Day Fifteen

**Day Fifteen** is the seventh episode of Season 1 of *The Wilds*, and the seventh episode overall.

## Premise

A tidal surge forces the castaways to relocate their camp. Still suspicious of the island and how they got there, Leah turns her paranoia on one of the other girls, viciously accusing her of knowing more than she's letting on. In flashback, Jeanette's astonishing backstory is unveiled.

## Summary

Marty has a dream of getting onto the plane, complete with a fleet of stewards who perform a dance to "Cake by the Ocean" by DNCE. A goat makes an appearance as the boys dance with chocolate cake. Jeanette also appears in the dream with her own slice of cake, offering it to Martha. The dance sequence ends and Jeanette tells her that she has something important she need to tell her. Jeanette screams in her face.

Martha wakes from her dream to find that their camp has flooded after the tide comes in. Rachel goes after the plane's black box even though Nora is calling out for her to help her because the tide is pulling her out. Fatin tries to rescue her suitcase even though it's been caught in a riptide.

Gretchen rehearses a speech pitching her experiment to an imaginary audience, with her coworkers providing feedback. A powerpoint of footage of the girls plays behind her as she speaks.

Fatin tells Leah that her obsession with Shelby is out of control after she makes a comment about Shelby. Leah realizes that if Shelby is somehow in on this, that means that Shelby volunteered for this nightmare, and who would do that?

Dot tells them that it's time to pull up stakes and move to another beach since their camp has been totalled. The girls argue. Shelby finds Martha's bag.

Jeanette is seen in a flashback in a study group. The group goes around saying which line they think is the same size as the others. Though it is clearly number three, all of the girls agree that it is number two. Jeanette, with an Australian accent, speaks up when it's her turn and yells at them for being stupid. Jeanette is seen meeting with Gretchen Kline and apologizes for messing up the study.

Back on the beach, the girls empty out Jeanette's backpack to find some surprising things, including a bottle of vodka and a pack of UNO cards. Leah freaks out because it's a deux ex machina and much too perfect that Shelby is the one who found all of the bags. She says that something weird is going on but she doesn't know what it is. There's no reason for Jeanette to have been bringing protein bars, a lighter, water purification tabs, and medicine to a fun retreat in Hawaii and it's sketchy that Shelby is the one who found two "magical, lifesaving bags" and is so optimistic like she knows nothing super bad is going to happen. Leah threatens to throw the lighter into the ocean if she doesn't speak up. Dot tells her that she can't be a spy because she's seen her rap on her school's morning announcements, and Nora tackles Leah so she can't throw the lighter. Leah gets in Shelby's face and asks her where she's been sneaking off to ever morning and night and demands to know what's going on on the island. Shelby tearfully takes out her take teeth and tells her that she's been sneaking off to clean them like she has since she was eleven.

At a bar in Australia, Gretchen finishes a glass of whiskey. Linh/Jeanette tops off her glass and asks if she remembers her. Linh moonlights as a bartender because college is expensive. Gretchen invites Linh to her new project if she's open to it. Linh admits that she's read all of her work and that she "stans" her. She asks Gretchen if she hates men, and Gretchen says no. Even though her work is all about women, it's about women getting power and keeping it. Linh admits that she hates men. She was drugged at a house party during her last year of high school. The next morning at school, people sneered at her because they saw a video of two men groping her as she was completely out of it. The police told her she would have to testify if she pursued action, and everyone just wanted it to go away. Linh says that she confronted the girls in the study because she wanted them to be braver than her. Linh offers her hand to Gretchen and says that she's all in.

In Gretchen's rehearsed speech, she says that she has Jeanette in as a "confederate" operative, as well as another operative who has wilderness skills.

Rachel asks Dot what the next step is. She asks why they're asking her, and she says that it's because they always ask her. Dot implies that she's burnt out and hands over the lighter to Rachel, leaving her to deal with the group. She looks around and realizes that they're missing some people.

Toni collects firewood and finds Shelby sitting alone. She says that she isn't out there being a spy, she just needed some space. Toni asks if she ever plays pranks with her dentures and she says no. Shelby says that she doesn't hate her, and Toni responds that she does. Shelby helps her with the firewood.

After a month with the group, Linh asks if Dot is the other confederate in the study. She is told that she can't know who it is because if she's caught it could ruin the study. Linh rattles off Jeanette's information. Later, Gretchen and Linh sing karaoke to "Take A Walk On The Wild Side" by Lou Reed.

Gretchen talks about the transition of power. She expects that their transition of power will be easier than it is typically.

Rachel attempts to delegate tasks but finds resistance. Nora tells the group that Rachel isn't going to Stanford and doesn't have an Olympic future. She's just a sad liar who is pretending that it's not over. Nora pushes Rachel to the ground after she tells her to get her own life.

Shelby tells Toni that she has problems and talks about being judged in pageants. Toni tells her about her *actual* problems. Shelby reminds her that she's free. Toni tells her that she's also free on the island. Shelby kisses Toni hard, and though she hesitates, Toni kisses her back. Shelby breaks the kiss and runs away. After a second, Toni runs after her, calling her name.

On the beach, the twins are still fighting. The others wonder if they should intervene. Using her toothbrush as a microphone, Fatin narrates the fight. Dot gets off of the chair and tries to get them to stop fighting. Annoyed to find the lighter in the sand, she bends down to get it, but is bumped into by the twins, causing Dot to hit Fatin. Fatin drops her toothbrush and is mad about it. The toothbrush has lost power and dies. Dot reminds her that she could just use her arm to brush her teeth instead of relying on an electric toothbrush, then proceeds to use the toothbrush on her own teeth. This causes Fatin to punch Dot in the face, and Dot lands on her ass.

While Linh packs Jeanette's bag, Gretchen gives her a bottle of vodka to include for disinfecting cuts. She reminds her that she will be facing her own traumas and reminds her that the real situation will be difficult.

Nora bites Rachel's arm after Rachel pins her down. Toni finally catches up to Shelby on the beach and steps in front of her, only to be knocked over by the fighting twins. Dot tells them that they need to just stop. By now, they're probably not front page news anymore and they might not be getting rescued.

Linh as Jeanette boards the plane and takes a video of her interactions with the girls. The plane goes down and the girls are shown knocked out. Gretchen has them placed on different boats to be taken to the island or the plane wreckage. Linh sees Leah on the boat completely knocked out and has flashbacks of herself at the house party where she was assaulted. She backs out, saying that she can't to this. Alex tries to grab at her to stop her from leaving. Linh falls, hits her head, and falls into the water. She makes it back to the dock and says she's ready for the study. She gets into the boat and Alex takes her to the drop point.

Gretchen says that at the end of 12 weeks they will see "Gynotopia" in action. They will show that it is women, not men, who can create harmonious and capable communities and that the reins of power should be shifted into women's hands.

The girls sit around a fire, dejected. Martha attempts to make a cat's cradle. Toni offers Shelby water, which she rejects. Suddenly, they hear the sounds of a plane engine. They try to signal the plane and it turns around. The girls hug each other and celebrate. Shelby is the only one who doesn't seem excited about being rescued.

## Cast

### Starring

* Sophia Ali as Fatin Jadmani
* Shannon Berry as Dot Campbell
* Jenna Clause as Martha Blackburn
* Reign Edwards as Rachel Reid
* Mia Healey as Shelby Goodkind
* Helena Howard as Nora Reid
* Erana James as Toni Shalifoe
* Sarah Pidgeon as Leah Rilke
* David Sullivan as Daniel Faber
* Troy Winbush as Dean Young
* Rachel Griffiths as Gretchen Klein

### Guest Starring

* Barbara Eve Harris as Audrey
* Chi Nguyen as Jeanette Dao

### Co-Starring

* Jarred Blakiston as Alex
* Julia Carvalho as Red-Headed Teen Girl
* Molly Curnow as Teenage Girl #1
* Mark Mitchinson as Leonard Whitney
* Harriet Morris as Teenage Girl #2
* Jen Van Epps as Researcher
* Joe Witkowski as Thom

## Quotes

* Shelby: *I'm a fake bitch with dentures.*

* Linh: *Americans like to drink when they're miserable, don't they?* *That's a big difference between here and Australia.*
	+ Gretchen: *When do Australians like to drink?*
	+ Linh: *All the fucking time.*
* Shelby: *Yeah, I'm not fishing for sympathy... but is hasn't **not** been hard.*
	+ Toni: *Okay, **Becky**. Maybe don't talk to me about hard.*
* Fatin: Yeah, I love a bitchy dom. But you're not really reading the room.
* Dot: *If you're looking for a roommate... I might be interested.*
	+ Fatin: *Dorothy, are you offering to be my live-in muscle?*
	+ Dot: *Yes. Obviously, yes.*
	+ Toni: *It's not our uniform, you know. We've all got our own different swag.*
	+ Fatin: *People are gonna assume we're lovers, because let's face it, those cargo shorts still screams "gay." I'm just saying, people are gonna talk and I'm gonna like it.*
	+ Dot: ***\*makes kissy faces\****