If you’ve found yourself captivated by Netflix’s new eerie thriller, Wayward, then welcome to the club or should we say… cult.
The eight-episode limited series from Mae Martin had audiences gripped from the outset but it was the show’s finale that had everyone talking.
There was more than one grisly death, a water birth and a dramatic escape leaving us with just as many questions as we got answers.
What Happened In The Ending Of Wayward?
So, let’s unpack that twisted Wayward ending, shall we? The Wayward finale episode begins with Evelyn confronting Laura with the news that she’s kidnapped Alex. During the visit it becomes clear to the Tall Pines leader that Laura is becoming a new head figure of the community and threatening her position as cult leader.
Over at the institution Abbie, Leila and Rory hatch a plan to escape. Despite all their previously foiled attempts, this one works. They only make it so far however before Leila, having been swept up by Evelyn’s manipulation, decides there’s no home for her to return to and reveals she plans to stay after all.
As for Rory, well he sacrifices himself as a distraction to let Abbie after they find themselves cornered in a garden shed. But, not before they finally give into their feelings and kiss – Rory, so sweetly declaring it the best day of his life before running to face three of Tall Pines’ security team.
Alex wakes strapped to a chair in the Tall Pines basement to Evelyn trying her cult therapy on him. However, she’s attacked by Rabbit in an attempt to free Alex before he manages to wriggle free and stab her multiple times. As Evelyn dies she hallucinates to the sound of her own mantra about the door.
On his way back to town, Alex is jumped once again by Dwayne before getting the upper hand and brutally killing him with a rock – before he makes his final blow however, the fellow police officer says “I see you”. It’s a nod to Alex’s darker, violent side that’s slowly been surfacing throughout the season.
Finally, Alex makes it home to find Laura giving birth. The baby is delivered safely with the new mum immediately requesting the bub be held skin-to-skin. As Alex cradles the baby, the fellow Tall Pine graduates begin removing their clothes to also take turns holding the newborn. It’s a final confirmation that this is to be the new order, the new way, with Laura saying: “It’s everyone’s, it’s the only way to break the pattern.”
She’s referencing the idea that Tall Pines is based on: that generational trauma should be severed.
In the final moments of the finale it looks as though Alex is going to flee with the baby, meeting Abbie at the getaway car before they drive off together.
As they both praise one another for their bravery, Abbie calls Alex her protector and for a short moment it appears the three will become a family together.
Suddenly, the scene switches and Alex is back at home with Laura and the baby as we see Abbie driving away from Tall Pines alone.
So what does it all mean?
The Wayward Ending, Explained
As real as it seemed, it turns out Alex fleeing to meet Abbie was all just a fantasy. The final scene on the porch is meant to show us that the car scene was all in Alex’s head.
While Abbie did seemingly escape, it was Alex who couldn’t shake the hold Laura has over him, choosing instead to stay.
“I like the moral ambiguity and gray area of the finale. I hope people feel satisfied that they watched a really messed-up kind of fairy tale,” Martin told Tudum. “Ultimately, I just hope it stays with people.”
One of the big questions remaining for viewers is what really happened to Laura’s parents? As Evelyn dies she warns Alex that the woman he loves is far darker than she lets on and is in fact, the person who is responsible for her parents deaths.
There are some clues that this is true – namely the scene earlier in the show where Laura dives into the lake late at night to swim down to her parents sunken car and her lack of emotion any time the topic of their deaths is raised.
Could this point to a possible second season that explores the new era of the cult? We’ll have to wait and see.
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