The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8 recap: Day Sixteen

What put Shelby on the Dawn of Eve project on The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8?

As the girls celebrate the idea of being saved, we dive into Shelby’s backstory on The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8. It’s time to find out why she became part of the Dawn of Eve project.

Meanwhile, Gretchen has to do something to protect her project. That plane on the previous episode was not one of hers, and she needs to do damage control.

Shelby tells her story

If you thought Toni was the first girl Shelby kissed, you’d be wrong. She kissed her best friend back home, which would lead to the events of her coming to the island.

Shelby’s dad saw the kiss. He doesn’t say anything to Shelby, but he does call her friend’s parents. They then say that the friend put the blame on Shelby, which leads to Shelby’s dad being angry and upset. He will pray for her, but he can’t be happy that she won’t be saved.

Shelby is understandably angry with her friend’s actions. The friend says that she thought Shelby had told her dad the truth, but in the end, Shelby says they can’t be friends. It leads to the friend killing herself, which Shelby learns about just before she takes part in another pageant.

While she wins the pageant, it’s clear that she is struggling emotionally and mentally. She doesn’t know who she is, doesn’t have supportive parents to be who she is, and is grieving the loss of a friend. It’s no wonder she ends up on the island and doesn’t necessarily want to leave.

She tells the “detectives” all this as we also get to see her new look. She’s shaved her head and is on crutches. The “detectives” are also concerned about the version of Shelby they’ll get. She has mental health issues, and not just because of the island. What exactly did happen to Shelby?

We don’t get the full story. Shelby says she won’t talk anymore until she gets to see Leah, which gives her a chance to give Leah a note.

The girls think they’re saved on The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8

Meanwhile on the island, the girls pretend to do a Good Morning America interview after being saved thanks to the plane. Dot also tells the girls they can eat as much of their rations as they want. They won’t need them for much longer.

Shelby’s mental health starts to spiral, possibly with the idea of being saved. It’s not that she’s the mole but that she doesn’t want to go back to the life she had. She’s also paranoid that Toni has said something to Martha about the kiss.

As Shelby continues to drink the vodka that they found in Jeanette’s bag, the others eat her edibles. Martha eats the most and ends up tripping hard. She’s so bad that when she sees Alex on the island, she thinks he’s the mannequin come to life. That’s fortunate for Gretchen, but it was a close call.

Eventually, Shelby loses it. Fatin tries to do something good by giving Shelby her brush and makeup, but the brush gets stuck in Shelby’s hair. As she panics, she grabs a pair of scissors and cuts her hair off.

Gretchen salvages her project

While all that happens on The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8, Gretchen has to do damage control. She goes to see a woman called Alice, who seems to be the one funding this project. Gretchen needs to find the pilot of the plane and convince him not to say anything to the authorities.

Did Gretchen have the pilot killed? Gretchen is appalled Thom and Susan would believe that. No, she just hired a hacker to get into the plane’s GPS and change the coordinates. If the pilot does decide to tell the authorities about the girls, they won’t get back to his location.

There’s no doubt we’re left with far more questions than answers after The Wilds Season 1, Episode 8.

What did you think of Shelby’s story? What do you think of Gretchen’s decision? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Wilds is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.