The Wayward has been keeping the audience on its toes with its few moments of fantasy, unresolved truths, and blurred reality. The show explores trauma, power, and the illusion of safety through the mysterious town of Tall Pines. As the show inches closer to the finale, let’s take a look at how it will end and whether there is room for a Season 2.
Why did ‘Alex Dempsey’ and ‘Laura’ come to Tall Pines?
According to Netflix, following an excessive force incident in Detroit, ‘Alex Dempsey’ and his very pregnant wife, ‘Laura’, relocate. However, ‘Laura’, once a student of the eerie Tall Pines Academy, has deeper ties than they realise, especially to the cult-like founder, ‘Evelyn’. She returns seeking comfort during pregnancy, but instead reawakens old traumas.
The Wayward is a leap to the dark side
The ‘Leap’ is a psychedelic therapy designed to erase trauma, but it also severs emotional depth and parental bonds. The story soon revealed that ‘Laura’, ‘Leila’, and others are victims of this practice. ‘Evelyn’s’ methods, derived from toad venom, aim to create emotionally numb followers under the guise of healing. However, ‘Leila’s’ trauma centres around the drowning of her sister, Jess, as ‘Evelyn’ makes her believe that she is responsible for her tragic demise. Nonetheless, it’s unclear whether that memory is real or implanted.
The show further explores the truth about ‘Laura’s’ parents, as ‘Evelyn’ claims she murdered her own parents and the memory was wiped via the Leap. Another story, that is, a case of unclear manipulation, is left deliberately ambiguous. However, as ‘Evelyn’ loses control, she eventually overdoses at the hands of her own followers, and ‘Laura’ begins taking her place. She claims to want reform, but her rise mirrors ‘Evelyn’s’, suggesting the cycle of control may continue.
Is ‘Evelyn’ really dead?
Another surprise for the audience would be the revelation that ‘Evelyn’ is not really dead. Well, not exactly anyway, she ends in a catatonic, psychedelic state and is trapped in her own hallucinatory world of green doors, with her fate left open-ended. Wayard’s finale brings extreme emotional and symbolic closure to the characters. From ‘Laura’s’ shocking birth ritual of her followers undressing and passing the newborn among them to ‘Alex’ mourning the loss of the nuclear family, while ‘Laura’ believes this shared parenthood will break cycles of trauma.
Will there be a Season 2?
Mae Martin, during a conversation with Deadline, revealed that Netflix has so far planned the show as a miniseries, but the show’s haunting ambiguity leaves the door slightly ajar. During the conversation, Mae reflects on how they wished they had only done a few episodes of some of their shows because, after a point, they feel like logic leaves the script. They were quoted as saying:
“I mean, you have to ask Netflix. I think they’re pretty adamant that it’s a miniseries, but who knows? With anything, like some of my favourite shows, I wish they had been one season, cause you do another season and you end up stretching the logic a little bit.”
What are your thoughts on Wayward? Let us know.
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