Wayward never takes the easy route. Creator Mae Martin, who was inspired to write the series following their best friend's stint in an institution, could have easily played up the simple premise of an abusive boarding school and the disturbing secrets it contains within.
"When she came back [about two years later], the stories that she had, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. The therapies are so theatrical and bizarre. I mean, I'm calling them therapies. It's like behavioural modification programmes."
Seven episodes in, best friends Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) are close to breaking point, reckoning with the abusive principal Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette) and the surprising fragility of their own relationship. Yet still they plan to break out of the school they're trapped in, hoping for some help from police officer Alex Dempsey (Martin) who's been fighting in their corner this whole time.
It's then that Alex finally realises that Laura, who seemed to be rebelling against her former mentor, is actually becoming the new Evelyn herself. To make matters worse, it also looks like Leila is becoming the new Laura now that she's falling for Evelyn's cult-like control, just like Alex's wife once did all those years ago.
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So, will Laura turn to the dark side completely? Will Abbie and Leila's friendship survive long enough to escape? And will Collette deliver another raging "Mother" monologue, the likes of which we've not seen since her Oscar-worthy turn in Hereditary? Here's how Mae Martin's Wayward ends its first (and probably only) season on Netflix.
Wayward ending explained: Do Abbie and Leile escape?
Seizing this opportunity, Abbie finally puts her escape plan into action, using the stamps Alex gave her to trick one of the guards into leaving the compound using a fake love letter from a long-distance admirer. Yep, really. And it works. Through this elaborate scheme, Abbie is able to switch the power off in the school at a crucial moment, and when the guards run out to find her with Morty and Leila outside, the other students are all wearing identical hoodies to her so that Abbie's impossible to find.
Abbie and Leila get away, but Leila suddenly changes her mind, telling Abbie that the school can help her so she should stay. Evelyn has got into her brain, indoctrinating Leila completely. And not even her bestie Abbie can change her mind in time.
"So I'm interested in that and where that comes from, and pain relief is a very persuasive element, right?" they added.
Meanwhile, Evelyn confronts Alex in the creepy basement of her school where the gross tadpole water baptisms take place. Have you ever heard a more unholy combination of words in your life?
High as a kite, Evelyn turns around and reveals a horrific truth to Alex – that Laura's parents weren't killed by her. They were killed by their own child, Laura, who smashed their heads in with a rock.
In her visions, Evelyn sees her mother and then her mouth becomes a symbolic door of sorts. Evelyn proceeds to put her own hand into her own mouth because why not? And that freaky ass dream(?) sequence is the last we see of Evelyn. But is she still alive or has she died from an overdose of the Leap drug?
Despite almost dying at the school, Alex makes it home in time to greet Laura just as she's given birth to their child in a paddling pool. The pair bond over the fact they've both done "many awful things," and then Alex bonds with the baby by sitting with it in the pool, skin to skin.
Alex agrees, bewildered at what's going on, but Laura explains that their child should belong to everyone now because it's the "only way to break the pattern". The pattern being Evelyn's creepy grip on the town and how it was forbidden for new children to be born there for decades. Still though, it's pretty creepy.
The next thing you know, Alex is driving in his car with the baby and Abbie too, escaping town for good. Alex tells Abbie that she's "not a bad kid," pointing out the strength it takes for someone so young to know exactly who they are. Abbie says "You're a good person too, Alex," ending Wayward on the happy note they both deserve…
"I think the fact that he can imagine the right thing to do just brings it into focus even more that it is a bit of a moral failure," explained Martin. "He knows the right thing to do, and he's choosing instead to to stay.
"I'm so interested in people's reactions to the ending because I've had people say it's really ambiguous with Alex, I'm like, I don't know if it's ambiguous, or if he just didn't make the choice you wanted him to make. He chooses to stay and he knows that that's the wrong thing to do. But what would you do with your baby and your wife?
And with that, Wayward ends with Abbie driving alone, free, but at what cost?
Whether Evelyn is alive or not by the end, there's still a ton of corpses and messed up kids to sort out. Sometimes you're better off just not knowing, forced to imagine the best or worst for characters like this without forcing a second season where one might not be needed. But still, aren't you tempted by the idea of a sequel set years down the line that could revolve around Laura's new cult?
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