Wilderness (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[SQUISH]
[CAR DRIVES BY]
[NARRATOR] If you'd seen us
that day, you'd have hated us.
This perfect happy couple.
Charming husband,
loving wife.
Everyone fulfilling their roles.
Like I'd been doing since I was a girl.
[ARGUING VOICES]
[CROCKERY SMASHES]
I kept quiet.
I did what I was told.
I was whoever people needed me to be.
Never myself, of course,
I'm not that stupid.
But then I met Will.
Who saw through all that bullshit.
And when it was safe
to, I stopped pretending.
Pew, pew, pew, pew.
Finally, I could just be me.
That was my mistake.
Forgetting what my mother taught
me, and her mother before that,
and her mother before that.
A Greek chorus of all
women telling me
It's never safe.
[OPENING THEME SONG PLAYS]
What do you think?
I think any minute now someone's
going to tap on my shoulder
and say, "There's been a
mistake, this is not your life,
- shut the door on your way out."
- You're an idiot.
Still
You've as much right to
be here as anyone else.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS]
There he is.
- Sol.
- Hello.
Ben. I didn't know you were here.
You guys came back into town, thank you.
Hi!
What's that for?
I'm proud of you, numbnut.
Oh, I was about to say the same.
Oh, you're proud of yourself?
[LAUGHING] Bugger off.
- Let's get a drink.
- Yes, please.
Here we go.
Thank you. Cheers.
Mm, Elliot Sizemore.
As in
As in, pretty much every sculpture
we saw the other day at the Whitney.
And completing the
power couple is Bonnie.
She's the hotel's PR Head.
She served on the old regime.
[WHISPERS] She likes a drink.
Bonnie
You scrub up okay.
Oh, is that British for a compliment?
Elly, this is Will,
our new Events Manger.
Pleased to meet you.
This is my wife, Olivia.
Oh, eh, call me Liv, If you like.
Yes, well, it's your name, sweetheart.
Good to meet you, Liv. I
hope you're settling in okay?
Oh, thank you. Yes we are.
The company has, erm, rented
us an insane apartment.
William, do not waste a
second of your dubious charms
on me and my husband.
This room is literally
filled with potential patrons.
So, if you need back-up,
Cara's circulating.
- Okay?
- Go. I'll be fine.
So what is it that you
do with yourself, Liv?
I'm a, I'm a journalist.
Well I was, back home, but em
Well, thanks to Will's visa I'm
Screwed.
God Bless America.
No, you're really, you're
a better woman than I am.
If I had to choose between
my husband and my job
No contest.
I actually think it's a positive.
No, I can, I can
finally spend my time doing what
I've spent a lifetime putting off
You know, write my novel, learn to bake.
Do yourself a favour, do not
chain yourself to the stove.
Or you may find yourself
knees-deep in cookie dough,
while your husband's balls
deep in some other woman.
Bonnie.
Well, I'm just, I'm tryna help
the kid. She's not offended.
You're not offended are
you, Liv slash Olivia?
Well, fortunately, I'm a terrible
baker and Will's a terrible flirt, so
We should be okay.
[WHISPERING]
William, Olivia. Good to see you.
Good to see you.
This, ah, this looks intense.
Bonnie's throwing a shit fit because
two of the cars have cancelled.
and so now she expects me to what, like,
pull them out of my asshole or whatever.
And I'm like, "Yeah, no worries."
It's not like we're slap bang in
the middle of Tribeca or anything.
Well, Sol, you have it
under control, don't you?
- Doing our best.
- Good.
Good.
We, eh, will see you later.
- [SOL] Have a good night.
- This is a sackable offense.
It's fine.
["DANCE, DANCE, DANCE" BY LYKKE LI]
Having trouble telling how I feel ♪
But I can dance, dance, dance ♪
Couldn't possibly
tell you how I mean ♪
But I can dance, dance, dance ♪
So when I'm tripping
my feet Look at the beat ♪
The words are written in the sand ♪
When I'm shaking my
hips Look for the swing ♪
The words are written in the air ♪
Oh, dance ♪
I was a dancer all along ♪
Dance, dance, dance ♪
Words could never make
up for what you do ♪
[PHONE RINGS]
Bloody thing.
Olive, can you see me
'cos I can't see you.
Mm-hmm. [GLASS BANGS ON COUNTER]
I can see you. Just be patient.
Oh, there you are.
Huh, you're very red.
In the cheeks.
Thank you, mother. I'm cooking.
Cranberry sauce.
Well that came in jars
last time I checked.
Well, I want it to be nice.
Our first Christmas in New York.
Our Will's roasting chestnuts, is he?
You know he's on a work trip.
Are you going to Val's tomorrow?
Mum, you can't be
alone on Christmas Day.
Why not? It's just a day like any other.
Got marginally better TV.
- I don't want you to be on your own.
- Well, you saw to that didn't you.
Look, next year,
we'll fly you over.
Have you with us.
You seen your father's sunning
himself in Australia of all places.
Her in a two-piece. A
two-piece after all those kids.
Course if he had anything
about him, he'd say something,
instead of letting her
shame herself like that.
Mum, I'm not interested.
What? You think I am? I can't
escape the bloody circus,
Him putting picture
after picture on Facebook.
How about you stop looking?
That's you all over, isn't
it? Out of sight, out of mind.
Anyway, I'm sure you're too
busy to talk to your mum, so
Happy Christmas and
all that. [CALL ENDS]
["THE MAN WITH THE BAG" BY KAY STARR]
Oh Mr. Kringle, is soon gonna jingle ♪
The bells that'll tinkle
all your troubles away ♪
Everybody's waitin'
for the man with the bag ♪
Cause Christmas is comin' again ♪
You missed me.
No, I didn't.
Not even a tiny, tiny bit?
Not even
So this place done up like
Hamley's on crack, that's just
For me.
- For you.
- Yep.
You know how I love the holiday season.
Always makes me think of, em
You know, stony silences
and icy church pews.
[WILL LAUGHS]
Well, I missed you.
I need to freshen up first.
- I like you dirty.
- Oh, but there's dirty
and then there's eight
hours in a conference room
getting my sweat on trying to
sound like I know what I'm doing.
You do know what you're doing.
I'll be quick.
I promise.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Sol texted.
[SHOWER RUNS]
I hope they don't want
you to work tonight.
Or worse, tomorrow.
You can say no, right?
Christmas Day is not a day I'm
prepared to spend without you.
[WILL] Babe, I can't hear
you. I'll be out in a minute.
You really did miss me.
Sol texted.
Have you been reading my messages?
Very over-familiar, for Sol, but then
What do I know?
"I can't stop thinking
about you inside me."
Liv.
Liv, look. I, look, I can explain.
Liv, okay, look, there
There was this girl.
Woman. At the conference.
Who liked to flirt to get a rise.
This. This is just that.
I mean nothing happened.
I shouldn't have to tell you that.
And when did you become the kind
of person who goes through my phone?
- Are you seriously sticking with that?
- Well, I just think it's a bit low is all.
I mean, you know, we're
meant to trust each other.
Yeah. Yes we are.
Okay, look. We We
can reset the evening.
I know we can.
Okay, look, see?
Look, deleted.
It's gone. It's gone.
What's her name?
It it hardly matters.
But fine. Emily.
Emily.
Why was she in your phone as Sol?
No, if this was just harmless
texting, utterly one-way texting,
then why have her
under a different name?
I, eh
I don't know what's worse, you
Fucking some other woman.
Or believing that I am stupid
enough to believe your explanation.
- Liv, look, I can, I can
- Don't!
Don't you come near me.
Liv.
[BANGS DOWN GLASS]
You know, there's a funny
side of this in here somewhere.
You know, me stuck
inside these four walls.
Unable to work.
Keeping house like
some relic of the 50's.
While you? You're out with your
dick in some better version of me.
Liv, there's no better version of you.
There's
[WAVERING] You promised me.
You promised me you
wouldn't be like my father.
I'm not! I'm not. I'm
nothing, nothing like him.
Look, this, this was just
It was
Fuck, it was
It was one night.
One idiotic night.
That I wish had never happened.
Okay?
Thank you.
For being honest.
Now get out.
What? It's Christmas Eve.
Get the fuck out!
Get out!
[KEYS JINGLE]
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[ALARM BEEPS]
[RADIO JINGLE PLAYS]
[RADIO DJ] That's right New
York, it might not be snowing out,
but that doesn't mean we can't all
have ourselves a merry little Christmas.
So, grab your loved ones, maybe
throw an extra log on the fire,
and stick with us right here.
Your radio station
for the holiday season.
Enjoy the tunes.
[RADIO CRASHES, MUSIC STOPS]
Cheating son of a bitch.
Yeah.
What's your worst fear?
Straight white women?
Okay.
Falling into the places
I crawled myself out of.
You?
- Turning into my mum.
- Oh.
I didn't know that was an option.
Might need to change my answer.
She's been without my father
longer than she was with him.
But every single minute of
every day she's consumed by him.
What he's wearing.
Whether he is
dieting or ill or
"That woman's not feeding him properly."
Even down to when he'll retire.
Despite the fact that it is
It's nothing to do with her anymore.
To just be stuck.
Watching another woman live
the life you had, I'd
I'd rather be dead.
I don't wanna trash talk your mum but
Those are her choices.
Her decisions. I mean
The fact that you're
so shit scared of it,
means that you're
half-way to avoiding it.
Sorry. You didn't ask for this.
Okay, don't start being all British
apologising 3 times
in the same sentence.
Sorry.
Thank you. For indulging me.
I should, erm
Keep it.
On one condition.
No pity party.
[GLASS CLINKING]
It was quite hard to pinpoint the
exact moment I fell in love with Liv.
There's the first time I saw her.
At this hellish nightclub,
full to the brim with wankers.
Me being one of them.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]
And there she was. Just not being one.
Oh, do you hear that, love?
Not a wanker.
T-huh. As compliments go
Erm, then there was the moment I
realized she like 90's Garage music.
In a non-ironic way.
But I knew I was done for
after a particularly
debauched house party at ours.
I woke up, and erm, I
had no Idea where I was.
And not only had Liv managed to
boot out the drunken stragglers,
she'd also gone and got me a Big
Mac and a McFlurry for afters.
I'm surprised you
know what McDonalds is.
And then two weeks ago.
Amongst the chaos of trying
to get this all organised.
When I told Liv that we
needed to relocate to New York,
leave everybody and everyone
we know behind for my work.
She did what she always does.
And she supported me.
["SACRILEGE" BY YEAH YEAH YEAHS]
[CRIES OUT]
Fallen for a guy ♪
Fell down from the sky ♪
Halo round his head ♪
Feathers in our bed ♪
In our bed, in our bed ♪
It's sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
It's sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
It's sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
It's sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
And I plead ♪
And I pray ♪
And I plead ♪
And I pray ♪
And I plead ♪
And I pray ♪
And I plead ♪
And I pray ♪
Sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
Sacrilege, sacrilege,
sacrilege you say ♪
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
[DOOR HANDLE PULLING]
Liv.
Liv, it's me.
Liv, can you let me in, please?
Liv, I'd rather not do
this through the door.
The neighbours will hear.
What a lying shit you are?
Let them.
I deserved that.
If this is just another
apology letter, keep it.
Not that I haven't enjoyed
the highly original,
'I was drunk and she
came on to me' excuse.
Open it. Please.
[SIGHS]
So what's this then, a bribe?
A bribe?
Jesus, Livvy, come on. I'm
I haven't turned into a completely
different person overnight.
No, but you have.
That's the thing.
Look, it's the trip of a lifetime.
The one you've always wanted to make.
Arizona, white water
rafting, Vegas, the lot.
A trip that should've
been our honeymoon,
had I not been so fixated on work
and trying to prove to
my fucking parents that
we were right to come here.
Look, you deserved better.
Deserve.
I can't think of anywhere else
I'd rather be with anyone else.
Apart from her.
No, Livvy.
You.
It's always, always you.
Liv, will you look at me? Please.
Livvy, please.
It was one, idiotic, mistake.
One I wish I
had never happened.
And something that will
never, ever happen again.
It's not worth torching
our marriage over.
Because
Because you're my person.
Liv.
So is it a yes?
You'll come?
[WHISPERS] Yes.
[BUG SQUISHES]
["FERRIS WHEEL" BY SYLVAN ESSO]
It's the summer got a lot to prove ♪
Can't wait to do it, can you? (No!) ♪
Oh, I'm swaying from side to side ♪
In the neon lights ♪
Sainted hero, underworld goth vibes ♪
You'll do fine for tonight ♪
You'll do fine, for tonight ♪
[MUSIC STOPS, DOORS OPEN]
You're very quiet.
Just hungry.
I mean, this place.
It'd be a cliché if I wasn't
standing in front of it.
In fact
- Ahh, no.
- Come on.
No, no, no.
See I much preferred it when
you were an Instagram denier.
Think how jealous your
colleagues are gonna be.
How do I tag you again?
- Erm.
- Hash-tag
Trip of a lifetime.
I say another two hours
forty then we're there.
And there being
Don't you want it to be a surprise?
Well, as long it doesn't
involve heights, I'm easy.
You know, you must be the
only person in the world
who still enjoys a paper map.
Nope. My mother.
She always thought it was very romantic.
It's not a word I'd traditionally
associate with your mother.
Actually.
I love her. You know I love her.
But she's She's so hard.
Yeah, well I guess the urge to
scatter rose petals leaves you
after you find out your husband's
been cheating on you for years.
Oh, I didn't Sorry,
I didn't mean to
Ancient history.
[WILL MOANS IN PLEASURE]
[WILL] I'm going to come.
[BOTH MOAN IN PLEASURE]
[CARA] Will you leave her?
Yes.
[DOOR OPENS]
You're gonna need a bigger vase.
Brody, from Jaws.
So I got you all of your favourites.
Even that weird, gloopy
chicken thing you like.
And
This.
An infinity necklace.
Oh, fuck. You hate it, don't you?
It's just it's too much.
Nope. There's no such thing.
Here, let me put it on you.
[KISSING] It's perfect.
Now come on, let's eat. Before
everything's totally congealed.
Unless, am I Am I
interrupting something?
It'll keep.
[LIV NARRATING] Turns out
the whole forgiveness schtick,
being the better person,
trying to ignore the fact
he was going to leave me
whenever the fuck he fancied it.
Well
kind of stuck in the craw.
No, there was another way.
A clean way.
A way that freed me from a life
of watching him move on without me.
What part of "so long as it doesn't
involve heights" was unclear?
You can't not do something just
because you're scared of it.
I I can see perfectly well from here.
We trust each other. Right?
Right, yeah.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
[WOMAN'S VOICE] Any
chance for some help?
Are you okay?
Honest to God, I could have done
without running around in this heat
trying to flag down truckers,
all of them pretending they don't see me
or the broke down piece of trash rental
Of course, if I were 20 years younger.
I'll take your bag.
How long have you been out there?
[LIV NARRATING] You've got to admit
It was the perfect
place for an accident.
The dream holiday cut short.
Body flown home.
Grieving widow.
It was just the 'how' of it.
A rock smashed into his skull.
[SQUISHING SOUND] Quick, but
messy.
A reminder of exactly where
we come in the food chain.
Not so quick, and still
messy.
A momentary lapse of concentration
the endless, endless highway.
Sure, quick, but
probably for both of us.
And so very messy.
No, it needed to be
something utterly mundane.
That in real life would be nothing.
But out in the wilderness would be
the difference between surviving
Or not.
Are you excited?
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Let's head on down to the river.
[GUIDE] Everybody know your positions?
- [GUIDE] Everybody read to go rafting?
- [IN UNISON] Yeah!
[GUIDE] Okay, let's load
the boat from back to front.
Good to go.
Let me just push it out
a bit before you climb in.
Alright, everybody in?
Get yourself set up.
Everybody ready?
[WILL] Ready!
[GUIDE] Okay.
Alright, let's go back-paddle, please.
And let's go forward-paddle, please
[WILL] Yep!
[GUIDE] And we're off!
[WILL] Wooo!
[GUIDE] A little bit harder.
Little bit harder.
Good job everybody.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Nice strong left!
[CRASHING WAVES]
[GUIDE] Little harder!
[HEAVY GASPING]
[CRASHING WAVES]
Woo!
Ah!
Liv! Liv! Help!
[CRIES]
To surviving. [GLASSES CLINK]
You're so dramatic.
[CLEARS THROAT]
What?
No, it's just nice.
Nice and normal. That's all.
Well, nice and normal I will take.
The decor is very
Lord of the Flies here.
If you had a choice, would
you rather be stuffed or eaten?
Oh, stuffed. Yeah, for sure.
I quite like the idea of my head
on the wall for all eternity.
That's because you're a narcissist.
[WILL LAUGHS]
Okay. Promise that you won't go off me.
But when I was seven, I kept
a dead sparrow in the freezer,
and I might have had
dreams of stuffing it.
At seven?
Isn't that a bit We
Need to Talk About Kevin?
I'll have you know, I was actually
very, very concerned for poor Henry.
I spent a great deal of time
sat in the cellar talking to him.
Let my mum in on it
eventually and then
We came up with these
intricate, quite mad stories
about the life he'd led.
[CLEARS THROAT] One for the
therapists chair right there.
Fuck off.
[LAUGHING] And then what, the
two of you had him stuffed?
I got shipped off to
boarding school, didn't I?
Before I had the chance.
I completely forgot about him actually.
What with my overwhelming misery.
Until, one day
erm, a package arrived.
Thought it might be from my
mother. You know, I thought, er
I don't know, maybe
socks, or fudge, or
Maybe just even a note
explaining what I'd done wrong.
Why I'd been sent away without warning.
And it was Henry.
Just thawing out.
Along with a psalm my father had found.
Saying
Don't dick about with
a creature's burial.
Words to that effect.
Pfffew. That's horrible.
That's my father.
And as he would say, "That's life."
Full of unexpected kicks in the teeth.
Anyway, erm
[CLEARS THROAT]
Are you trying to get me drunk?
What if I am?
[LIV NARRATING] You asked for my story.
I didn't say it would
all make sense, because
Love is the one thing that doesn't.
So I give you this.
A happily ever after.
[PHONE RINGS]
It goes to show that
forgiveness is possible.
You can trust the world
is ready for the real you.
True love really does win out.
[WILL] I'll get rid
Yes?
I'll be right down.
Sorry, it's work.
Some
Fucking crisis.
Give me
Give me literally five minutes, okay?
[WILL] You cannot ring the room
like that, she could have answered.
No it doesn't mean
Of course I miss you.
That goes without saying.
No, I haven't been ignoring you, Cara.
I've just
I've been with her the whole time.
No, I haven't had a moment to myself.
But that, that doesn't mean
I'm not thinking about you.
Wishing you were here.
[WILL] Sorry.
[LIV] All okay?
Yep. Yep, just erm
Just Bonnie getting herself
into a state over nothing.
Doesn't sound like her.
Well, believe me. She
is more than capable.
Now.
Where were we?
[LIV NARRATING] Come on.
You're too easy.
Like anyone really wants to hear
things turned out just peachy.
We're voyeurs.
We want the blood and
the dead girls on slabs,
and a look inside the mind
of the sick fuck who did it.
I guess in this case,
that sick fuck is me.
["THE LASTY" BY SANTIGOLD]