On Sept. 25, 2025, Wayward premiered on Netflix, and the thriller series has since made a shocking impact, just like the dark secrets deeply rooted in its narrative. The series was created by Mae Martin, who, interestingly enough, also stars on-screen. Alongside them are some other powerhouse performers like Toni Collette, Sarah Gadon, Alyvia Alyn Lind and Sydney Topliffe. Overall, Wayward has stirred buzz for its eerie tone, cultish overtones and strong emotional undercurrents. Although it is marketed as a mystery thriller, its appeal truly lies in how it teases audiences with psychological tension, hidden agendas and some tangled loyalties.
Surprisingly, all of these things are unwilling to fully reveal themselves until the very last episode, which we’ll unpack. If viewers are curious about the Netflix Wayward ending explained, there’s a lot to discover about the series. Here’s what we know about whether or not it’s rooted in reality, what happens to key characters and how the haunting finale comes together.
Is ‘Wayward’ based on true events?
Strictly speaking, Wayward isn’t based on a true story – it’s a work of fiction. However, the show is deeply rooted in real-world influences. As Martin previously shared with Forbes, their best friend, Nicole, attended a school like Tall Pines. While this experience was traumatic, Deadline reports that it also led to her serving as a consultant in the Wayward writers’ room.
“We were so codependent and hysterical all the time, and she was sent to one of these schools,” the series creator recalled in September 2025. “She was taken over the border and handcuffed in the middle of the night, and she was gone for two years. She ended up ultimately escaping on bare feet through the woods and hitchhiking across the state, and was in a very dangerous situation.”
Mae’s friendship with Nicole is what inspired her to write Abby and Leila’s story. “I would be more like the Leila character, and I wondered what would have happened if I’d followed her,” Martin added.
What happened to Rory?
Rory began as one of Tall Pines’ quieter but also more grounded teens. He was someone who, despite enduring some of the same manipulative “treatments,” manages to hold onto a streak of compassion. His character arc culminates in an escape attempt in the Wayward finale alongside Abbie and Leila.
During the climactic chase scene, Rory makes the fateful decision to act as a decoy, per People. He pulls guards and staff away so that Abbie has a better chance at escaping. This is a small but defining moment of courage, which also makes his exit so haunting with its ambiguity. Yet the show doesn’t confirm whether he’s actually captured, punished or worse.
The audience is left with an ominous feeling of uncertainty, which is not uncommon inside such institutions. This gap in knowledge obviously feels intentional. It highlights how often the stories of young people are caught in systems of control and simply vanish without much closure. Rory’s sacrifice contrasts with Leila’s eventual decision to stay at Tall Pines and Abbie’s slim victory in escaping. This underscores just how survival in Wayward is often fractured, with people falling through the cracks of the system, rather than a collective healing.
‘Wayward’ ending explained
Per Marie Claire, the finale of Wayward sees Evelyn (Toni Collette), the head of Tall Pines, as she’s forced to undergo her own drug-induced “leap.” Instead of controlling others, she collapses into a hallucinatory trap of endless green doors. This is a symbolic prison of her own making, one she seems to be stuck in. Viewers don’t even know whether or not she survived the overdose or remains stuck in a type of psychic corridor, but that’s not the only plotline to unravel in the show’s finale.
Laura (Sarah Gordon) gives birth in a communal ritual, serving as unsettling final imagery. Throughout Wayward, her relationship with Alex is tested by Tall Pines’ manipulative pull (particularly suppressed memories of her own from her time at the school) and Evelyn’s insistence that Laura killed her parents. The ritualistic birth scene sees the townspeople declare that Laura and Alex’s baby “belongs to everyone.” This eerie moment denotes a stark shift in the narrative, as Laura transitions from being Alex’s partner and an outsider in Tall Pines to potentially embracing Evelyn’s vacant role as the community’s new figurehead.
As for other major characters, Abbie eventually escapes by car, meanwhile, Leila chooses to stay in Tall Pines, where she can cling to the stability it offers. As for Alex, he toys with the idea of leaving with Abbie and his newborn. However, this turns out to be nothing more than a fantasy, although staying in Vermont doesn’t leave Alex without a feeling of being torn between loyalties.
Of course, it’s worth noting that Wayward never confirms whether Laura is responsible for her parents’ death. Evelyn perpetually dangles this over her head until the finale. Should a second season come to fruition, it will almost certainly explore this topic, along with many others. Overall, the lack of closure reinforces central themes of control, memory, and a sense of fractured freedom.
Will there be a second season of ‘Wayward’?
Netflix has marketed Wayward as a limited series, suggesting that the story is one that can stand alone. In conversation with Deadline, Marton noted, “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 favorite shows, I wish had been one season, cause you do another season and you end up stretching the logic a little bit. But oh man, Sarah, I love her character’s arc.”
For now, the streamer has yet to confirm a second season of Wayward. Still, the show’s popularity and its lingering mysteries suggest we haven’t seen the last of Tall Pines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays Alex in Wayward?
Alex Dempsey is played by Mae Martin, who is also coincidentally the show’s creator.
As Entertainment Weekly reports, the series is primarily set in 2003 within the fictional Vermont town of Tall Pines.