Netflix’s Wayward (2025), created by Mae Martin and starring Toni Collette, Sarah Gadon, and Mae Martin themselves, has quickly become one of the most talked-about thrillers of the year. Set in the eerie world of Tall Pines Academy, the series blends psychological horror, cult drama, and social critique into eight chilling episodes. If you’ve finished watching, here’s your complete episode-by-episode recap, the ending explained in detail, and whether Season 2 might happen.
Episode 1: Tall Pines
The story begins with a present-day escape attempt by teens Abbie and Leila, two best friends sent to Tall Pines Academy, a so-called “rehabilitation school” in Vermont. Flashbacks to ~2010 show their arrival as troubled teens. Meanwhile, Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin), a police officer, moves to Tall Pines with his pregnant wife Laura (Sarah Gadon). Laura’s unease with the town suggests a haunting past. The mysterious and charismatic leader Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette) is introduced.
Episode 2: The Academy
Abbie and Leila are forced into the Academy’s rigid, cult-like structure. The institution’s “therapy” sessions seem more like psychological warfare—breaking down students’ identities. Laura’s discomfort grows when she recognizes familiar faces, hinting at her hidden history with Tall Pines.
Episode 3: The Leap
The concept of “the Leap” is introduced: a psychedelic procedure designed to erase trauma by dulling emotions, using substances like toad venom. Some students appear “fixed,” but their blank stares suggest otherwise. Alex begins investigating strange reports about the school, clashing with Evelyn.
Episode 4: Buried Memories
Flashbacks reveal Laura herself underwent the Leap as a teen. She lost her parents under mysterious circumstances connected to the Academy. Abbie starts plotting escape, while Leila becomes more entangled with Evelyn, who promises to ease her trauma over her sister Jess’s death.
Episode 5: Broken Trust
Alex pushes against the town’s complicit law enforcement. Laura’s emotional detachment deepens, showing how the Leap hollowed her capacity for connection. Abbie discovers records of students who never returned home, fueling her determination. Evelyn manipulates Leila further, offering her belonging and healing.
Episode 6: The Disappearance
Abbie tries to flee the Academy but is caught. The Leap is forced on another student, showing its devastating side effects. Alex realizes Laura’s past trauma and current detachment stem from her Leap experience. He suspects Evelyn is hiding something darker: the truth behind Laura’s parents’ deaths.
Episode 7: Confrontation
The truth unravels—Laura’s parents may have died due to Evelyn’s manipulations, but Laura’s suppressed memories leave her uncertain if she played a role. Alex attempts to save Abbie and expose Evelyn. Tensions explode inside the Academy as students rebel.
Episode 8: The Cycle Continues
In the explosive finale, Alex and Abbie confront Evelyn. They overdose her with her own drugs, leaving her catatonic. But in a shocking twist, Laura takes over Evelyn’s role at the Academy. In a ritualistic ceremony, her newborn baby is passed among cult followers, symbolizing indoctrination from birth. Abbie finally leaves Tall Pines, while Alex is left trapped in the corrupt system. Leila chooses to stay, believing Evelyn’s philosophy offers her safety.
Ending Explained – What Really Happened in Wayward
The ending of Wayward is chilling because it reveals that systems of abuse don’t die with one leader. Evelyn’s fall does not end the Academy’s power—Laura, who was once its victim, becomes its successor.
- The Leap’s meaning: A metaphor for forced conformity and trauma suppression, it shows how institutions erase individuality in the name of healing.
- Laura’s transformation: Instead of breaking free, Laura embraces the role of cult leader, showing how survivors can be reshaped into enforcers of the same cycle.
- Alex’s fate: Despite resisting Evelyn, Alex cannot dismantle the system. His inability to save Laura highlights the theme of institutional permanence.
- Leila’s choice: Her decision to remain shows how trauma can make victims cling to abusive structures that promise belonging.
- Abbie’s escape: She’s the only one who breaks free, representing fragile hope amid systemic corruption.
The final scene with the infant suggests the indoctrination will begin again, making the ending both tragic and cyclical.
Will There Be a Wayward Season 2?
As of now, Wayward is billed as a limited miniseries, but Netflix has left the door open for expansion. The ambiguous ending, with Laura assuming control, sets up multiple possibilities:
- Laura’s reign: How does she lead the Academy, and will she expand its influence beyond Tall Pines?
- Alex’s struggle: Could Season 2 follow Alex’s attempts to dismantle the Academy and rescue his child?
- Abbie’s return: Will she expose the Academy to the outside world, or is she forever marked by what she saw?
- Leila’s descent: Her loyalty to the cult could create new conflicts.
If renewed, Season 2 could explore the wider “troubled teen” industry, showing Tall Pines as part of a larger network of abusive institutions. Given the strong critical buzz and open-ended finale, Netflix may consider a continuation, even if marketed as an “anthology follow-up.”
Final Verdict
Wayward is more than a thriller—it’s a sharp commentary on power, trauma, and the persistence of systemic abuse. Its shocking ending ensures viewers won’t stop talking anytime soon, and though it’s framed as a limited series, its dark world has plenty of potential for a Season 2.
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