Wayward introduced us to a bunch of peculiar characters, and just like Alex Dempsey, we too were intrigued by their sensibilities, their conduct, and most of all, their beliefs. There are a lot of things Alex didn’t know about his own partner, and eventually he realized that there were a lot of dark secrets buried there, and all those cheerful and extremely warm people wore masks hiding their true faces. So let’s find out who these people were and the kind of impact they had on Alex and Laura’s life.
Spoiler Alert
Mae Martin as Alex Dempsey
Alex was an outsider in Tall Pines, and he had no clue the kind of life his partner led when she lived there. Alex, since the beginning of Wayward, felt that something was not right with the people and the place. He saw people really overextending themselves especially when it came to showing hospitality, and he felt that there was something really strange in the way they conducted themselves. The biggest challenge for Alex was to decide whether he could trust his wife or not. I think that he didn’t have much of an option, and he had to buy whatever Laura told him. Intuitively, Alex would have felt that he would get stuck and his child’s life would be spoiled if he stayed back in that godforsaken town. But till the very end, he was not able to escape from there. I believe he was trapped mentally, and he just couldn’t take that step. I would have loved to know how Alex dealt with Laura once she took charge of things. I think there would have come a time when Alex would have rebelled and gone against his partner. It’s likely we will get to know more about it if the makers decide to come up with another season.
Toni Collette as Evelyn Wade
Evelyn had had a traumatic past, and she desperately wanted to get rid of the ghost that haunted her. In that process, she went down a path where she not only ruined her life but also made the lives of the students who came to her academy a living hell. She believed that the only way to get rid of intergenerational trauma was to sever all ties with one’s parents. To achieve that, she went to extreme lengths, and her so-called therapy had a grave impact on the psychology of the kids. Even if a few students felt that they benefited from it, it had long-term consequences, and moreover, the process was really risky. Evelyn did not allow any resident of Tall Pines to have kids, as she believed that one should give birth only when the trauma of the entire community was healed. Evelyn’s personality was such that she could get on the nerves of any rational man. She was the uncrowned queen of Tall Pines, and she had the entire system under her control. I believe she got a taste of her own medicine at the end, as her own leap therapy process backfired on her.
Sarah Gadon as Laura Redman
Laura was Alex’s partner, and after coming back to Tall Pines, she realized that Evelyn needed to be toppled from her throne, as it was in the best interests of the community. Laura believed that she was the change that their movement and community needed and deserved. I feel, though Laura might have had bona fide intentions, she will eventually turn into a villain, pretty much like Evelyn. Laura had killed her own parents, and no matter what she told Alex, she was capable of taking extreme measures if things didn’t pan out according to her plan. I believe there was a side to her that Alex was still unfamiliar with. I think she did love him, but she also knew how to manipulate him, and she used those tactics to make him stay back in Tall Pines.
Sydney Topliffe as Abbie
Abbie’s parents never really showed affection towards her. Her mother did try to shield her or be there for her, but it was not enough. The way her father treated her, how he questioned her ability, and how he made demands of her was just not fair. Abbie only had one friend, i.e., Leila, who understood her and in whose company she felt safe. But that too was snatched from her after she was sent, or I must say abducted and taken away to Tall Pines Academy. Abbie was probably the only person who made it out of the academy alive. There had been others before her who had tried to escape, but they were eventually caught by the authorities, some of them were even killed.
Alyvia Alyn as Leila
Leila’s sister died in an accident sometime back, and she blamed herself for what happened. She also came to Tall Pines Academy to rescue her friend, Abbie, but instead she was held captive there. Evelyn made Leila believe that she had killed her sister, but that was not true. Yes, she had a lot of issues with her sister; she didn’t like the way she treated her, but that didn’t mean that she would take her life. Leila was one of those unfortunate kids who didn’t have anywhere to go. She had the option of escaping from the academy together with Abbie, but she chose to stay back. She didn’t want to become an obstacle in Abbie’s life, and moreover, she had no real place to call home.
Brandon Jay McLaren as Dwyane Andrews
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Dwayne Andrews was one of the most trusted allies that Evelyn had. He was somebody who had sworn allegiance towards Evelyn, and till the very end, he stayed loyal towards her. In fact, he was the one who kidnapped Alex and brought him to the academy so that Evelyn could perform her ritual on him. Dwayne tried to stop Alex once the latter escaped from the academy, but he was unable to do so. Dwayne was killed by Alex, and his story ended there, but it marked a new chapter for Alex. Alex, who was a law-abiding citizen, had killed two people after he had come to Tall Pines (one in self-defense, and the other by choice), and I believe that it would completely change him as a person in the future.
Tattiawna Jones as Rabbit
Rabbit, aka Rebecca, was one of those students who had been manipulated so badly by Evelyn that she felt pride in being her disciple, her slave, even when the latter treated her with utmost disrespect. Rabbit did not realize for the longest time how Evelyn had turned her against Laura. Rabbit and Laura used to be best of friends back in the day, but Evelyn created a wedge between them because she abhorred emotional bonds, and she felt it would stunt their spiritual growth. Had it not been for Rabbit, then I think Evelyn would have successfully conducted her ritualistic therapy on Alex. Rabbit turned on Evelyn at the very last moment, and that, I believe, changed how everything played out.
Isolde Ardies as Stacey
Stacey was a troubled teen, and she was dealing with a lot of mental health issues. She was one of those who, unlike Riley (the kid who accidentally got killed by Alex), wanted the leap therapy to be conducted on her. It felt as if Stacey became a different person after that, and to some extent the therapy helped her. It made her calm, but the point was, at what cost? She lost her society, and she forgot who she was. Evelyn gave her up for adoption to a family, even though Rabbit had requested her to let her become the guardian of the girl. I don’t think that Stacey even remembered the kind of bond she shared with Rabbit, which in a way made the latter realize that what Evelyn was doing was not right.
Gage Munroe as Riley
Riley was the student who escaped from the academy, as he didn’t want Evelyn to perform leap therapy on him. He had noticed that Alex was not like the other cops, which was why he came to the latter’s house late at night to ask for help. But Riley got triggered once he saw Laura, as he knew that she too was a product of the cult. At the end, things escalated, and Alex accidentally ended up stabbing Riley. Before taking his last breaths, Riley told Alex that he had written everything in his scrapbook, making sure that Alex knew that something bad was happening in the Tall Pines academy.
