Saagar Kote
Netflix’s mystery drama series ‘Wayward’ deals with the experiences of people who directly or indirectly get involved with the happenings in and around the Tall Pines Academy, a special school meant for the education and care of troubled teenagers. A newly appointed cop named Alex Dempsey takes an interest in the mystery of the academy after crossing paths with a boy who tries to escape from the establishment. Facing a new town and strange people, the police officer faces unexpected challenges as he tries to get to the truth behind the school. Meanwhile, two friends named Leila and Abbie also find themselves in a situation wherein their fates threaten to intertwine with the institution. The show explores ideas of family, following, faith, and loyalty, while also dealing with themes of secrecy and deception. The first two episodes, titled ‘Tall Pines’ and ‘Burrow,’ set things up for the rest of the season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Family Moves Into Tall Pines
The series begins in 2003, wherein a student breaks a window and jumps out, and tries to escape from Tall Pines Academy by jumping over a fence. Chased by school authorities, he falls into a pond and starts hearing voices that tell him about his mother. In Toronto, two girls named Leila and Abbie talk about their futures and music, and miss class. Leila is questioned by a teacher called Mr. Turner, who suggests that she transfer to the Tall Pines Academy in Vermont, US, run by Evelyn Wade, where distracted teens or those facing issues will be helped. Alex and Laura, a couple, move to the town of Tall Pines from Detroit, hoping to get a fresh start and begin a family. Laura is revealed to be pregnant and a Tall Pines native.
Leila and Abbie take a walk and talk about the former being suggested by Mr. Turner to talk to a grief counselor. They are stalked and followed by an individual in a van. At Abbie’s house, her father asks Leila to leave and scolds his daughter for being friends with a criminal like Leila. He also tells Abbie that her friend is a drug addict and that she was involved in the death of her sister. Leila rides back home, still followed by the van. Her mother ignores her and even refuses to talk, after which she takes a look at a brochure for the Tall Pines Academy and burns it. Leila also grieves the loss of her sister while doing drugs. Alex is a cop who gets ready for his day, and he sticks an image of a sonogram on the fridge before leaving. He is picked up by his new cop partner, Dwayne Andrews, who is also Laura’s friend from the past.
Abbie and Leila Concoct a Dangerous Plan
As they drive, Dwayne tells Alex Dempsey that Tall Pines is a liberal place that will accept him and Laura, hinting that Alex is a trans man. To their shock, the boy who is escaping from the Tall Pines Academy runs in front of the cop car, but Dwayne brakes on time. When the two cops step out to help him, he hopes that he has gotten out of the town of Tall Pines, but notices that their uniforms mention the name of the town, and begins to run, with visible injuries. Alex and Dwayne chase him, but he manages to escape. In Toronto, a classmate named Eli flirts with Abbie. Leila convinces her friend to seek help from Eli to break into the school discreetly at night and steal the exam question papers. She wants to ace the exams in order to avoid being sent to the Tall Pines Academy.
Alex reports the boy’s incident to Chief Walter Bartell, who reveals that the boy’s name is Riley Warren and that he is part of the academy, which runs exclusively for troubled young people. Alex expresses concerns for Riley as he cooks dinner for Laura, who is also revealed to be a former student of the academy and was helped by it during a troubled childhood. Laura tells him that Evelyn Wade is not an easy person to handle and that he should be mindful when she visits the station the next day. The couple’s dog, Toast, leads them towards a basement through an outside door. When Alex goes down, he sees that the basement is massive and has a painted wall depicting a strange door which incompletely spells a word beginning with the letters “PONDER.” Laura follows him, but goes back up seemingly quickly.
The Search For Riley Warren
The next day, Evelyn Wade, the head of the academy, visits the station and talks to Alex, who thanks her for helping him and Laura with the house and their move from Detroit. Evelyn addresses the cops and tells them that Riley was making progress at the academy, but an incident during a therapy session led him to attack another student on Wednesday, after which he ran away. Alex questions why Evelyn hasn’t reported him missing since Wednesday, because he and Dwayne spotted him on Thursday morning. The cops plan to organize a search and rescue effort for the supposedly dangerous escapee.
Abbie is insulted by her parents for being shabbily dressed in front of guests, while her sister Claire plays the piano. She is grounded by her dad, but escapes from her room, hoping to spend time with Leila instead. Back in Tall Pines, the local community and the cops start a search for Riley. Alex leaves a snack given to him by Evelyn in the woods, which is picked by an unknown individual. At home, Alex jokingly talks to Laura about wanting to increase his testosterone dose in order to grow a beard. In Toronto, Eli, Abbie, and Leila break into the school and steal exam papers while being high on mushrooms.
An Unexpected Death Shocks Alex
Leila begins to think that she is not a good influence on Abbie and leaves, saying goodbye to her. After Abbie heads back home, she is picked up forcefully by strange men with her parents’ consent. She is then dragged into a van and taken away. Alex and Laura are disturbed by a strange noise at night. The cop finds that Riley is hiding in the kitchen and tries to comfort him. Alex promises that he is alone, and Riley says that he is a good boy and doesn’t want to harm anyone. When Laura walks down the stairs, Riley gets agitated and picks up a knife.
He insists that the academy is hiding something and that it is not a safe place. In a chaotic moment, he runs towards Laura with the knife, and this leads to a tussle between Alex and him. Due to the chaos, Alex unintentionally inserts the knife into Riley, who seemingly nears his death. Before becoming unconscious, he tells Alex that Laura is also one of “them.” After being masked and transported, Evelyn welcomes Abbie to the Tall Pines Academy.
The Indoctrination of Abbie
Abbie is welcomed to the academy by women known only as Rabbit, the one in charge of the girls, and Mule, who cuts her hair. The girl is taken to the dorms after taking a bath. The cops take away the body of Riley in an ambulance and question Alex, who recounts the incident. However, he leaves out details about the specific things Riley had told him. In Toronto, Leila finds out from Mr. Turner that Abbie was shifted to Tall Pines. He blames her for being an addict who is a bad influence on her. Leila storms out and heads home, and is then picked up by Kyle. Claire gives some money to Leila before they leave to rescue Abbie, hoping to see her sister again. At the academy, Evelyn addresses the students on a public microphone.
Stacey, Abbie’s new roommate, greets her and tells her to follow the rules of the school. Stacey is called the “pigeon” and given the role of maintaining cleanliness. She displays weird behavior, checking the rooms of other students. Stacey tells Abbie that there are developmental phases in the academy, which include the Burrow Phase, the Break Phase, the Build Phase, and the Ascend Phase, indicating different and increasing levels of progress made by the students. Leila is ditched by Kyle, who thinks that pursuing Abbie across an international border is dangerous. He drives away, leaving her all alone and on the road. Alex starts worrying about what Riley said before his death, and questions Laura, who convinces him that Riley was having an episode.
Stacey Faces Violence at the Academy
Abbie meets Rory, who used to be Riley’s roommate. He gives her a piece of crayon, which he says will keep her sane. When Alex goes for a jog in the woods with his dog Toast, he crosses paths with Leila, who falsely identifies herself as Jess (her sister’s name). Leila tells him she’s hitchhiking and moves away from him when she learns that he is a cop. At the academy, Abbie struggles to adjust to the food, and a fellow student attacks Stacey violently for being controlling. He is dragged away by the school authorities. Stacey exhibits increasingly strange behavior. Alex goes to the grocery store and meets the storekeeper named Hugo, who talks to him about the incident from last night.
Evelyn waits for Alex as he returns home and hugs him rather awkwardly. Alex, Laura, and Evelyn have dinner, and the cop shows the guest the sonogram image. Leila walks through the woods and desperately looks for any traces of the academy. Abbie is given a “scratch” by Stacey for violating school rules earlier and is made to sleep on the cement floor as a penalty. Alex spots blood from the previous night under the wooden floorboard, but also sees other areas under the floorboard that look covered in blood.
Leila Attempts a Thrilling Rescue Mission
Evelyn talks to Laura and asks her if she misses her parents, who abandoned her at the school a long time ago. When Alex asks what they are talking about, they say it’s a game called Hot Seat, which requires honesty. Alex indicates that he isn’t comfortable with such conversations, after which the guest leaves. Leila manages to reach near the entrance of the academy and discreetly enters a supply van as it stops before the gate is opened.
Alex is woken by a strange sound at night, and she sees that Laura is opening and closing the door latch repeatedly while also saying something to herself. He takes her back to bed. Abbie, who is dyslexic, writes a note to Leila and says there are bad sides to everyone. To her shock, on the grounds the next day, Leila runs towards her, hoping to rescue her. Leila is dragged away by the school authorities, who plan to take her to Evelyn.
Read More: Wayward Episode 3 and 4 Recap
