The Prime Video drama packed all the twists, but did Liv finally exact revenge on her husband?
Warning: This article contains full spoilers for episode 6 of Wilderness.
It’s safe to say that new Prime Video drama Wilderness is an easy binge-watch of a drama. At just six episodes long and with a premise (and main character) that will both captivate and slightly terrify viewers, it’ll be no surprise if fans got through the series in one sitting.
Across its six episodes, the series follows Liv (Jenna Coleman) as she finds out the depths of her husband Will’s (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) extra-marital affair. Or should we say, affairs.
To make everything better, Will whisked his wife away on the American road trip of a lifetime but while out in the mountains, he was confronted by his lover Cara (Ashley Benson).
Things got even more sinister as Cara and Liv learned they had a lot in common and actually had sympathy for one another, despite Cara knowingly destroying Liv and Will’s marriage. But things really kicked up a notch as, thinking she was pushing Will to his death, Liv pushed Cara off a cliff.
With all eyes on the married couple, Liv is pre-occupied with making sure Will – and herself – aren’t implicated in Cara’s murder, but did Liv manage to get away with it? And did her overarching mission to get revenge on Will succeed?
Read on for a full breakdown of the ending of Wilderness.
Wilderness ending explained: What happened to Liv?
The finale continues on after the shock events of episode 5 saw Liv kill Garth (Eric Balfour) after he confronted Liv and Will about Cara’s death. The final episode opens with Liv being questioned by police, where she states she was acting in self-defence.
She’s in a numb state as she goes back to the apartment, intent on cleaning it and getting rid of any reminder of Garth’s death. Will is surprised she wants to clean but helps her and the next day, while she’s struggling, he comes back from work with good news.
He tells her that he has put in for a transfer of compassionate leave, meaning they can leave New York at the end of the week. The plan is for them to move back to London and move into one of Will’s parents’ apartments before looking for somewhere bigger as he wants them to try for a child as soon as possible.
Liv doesn’t want to have the conversation about their future and tells Will she wants a divorce. She goes out with Ash (Morgana Van Peebles) and back at her apartment, the pair have sex. When Liv returns to her own apartment, she tells Will she still wants a divorce and tells him that she’s been with Ash.
He begs her to stay and says that he’ll change but Liv doesn’t understand why he wants to stay in the marriage. He makes veiled threats and tells Liv that he’ll notify the police that she wasn’t acting in self-defence and that she meant to kill Garth.
The next day, Will welcomes in movers who are packing up their belongings to take back to the UK and he’s righteous as he wakes Liv up, telling her they could have a nice last meal in New York before they leave. But Liv gets a mysterious call inviting her to Will’s surprise leaving drinks at work, which Marissa (Natalie Sharp) has organised.
As the drinks get under way, Liv starts making comments about their marriage to Bonnie (Talia Balsam) and then mounts a table to make a speech about her husband, who is mortified. Afterwards, Liv and Marissa chat outside and Marissa tells her she never thought of her when she started having an affair with Will. Liv tells her not to worry as she admits Marissa is probably just one of many women Will has cheated on her with.
Will calls a taxi for them to leave but Liv takes it for herself, choosing to visit Cara’s grave. She makes her way back to her apartment where Will is knocked out after drinking too much and we see her on his laptop, uploading something to a USB stick.
The next day, she hides her phone – which is recording – underneath some papers as Will wakes up to the surprise of her having packed. The pair reminisce about everything they’ve been through and seem to make up, sharing an embrace after Will emotionally breaks down. In the airport, though, the pair are taken away by security who take them into a room for questioning.
Detective Rawlins (Marsha Stephanie Blake) and Detective Wiseman (Jonathan Keltz) enter and tell Will that they received a video last night. They proceed to play it and it’s the same video Liv discovered of Cara and Will having sex, but she acts confused and shocked when it starts playing, asking Will what’s going on.
They arrest him for the murder of Cara and once they’ve all left the room, Liv smiles to herself. While Will thinks the video proves nothing, the officers state that it shows he’s been keeping important details from them and obstructing the course of justice. Will refuses to say anything more but when the officers question Liv, she tells them that Will was out of their hotel room for longer than previously stated.
She tells them that she woke up when it was light outside but Will wasn’t there. When he returned, she says, he was distant and had a soaked-through shirt after being out.
The police then confront Will with the evidence bag containing his red jacket that Cara was wearing when she was pushed. Because of this, he’s looking at a hefty prison sentence for Cara’s murder, as the police tell Liv. But Detective Rawlins tells her: “I see you,” remaining suspicious of Liv.
What happened to Will in Wilderness?
Three months later, we see Liv walking through Central Park with Ash as they talk about whether Liv will stay in New York or not. She then gets a call from Rikers Island and she goes to visit Will in prison.
Will asks Liv if she’ll wait for him while he’s in prison, wanting some hope and “something to hold on for”. When she asks him why, he says it’s because Liv knows he didn’t kill Cara – revealing that he knows Liv did it. He recounts the night of Cara’s fall, how he’s figured out it was Liv all along and tells Liv that she’s won.
Will asks Liv when she first saw the video of him and Cara and she admits she saw it before the police showed it to her. Will realises that Liv was lying across their whole trip and asks Liv why she did what she did. She admits it’s because he didn’t “learn” but Will soon snaps back, stating he has the money to hire the best lawyers and private detectives to prove his innocence and imprison Liv.
As Will lets rip on Liv with a barrage of insults, Liv then asks him whether that’s any way for him to speak to the mother of his child. Another lie of Liv’s? Well, she asks Will whether she can be so sure she is lying and tells him he’ll just have to wait and see. She admits that she killed Cara because she thought it was Will, sending him into a fit of rage.
We then see Liv back on the road again, driving through the desert on the same trip she took with Will but this time, alone. We see her in the same hotel that the pair stayed in with Cara and Garth, but Liv is finishing writing her novel in her room. The next clip shows her mother Caryl (Claire Rushbrook) receive a manuscript and she sees it’s been dedicated to her.
Liv then goes on a hike to the exact spot where she pushed Cara but a man comes up behind her, telling her about the “silly girl” who died there. She turns around and confronts him about his use of language and talks about the wider idea of women being seen as helpless but also being at the end of their tether. “We become the f**king wolves,” she says finally.
Wilderness is available to watch on Prime Video. If you have yet to subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can sign up now for £8.99 a month.
Like this? You might want to try Outlander. Available now on Lionsgate+.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Want to visit Death in Paradise locations in Guadeloupe at a discount? Radio Times is offering savings of up to 7% for registered users booking their next holiday with travel website Expedia. Claim your exclusive Radio Times Expedia holiday discount now.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.