Netflix just released a brand-new mystery-thriller series called Wayward, and Watch With Us thinks it’ll be your next TV obsession.
Wayward follows a couple who move to a small town and find themselves in a conspiracy involving a local school for troubled teens that isn’t everything it appears to be.
The school is led by the charismatic Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette), who might be running a cult as dark town secrets are gradually revealed throughout the show’s eight episodes.
With the weekend approaching and October imminent, there’s no better time to dig into this particular show. We break down why it’s unmissable.
‘Wayward’ Features One of Toni Collette’s Best Performances
Toni Collette has become something of a modern-day scream queen, with numerous roles in horror films like Hereditary, The Sixth Sense, Krampus and I’m Thinking of Ending Things. And she can add to that growing horror oeuvre with the role of cult leader Evelyn Wade in Wayward.
Collette is adept at playing characters with both warmth and persuasiveness, which is particularly necessary for a role like Evelyn. As a cult leader, Collette needs to be persuasive while projecting an overwhelming generosity and kindness that conceals something far more sinister underneath it. Collette also tends to excel as “kooky” women, and Evelyn has kooky in spades. Disarming and unsettling, Collette makes an imposing cult leader, and her performance could just land her award nominations down the road.
‘Wayward’ Is a Cross Between ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘Twin Peaks’
With its focus on the dynamics of troubled teens, you may just discern shades of Yellowjackets, the Showtime series about an all-girls soccer team who become stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash and are forced to fend for themselves against nature and other, more malevolent forces.
But the eerie atmosphere and small-town-harboring-secrets angle may remind you of another show: Twin Peaks. In fact, it’s very likely that the name of the town in Wayward, “Tall Pines,” is a nod to David Lynch’s seminal supernatural melodrama. Of course, Twin Peaks was also, in large part, about the many interconnected dramas and struggles of the local teens, and the adults who fail to help them.
The Show’s Mystery Will Keep You Hooked
We love a good mystery to have us hitting that “next episode” button over and over, and the many mysteries of Wayward will keep you watching throughout all eight episodes. For one, the focus on a “self-help” cult and what it’s really trying to do behind closed doors is already a great hook. Cults are never not suspicious; that’s their whole thing. So, what’s going on in the Tall Pines Academy? And why did one of its teens try desperately to run away?
And then there’s the fact that the town of Tall Pines seems so perfect — indicating that, at its core, it is anything but. But what’s really going on with it? There’s something weird going on with the town and the woods surrounding it (again: Twin Peaks), with flecks of the supernatural peppered in as well. The only way to find out is the watch the series, and it may or may not provide you with the answers you seek. In which case… season 2 please!
It’s a Must-Watch For Fans of Cult-Centric Horror
Cults have always been in fashion in mass media. From Midsommar to this year’s Opus, to classics The Wicker Man and Rosemary’s Baby, stories about creepy cults have stood the test of time. Stories about cults are always compelling because not only are cults just inherently creepy, but we all believe that we have the mental fortitude not to fall for them. Still, at the back of our minds is the fear that we would. That’s a huge part of what drives the cult intrigue.
Wayward’s mixture of a cult with a school for troubled teens brings the fantastical angle often given to cults in horror a more grounded approach, while still dabbling in elements of the supernatural. Wayward is an interesting blend of different genres and a unique take on a familiar premise that is sure to creep you out.
Watch Wayward now on Netflix.
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