The Wilds is *so* twisty. What looked like a show about teenage girls surviving a plane wreck became a series about social experimentation. This The Wilds Season 1 recap will run you through all the twists and turns to remember before Season 2, character by character.

Leah

Leah went on the “Dawn of Eve” retreat to recover after she was groomed by a much older author, who then dumped her. A paranoid girl with an overactive imagination, she’s the first to realize things are not what they seem on the island.

Rachel

Twin sister to Nora, Rachel is a former diver who struggled with disordered eating. Easily angered by those who won’t follow her lead, she and Nora unconsciously formed a unit to explore the surroundings. Post-rescue, she’s shown missing a hand following a shark attack.

Dot

Dot’s a straightforward loner whose father just passed. (She went on the retreat to grieve.) A team player, she kept a level head when needed and wound up in charge of important things, like medical supplies, because she’s dependable.

Toni

The out and proud lesbian of the group, Toni was a default leader. She initially butted heads with Shelby, who initially came off as homophobic. But Shelby, it turned out, was closeted, and by the end of the season, they were head over heels for each other.

Fatin

A sensitive musician who pushed back against her strict upbringing, Fatin was devastated to learn her father was a long-term cheater. Initially viewed as selfish, she ended up teaming with Dot to create a livable situation and care for the others.

Shelby

A closeted Christian pageant girl, Shelby went through a major transformation on the island. When the girls were rescued, she shaved her head and has very clearly been changed by her experience.

Martha

Toni’s BFF Martha is a vegetarian who struggled to hunt for survival, until she finally hunted a goat. It was revealed she’d been abused by a doctor back home, but refused to come forward. She was also jealous of Shelby and Toni’s new bond.

Nora

In flashbacks, fans learned Gretchen, the head of the Dawn of Eve program, recruited Nora to be an operative in her experiment. All along, Nora reported on the girls’ progress, hiding the truth from the others. It’s unclear if she survived the shark attack in Season 1.

Gretchen

Gretchen's son was responsible for the tragic passing of Nora’s ex boyfriend, leading her to create the Dawn of Eve program, an experiment to see if women can build a community to survive in the wilderness. The aim is to prove women are better at leading society.

Dean & Dan

Dean and Dan are helping keep the girls imprisoned after their “rescue” from the island. But Dean questions if Gretchen’s experiment is worth it and sympathizes with Leah.

The Finale

Leah finally realized the crash was not an accident. After Nora failed to have her removed, Leah tried to confront her, but then the shark attack happened.

The show's final moments revealed Phase 2 of the experiment: eight castaway boys on another island.

The Wilds Season 2 arrives on Prime Video with all episodes on May 6, 2022. Season 1 is streaming now.