Island of the Sea Wolves is a British nature documentary series narrated by Will Arnett.
It's about the wildlife of Vancouver Island, Canada, with an emphasis on shore life and ocean-land relations. It follows various animals through a year from spring to fall, including sea wolves, bald eagles, sea otters, marmots, and black bears.
The first season, consisting of three episodes, premiered on Netflix on October 11, 2022.
Contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Rocky's father Titan, like all male otters, is aggressive towards him and tries to push Rocky out or possibly even kill him to get back with Skye, but Skye drives him off, knowing Rocky is still too young to survive on his own, but she relents when he comes back a second time and sends Rocky away to fend for himself to protect him Titan.
- Bait-and-Switch: The end of episode 1 makes it seem as if Cedar is heading into Dagger's den to prey on her pups, and ends with Dagger seemingly attacking Cedar. The next episode reveals that it wasn't a real attack and that they have been living together for some time, looking after each other's pups.Narrator: Cedar wasn't coming to kill. She was coming home.
- Call-Back: In the first episode, Spiro the bald eagle tries and fails to hunt a crab. In the next episode, as sea otters Skye and Rocky enjoy a crab, it momentarily cuts away to show Spiro on a tree branch, seemingly looking on.Narrator: No offence, Spiro.
[Spiro screeches] - Cliffhanger: In episode 1, Cedar heads into the den of Dagger, who lunges and catches her by the throat. There's a snarl and the camera switches to a distant view of the forest as a whimper is heard, ending the episode.
- Disappeared Dad: Rocky's father Titan is absent in his life, like all male otters, but this is for good reason, as Titan, like all male otters, is an obsessive and aggressive jerk who shows no love or care to Rocky and sees him as an obstacle to his mate Skye.
- Epic Fail: Bald eagle Spiro spectacularly fails at trying to hunt a crab; he picks it up and it pinches his face, leaving Spiro to flail around and fall into the water until the crab comes loose. Banjo music is used to sell the comicality of it all.Narrator: Uh... never order the crab.
- Foil: Jasper to Titan: While Jasper the wolf is a very caring father and very protective of his family, even looking for his lost son Blaze, Titan the otter is almost completely absent from his son Rocky's life, and when he returns, he treats Rocky with contempt and tries to get rid of him to mate with Skye again
- Impending Doom P.O.V.: As the cougar stealthily approaches Buck Bean, there are some shots of Buck Bean from a distance through trees and shrubbery, representing the cougar's point of view.
- Missed Him by That Much: Blaze, an injured pup, is left behind by his pack. He awaits their return for a week before moving on. The next day, his father Jasper returns for him, only to find him gone.
- Nature Is Not Nice: Luna, the larger of the two eagle chicks, easily dominates her brother, hogging the food and the shade. But as the narrator points out, a single well-fed chick has better survival odds than two smaller ones.Narrator: It's ruthless... but it's nature.
- No Party Like a Donner Party: The summer heat and the lack of food it brings cause River to succumb, and his sister Luna is eventually forced to eat her brother's body for sustenance.Narrator: Eagle chicks don't normally resort to such drastic measures... but these are not normal times.
- Platonic Co-Parenting: Cedar and Dagger, two female wolves, each have their own pups which they raise together in the same den.
- Polyamory: Marmot sisters Esmerelda and Bonnie both end up with the same mate, the three of them sharing a den.
- Reveal Shot: Cedar is shown nursing Dagger's pups, then stands, revealing two more pups behind her — her own. This reveals that Cedar's pups have been living alongside Dagger's.Narrator: … Cedar starts to nurse the pups. And not just two... [Cedar moves aside] There are four of them. It seems both mothers have given birth to two pups in the same den.
- Scenery Porn: The series is full of sweeping, panoramic shots of the island scenery.
- Scream Discretion Shot: At the end of episode 1, Dagger seemingly attacks Cedar. There's a snarl and the camera switches to a distant view of the forest as whimpering is heard. Subverted by the next episode, which reveals that she wasn't actually attacking.
- Time Title: Each episode is titled after the season it takes place in: "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall".
- Title Drop: The title is worked into the closing lines of the season 1 finale.Narrator: For all the island's residents, it's been a year of unprecedented events and enormous challenges. And those who've made it through are now ready to take on whatever the next year has in store for them, on the island of the sea wolves.
