Stream It or Skip It: ‘Green Frontier’ on Netflix, a Moody Mystery Set in the Amazon

Green Frontier–or Frontera Verde–is Netflix’s new supernatural mystery series and the latest series to come out of the streamer’s relationship with Colombian creators. The mystery comes from Academy Award nominated director Ciro Guerra and takes viewers deep inside the Amazon.

GREEN FRONTIER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: The episode starts with a fade-in from white as the camera pans through the jungle, the sounds of the Amazon ringing out, and eventually finds body after body strewn about the greenery. The method of murder is readily apparent: there are arrows in their backs.

The Gist: After a group of missionaries are found dead deep in the jungle, CTI agent Helena Poveda (Juana del Rio) is sent to a remote location to investigate. How remote? It takes a helicopter and a private boat to reach the crime scene. By her side is Reynaldo Bueno (Nelson Camayo), a member of the local law enforcement who gives her the rundown on the suspects: members of an un-contacted tribe.

Tracking down a member of said tribe is going to be easier said than done, too. All the local authorities (including one particularly snarky and dismissive cop) basically call them ghosts and are so uninterested in tracking them down that they disrupt the crime scene by moving the bodies and don’t even bring in a real camera to take photos. Agent Poveda and officer Bueno are on their own here.

But there’s one victim that wasn’t moved yet, and Poveda and Bueno discover her hanging by her hands in the midst of an indigenous cemetery. And even though she’s wearing the sky blue uniform of a missionary, she also has the tattoos and piercings that mark her as part of what might be the un-contacted tribe (the episode description names her as Ushe, so I’ll call her that). Oh, and another thing: there’s a hole in Ushe’s chest where her heart’s been removed and there is not a drop of blood to be seen. And unbeknownst to our leads, they’re being watched by another member of the un-contacted tribe–a man that, thanks to a flashback, we know is way older than he looks.

From there things get stranger as Poveda and Bueno try to get Ushe’s heartless body to the right tribe so she can undergo a proper funeral, as they deal with hostile locals and the un-contacted man (who we learn is named Yua) comes face to face with some modern enforcers with an affection for old school weapons–including bows and arrows.

Along this journey, Poveda learns from a local elder about the legend of the Eternals, an ancient tribe that lives without blood and walks among the trees. Poveda’s skeptical, but that whole “no blood” thing sounds familiar. And by the end of the episode, Ushe will seem a lot more familiar to her…

Our Take: Green Frontier is a beautifully shot, totally immersive look at a world that we pretty much never get to see authentically portrayed in American television. The first episode drops you into a world that’s very much established, with roots possibly stretching back to the dawn of time, and manages to balance exposition and world-building.

There are comparisons to be made to X-Files, as the moody mini-series has a clear supernatural tinge to it (Yua exhibits a number of powers, including the ability to turn invisible and disappear into the earth). What the show misses, though, is any real spark between any characters. Poveda and Bueno’s dynamic isn’t as clear yet as a Mulder and Scully, and all of the characters save our lead agent and that one jerk cop are just kinda… there… in the first episode.

The mystery is good, the cinematography is great, but you gotta be in the mood for a slow burn. However, the last scene of the first episode indicates that there’s a lot more going on here…

Parting Shot: In a flashback, Helena recalls being rescued from her burning home by Ushe–and she knows little Helena’s name. Ushe looked the exact same, 20+ years later! What is Helena’s relationship to the mystery woman?

Sex and Skin: This isn’t a sexy show, so the bit of side boob you get when Helena takes a shower is purely incidental and matter-of-fact.

Sleeper Star: While this category is reserved for the bit players that shine, I really can only give this to series lead Juana del Rio. With most of the characters relegated to being dead (Ushe), having very little screentime (Yua), or not having much to do (Bueno), it’s del Rio’s portrayal of Agent Povedo that carries the weight of the show. She does a great job, too, even while saying very little. There’s a real hard-boiled edge to her, making her feel like a sister to Jessica Jones or Brooklyn Nine-NIne’s Rosa Diaz.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Mother Jungle, a demon has set foot in your entrails.” I dunno if it’s exactly pilot-y, but that bit of narration from Yua at the start of the episode is metal as hell and I had to call it out.

Our Call: STREAM IT if you’re in the market for a new slow burn mystery, especially one set in a beautiful locale. The central mystery of the Eternals and Helena’s relationship to them is solid, and hopefully the rest of the cast gets as much to do as Povedo later on.

Stream Green Frontier on Netflix