Is The Wilds Season 2's Final Shelby Scene A Lie?

Screen Rant

Shelby's final scene at the end of The Wilds season 2 implies a big twist for her in season 3, but the scene actually could be a trick.

Warning: SPOILERS for The Wilds season 2 ending.

Shelby's final scene in The Wilds season 2's ending implies she's Gretchen's new person on the inside - the new confederate - but it's possible the scene is an editing trick. Leah spent her time throughout The Wilds season 1 trying to piece together the mystery of their plane crash and what Nora had to do with it. She discovered the truth, of course, but was then gaslighted by Nora and the people at Dawn of Eve.

Now in The Wilds season 2, Fatin discovers the truth for herself and brings Shelby into the mix. Every one of them wants to get off the island, but Shelby struggles with just how much she wants to escape. On one hand, she wants to return home, but on the other, she doesn't want to lose Toni and face her family. Coupling those feelings with a dream Shelby has of the future, with her, Toni, and Gretchen in it, it's possible she's turned and sided with Dawn of Eve.

At the end of The Wilds season 2, Gretchen rebukes the idea that she would begin phase 3 without having people on the inside. On the boys' side, it makes sense for Seth to continue that role since it's believed he wasn't discovered by the other boys. On the girls' side, Nora can't fulfill that role anymore since she's presumed dead; Leah and Fatin certainly wouldn't take up that position, and the other girls may not know what's going on. That only leaves Shelby, with the episode cutting to her when Gretchen mentions having a new confederate - but the clue could be misleading. In fact, someone else might be the new inside person.

In both seasons 1 and 2, The Wilds has fully revealed one of the people on the inside while concealing the identity of the second person - Nora for the girls and Seth for the boys. It would be a waste to reveal the identity of the new person so quickly. Shelby certainly has a motive for siding with Gretchen, particularly being "stuck" on the island with Toni and away from her religious parents, and as she told Fatin, there's nothing she wouldn't do to earn Toni's love again. But that may not be enough. To redeem herself for not signaling the passing ship, she would want to find a way home; joining the people at Dawn of Eve would be counterintuitive.

The question then becomes, who is the new confederate? Nora could potentially return and reveal that she somehow survived and was taken in by Dawn of Eve, and nursed back to health. That would go a long way in convincing her sister and the others, but not Leah and Fatin. Then again, all of that could be part of phase 3 - seeing how everyone reacts to a new survival situation, especially if they all know the truth.

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