Wayward Ending Explained: What Is the Leap and What Will Happen to Tall Pines?

Netflix’s thriller Wayward transports viewers to a seemingly idyllic town in the Pacific Northwest, a community built around the controversial Tall Pines Academy. The institution, which caters to troubled adolescents, is run by the charismatic and imposing Evelyn (Toni Collette), a leader who claims to have a revolutionary method for solving the challenges of teen angst. The show’s central conflict is ignited by the arrival of a new police officer, Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin), and his pregnant wife, Laura (Sarah Gadon). While Laura is drawn to the town’s promise of safety and community, Alex grows increasingly suspicious of Evelyn’s methods and the unnatural tranquility of the town, suspecting a sinister reality lurks beneath the polished surface.

Wayward builds its suspense by following Alex’s investigation as he connects with students desperate to escape the academy’s control. This sets him on a direct collision course with Evelyn, forcing a tense battle of wills that threatens to expose the dark secrets the town has fought to keep buried. The narrative steadily escalates toward a dramatic conclusion that promises to answer the show’s core mysteries, unveiling the true nature of Evelyn’s institution and the ultimate price of peace and conformity in Tall Pines.

Warning: Spoilers below for Netflix’s Wayward

How Does the Leap Work in Netflix’s Wayward?

The central mystery of Netflix’s Wayward revolves around Tall Pines Academy, an institution for troubled teens helmed by the mysterious Evelyn. As episodes go by, we see the students of Tall Pines enduring psychological torture, physical labor, and controversial therapy sessions designed to break their spirits. It’s hard to imagine Tall Pines’ methods could lead to functional adults, yet the nearby town is populated exclusively by Evelyn’s former students. While there are obvious emotional wounds at the core of this community, people are surprisingly happy in Tall Pines, which means Evelyn’s abuse works, to a certain extent.

The key to the Tall Pines students’ miraculous transformation is a process called The Leap. The method, created by Evelyn herself, involves undergoing hypnosis while under the effects of a hallucinogen extracted from a local frog. While in this altered state of mind, Evelyn guides her students to block traumatic memories and completely sever the emotional connection they feel for family members.

Untethered by their past mistakes and emotional obligations to blood relatives, the people who go through The Leap are ready to become productive members of Tall Pines. The community itself was founded by Evelyn on the belief that people are destined to pass on their trauma to newer generations, so happiness can only be achieved by creating a society of emotionally free individuals.

Of course, there are some severe side effects to The Leap. Without the memories that made them who they are, the survivors of the process have their entire personality altered, often becoming docile and easy to manipulate. Plus, the severance of family ties means that people who go through the process are also unable to love even the children they gestate themselves. That’s what leads to Laura’s uprising against Evelyn.

What Will Happen to Tall Pines After Laura’s Revolution?

Once Laura returns to Tall Pines with her husband, Alex, she’s forced to confront her past, slowly realizing there’s something wrong with Evelyn and the town. The fact that Alex is not a former student of the local institution makes it easier for him to question Evelyn’s methods, which eventually leads Laura to realize that it’s not normal that she is pregnant with a child she is incapable of loving.

Alex starts to investigate Evelyn, willing to expose Tall Pines and close the institution down. At first, Laura seems to be supporting her husband’s endeavors. However, Laura has other plans. While she agrees Evelyn must be stopped, Laura is convinced that the sense of community and connection that the people of Tall Pines experience is worth preserving. So, she wants Evelyn out of the picture so she can become the new spiritual leader of the town.

By the end of Wayward, Laura had convinced enough people to join her cause. The birth of her child marks the beginning of a new era for Tall Pines, as the community embraces the newborn infant as their own, and the baby becomes the symbol of hope for a better future. Plus, Evelyn overdoses after Alex injects her with the hallucinogen when he’s escaping Tall Pines Academy, leaving her throne vacant for Laura to take over. While Wayward never confirms if Evelyn dies, it’s clear she no longer counts on the blind support of Tall Pines’ citizens, which means the school will likely fall under new management.

That’s far from a happy ending, though. Wayward reveals Evelyn began her reign in Tall Pines after murdering the leader of a small hippie community she felt was in the way of true enlightenment. Laura has the same killer instincts, as she murdered her own parents before undergoing The Leap. That means the new community being raised from the ashes of the previous one is once again being led by a ruthless woman who believes wholeheartedly that her methods are better than her predecessor’s.

Why Did Alex and Leile Decide to Stay Behind?

By the end of Wayward, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leile manage to escape Tall Pines Academy. However, once they are outside the institution, Leile decides to go back. As she explains to Abbie, while the methods of Tall Pines Academy are controversial, they can help her. Leile’s mother is happier now that Leile is gone, and Leile herself is scarred forever by the death of her sister, which she believes she caused. Because of that, Leile thinks that The Leap is a genuine opportunity to forget her past and start anew, supported by a community that’s willing to give her a chance to become a different person.

Abbie promises to come back for Leile, but if she really goes through with The Leap, she won’t have the emotional connection she once did for her friend. So, whatever happens next after the credits roll, Abbie and Leile’s friendship is over. This bleak conclusion also has some weird thematic repercussions, as Leile’s acceptance of The Leap is a validation of Evelyn’s methodology as a true path for healing. Unfortunately, the final episode of Wayward struggles to make sense of the whole story.

Alex also decides to stay with Laura at the end of Wayward. He fantasizes about fleeing the town with his baby and joining Abbie in her escape, hoping they can use their shared trauma to build a better life as a found family. However, Wayward ends with Alex resigning himself to being part of Laura’s new cult. 

It’s unclear what Alex’s motivations are. He did kill a man in cold blood while leaving Tall Pines Academy, so Alex knows he will be in legal trouble without the substantial support of Laura’s inherited network. The fact that he is prone to violence could also have influenced his choice, as he can’t really judge Laura for killing her parents. Finally, Alex could have accepted that if he leaves with the baby, he’s destined to pass on his trauma to the child. Once again, Wayward sends mixed signals, with Alex potentially embracing the idea that family bonds are necessarily nefarious, and a detached community is the only hope to raise better humans.

Wayward is available on Netflix.

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