him away. He also mentions that the screams are only heard by those who are “ready.” You could say it’s Kyle hearing Caleb and Lucy, but it could simply be the spirit of “Death,” from what Jay says, something driving Kyle to end his life and join his son.
There’s an almost supernatural force binding Kyle to the park. Initially, it’s obvious that it’s Caleb, and Kyle is able to see him at the park, but later it becomes clearer that it’s actually Lucy’s case that really keeps him there. Kyle could believe Caleb’s a ghost, but in my opinion, he knows that if he leaves the cabin, he’ll lose Caleb, too, because that’s where his memories are tied to. But on the other hand, until he’s solved Lucy’s case, he’s going to feel like he’s done them both wrong. It’s possible that Kyle feels guilty for not having killed Sanderson himself, rather than berating himself for messing with his moral compass for Jill.
After his son’s death, Kyle started drinking, and he also messed with Sanderson’s case to make sure the evidence pointed away from Jill. This is probably why he started hallucinating—a mix of guilt, addiction, fear, and hatred towards himself. He couldn’t protect the one person he was meant to keep safe his whole life. To make matters worse, Kyle is literally a law enforcement agent, and he couldn’t save his son. That would definitely weigh down on anybody.
We already know that Kyle’s suicidal, and apart from himself, Jill brings it up too. Because they’re both suicidal after Caleb’s death. But at the end of the show, after Kyle’s able to solve Lucy’s case and figure out that Paul was her father and killer, he finally feels at peace. According to my (minimal) research on the internet, I learned that Wuyi means soaring turkey vulture. It’s the symbol of freedom and wisdom, and a connection to the spiritual realm. When Jay tells Kyle that Wuyi will pull him in, he could be referring to a positive change in Kyle’s life, too. It could mean that, by solving Lucy’s case, he’s free of his past sadness and guilt, which essentially pushes him to leave the park.
At the end of Untamed, Kyle sees his son near the lake and tells him he’s not “ready,” but that wherever he ends up, he will always be there for Caleb. This is Kyle finally getting closure for his son’s death. At first, he struggles to interact with Naya’s son, Gael. He then stops him from playing with Caleb’s toys. But when he leaves the cabin, he also leaves the toys behind for Gael, because no material things are going to connect him to his son. But also, maybe there’s a bit of Caleb in Gael, too. Leaving the toys behind means finally cutting ties with the park. It’s a spiritual connection, and even if he’s away from the cabin, the woods, or the lake under the starry night they both enjoyed together, he will still be right next to him. So, yes, he will see Caleb again, maybe in a dream, or maybe when he comes back to the park again. Or maybe every time he sees a meteor shower. I can’t tell you for sure if Kyle saw Caleb’s spirit or if he was a hallucination; however, I can tell you either way, Kyle’s finally not suicidal anymore and might even have the chance to be happy again.
