I watched Netflix's new Canadian limited series, Wayward. It had so much potential but no payoff.

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The psychological thriller was released in September. Starting off in Toronto 2003, it follows best friends Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) who are sent to a school for “troubled teens” in Tall Pines, Vermont. They work with the other lead, Alex (Mae Martin), a police officer who just moved to Tall Pines with his pregnant wife, Laura (Sarah Gadon.) The two girls and Alex investigate what's really going on in the academy run by psychologist Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette.)

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It was all filmed in and around Toronto. There are many Toronto street shots, like Parkdale and an old streetcar. A pool scene was actually filmed at the Scadding Court pool at Bathurst and Dundas. I loved being able to see a re-creation of Toronto in the 2000s because I never got to live it. 

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Another plus for me was the show had a good portrayal of queer characters, having two of their main characters being queer.

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I really enjoyed watching it. It was very interesting. It had good cinematography and production design. The story was very intriguing and kept you on the edge of your seat, but the ending left me disillusioned. The story had so much going for it. I was so excited to see where it was heading and how it was all going to tie together and finish character arcs. The end did not really do that, it left me with more questions than answers. Even so, I still enjoyed watching it and would recommend it, especially for the spooky season.

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SPOILERS

The ending tries to leave it to the viewer to interpret, which can work sometimes, but this time it did not. 

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First and foremost, none of the characters got an ending or showed character growth except Abbie, who actually got away. 

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Alex's character had the least amount of development. He was so determined to take down the school and was adamant about how wrong it was, but in the end, he just gave up. He decides to stay and continue being part of the cycle. This was extremely confusing because it goes against everything that had been demonstrated about his character.

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There should have been more closure between Leila and Abbie. Does she go back for her? It is unclear if the reason Leila stays at the school is because she has no family back home or because of the leap. Does she stay there indefinitely and try to change it? For one of our main characters to not even get a clear ending, is a little absurd.

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On a final note I think the show just missed the mark, with many positive aspects but the main thing pulling it down was the story. The ending was just left too much up to interpretation. Instead of an intriguing ending it felt unplanned and unfulfilled.

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