Wayward’s Solid Cast Can’t Save Its Hollow Writing
Creator and actor Mae Martin explores the horrors of the troubled teen industry in the new Netflix limited series Wayward. Two troubled best friends Abbie and Leila find themselves committed to Tall Pines Academy, while cop Alex moves with his pregnant wife Laura back to her hometown for a fresh start. These parallel stories converge as a teen escapes from the school, drawing Alex into a hunt to discover what’s really happening in this small town.
Wayward immediately sets up an intriguing premise as it touches on themes of conformity, grief, and generational trauma through a cult-like lens. With powerhouse actors like Toni Collette, Alyvia Alyn Lind, and Sarah Gadon, it seems like a slam dunk… on paper.
Unfortunately, Wayward’s script weighs down these elements. The weak writing leaves the show often feeling stiff, unnatural, and heavy-handed. It tries to be profound, but instead comes off as hollow and performative. There are glimmers of promise, but, despite the efforts of its solid cast, the characters remain underwritten, never becoming people you’d want to keep watching. At times, there are too many mysteries to tackle and the show would’ve benefitted from streamlining them, especially through Gadon’s character. This makes it truly disappointing that the story was never fully realized because there was a lot of potential to be uncovered. By the finale, the mystery wraps up with an unsatisfying ending that gives us more questions than answers.
Wayward is streaming now on Netflix.
