'Wayward' series review: Netflix mystery drama goes looking for trouble

Netflix

You're lying on your back on your sofa, crying out for a new show to watch. You're in luck because Wayward arrives just when you thought there was nothing. This new miniseries is set in 2003 and one of our entry points is Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin; they're also the series' creator and co-showrunner), a cop who is moving to Tall Pines, Vermont alongside his pregnant girlfriend Laura (Sarah Gadon) who's originally from said idyllic small town. He's seemingly in need of a fresh start after his stint as a city cop in Detroit didn't go so well, while together they were experiencing some financial struggles.

In Toronto, we meet Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), two teenage best friends going through a somewhat rebellious phase. With guidance from their school, Abbie's parents send her to Tall Pines Academy, a "treatment" centre and school for "troubled teens" in Tall Pines, done via abduction against her will. Leila's mom is considering doing the same thing, but after learning about Abbie's situation, Leila makes her way to the centre in order to save Abbie. However, both of them end up as residents there. They cross paths with Alex who feels that something is off with this town. He starts investigating the centre's practices after the two express that they're there unwillingly. The three of them go head-to-head with the centre's unorthodox leader Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette) as the town's mysteries begin to unravel.

Martin's script for the first episode is pretty much exemplary TV writing, introducing several main characters with layered pasts and presents, as well as conflicts for all of them on top of a mystery that is the unexpected variable. Their specific comedic sensibility also shines through, just like it has done in previous work. An excellent second episode—penned by co-showrunner Ryan Scott—builds on that solid foundation and these two episodes together are sort of an irresistible hook you can't get out of your head. It's an odd, genre-bending mix of drama, dark comedy, police procedural, mystery, thriller and coming-of-age elements, but one that holds water.

When it comes to the eight-episode run overall, the story with its ebb and flow is utterly riveting. Tackling a mostly American phenomenon called "troubled teen industry", which is a highly lucrative and highly abusive endeavour, the showrunners and their writers' room (Alex Eldridge, Evangeline Ordaz, Kayla Lorette, Kim Steele, Misha Osherovich, Mohamad El Masri) use it to dig into child abuse, institutional violence, corruption, mental health crises and parenting. At a more granular level, Alex and Laura struggle with communication in their relationship, Abbie and Leila's friendship is challenged by codependency and a search for one's own identity, while Evelyn is obsessed with control and power, which has ripple effects across Tall Pines. Admittedly, it is a lot for one season, but most of those threads are satisfying and all these characters are distinct and fleshed out.

There's a lot that goes into making it all work, but the show is superbly cast (by casting director Lisa Parasyn) in the first place. Sure, a few "teens" look like they're pushing 30, but recognisable faces like Collette and Gadon are joined by fresh faces who balance drama and comedy rather deftly, the kids with speaking parts fit into this era and sad situation, and everyone plays off one another really well. Yet perhaps an even more impressive feat is the editing (D. Gillian Truster, Dev Singh, Hugh Elchuk), which is working miracles, especially at the centre where you constantly have the headache of a large group in one space. The rhythms and pacing are dynamite; they're harmonising with composer Marie-Hélène L. Delorme's score; the episodes aren't overlong; and most importantly, you as a viewer never lose sense of the geography of these spaces and where characters are in relation to others.

The performances are uniformly strong, notably during the first three episodes and episode six, although Gadon and Lind become symbols for the series' distortions in the latter half when the writers and directors (Euros Lyn, John Fawcett, Renuka Jeyapalan) lose some of their control over the tone and thematic depth. Wayward's swings towards emotional breakthroughs and an exploration of an endless amount of unprocessed (*shudders*) grief and trauma aren't as successful as its relationships, mystery and dark comedy. The dialogue is a bit more generic, a conflict or two feels unearned and Lind's otherwise spirited performance turns into just unaffecting crying—plus, worst of all, her character gets blue-vulvad worse than any other character has ever got blue-vulvad or blue-balled in history of television. How many L's can one girl take?

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but the show could've got more out those emotional swings if the abuse and oppression had slowly sucked the comedic edge out as Alex and others learn more about what's going on, and as Abbie, Leila and their new pals are subjected to more brainwashing. Alex also becomes way too passive as a character despite him being the driving force (wait, don't call it the force, dummy) and a quite straightforward, aggressive guy on the page. The writing's critique of this abhorrent, dangerous system loses momentum, too, and the psychological impact is somewhat overlooked when the season wraps up, though the characters' individual choices in the finale are distinct and they don't tie things up neatly in a bow in a way that patronises viewers. Instead, you're left to interpret things yourself, which is great.

Wayward is worth taking a leap thanks to its thought-provoking story, idiosyncrasies and rich characters. On the whole, it thrives on a rare blend of genres that make for a breath of fresh air in the TV space right now. Plus, based on how it evolves, the creatives clearly felt that as well since the ending does leave Tall Pines Academy's door open for another visit if the series becomes a hit. If that happens, hopefully those creatives are ready to bare their teeth a (rab)bit more when it comes to this subject matter.

Smileys: Story, characterisation, editing, casting

Frowneys: Tone

Land of the free. Just ignore the kidnapping and having to reverse-mortgage your house to afford tuition.

4.0/5

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