Ramos took merely a few casual sips she seemed perfectly hydrated. (Again, not that I want anyone to die!) While receiving some water, Dr. Sure, her clothes and face are a bit muddy, but this doesn’t look like someone on the brink of death. Also, when we found the doctor, she was in what can only be described as “chill peril.” At most-such as when I forced him to slice his way through a ton of leaves-I was just inconveniencing Bear. The early decisions with Bear involve choosing paths to make it to the doctor’s location-follow the river, hack your way through the jungle with a machete, etc.-but none of the choices seemed to do him much harm. Obviously, none of this is real, but I like to imagine a scenario where someone really was stranded and some sweaty Doctors Without Borders leader had to say: “Send in the Bear.” You see, a doctor was trying to provide malaria vaccines to a remote village, but now she’s in need of rescuing. But the first two episodes are about Bear Grylls-and you, the twisted person controlling his actions from your couch-being enlisted for a rescue operation in the Central American jungle.
Wild would create fictitious situations to try to elevate the drama. Off the bat, I didn’t anticipate that You vs. Episode 1 and 2: “Operation Jungle Rescue” Before we move on, reserve your hate for some other place. Netflix is the one who actually made Bear endure all of the consequences of these wrong and potentially deadly decisions. If this mind-set sounds monstrous-well, maybe it is, but I’m just an instrument of terror. As I was prompted by the show to make decisions, I leaned toward one of two options, depending on the context: I would choose what was, in my opinion, the stupidest option, i.e., the one that would put Bear Grylls in a sticky situation or I would pick the option that appeared to be the most cinematic. Wild finally here, I binged all eight episodes-two of which were two-parters, basically making it six adventures-of the series. And I don’t know if you’ve ever known what it feels like to be a god, but Kanye said it best: No one man should have all that power. In a way, the show sets you up as a god, in control of the fate of one poor soul. Wild is a tempting beast after all, it’s you who’s in control of Bear’s choices, and any wrong steps can likely result in something treacherous happening. To be clear: I am a noted admirer of Bear Grylls I enjoy the baser thrills of watching this charming and charismatic dude mess around in nature. And yet if you’re like me, you’ll probably get the most enjoyment out of trying to make Bear Grylls drink pee or eat weird stuff-or maybe even pushing the man to his death. As the great German filmmaker Werner Herzog understands: Nature is indifferent to anyone who explores it, and danger is inherent to its scope. It’s an inspired idea with fascinating possibilities, showcasing all of the life-threatening decisions Grylls has to make whenever he goes on one of these excursions.
Wild, which allows viewers to immerse themselves in Grylls’s adventures, making choices for the seasoned survivalist as he journeys through myriad harsh environments spanning the globe.
Its next interactive series arrived on Wednesday with the Bear Grylls–hosted You vs. Including more choose-your-own-adventure options into the company’s digital catalog is just another step in Netflix’s quest to dominate all of your entertainment needs. After Netflix dropped the interactive Black Mirror special Bandersnatch at the end of 2018, it was only a matter of time before the streaming service unveiled even more programming like it.