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It's always a good time to watch a psychological thriller, but there's no denying that binge watching a series like Wayward feels even more on-theme when the weather starts to get chilly. As evening falls earlier and earlier, and we begin grabbing our sweaters and tea, it just provides a whole other sensory experience! (And it doesn't hurt that a blanket is the perfect thing to hide behind when a show gets spooky). Well, the series is available to stream on Netflix now, and we've broken down exactly what was happening during the Wayward ending — keep reading for the full rundown.
Here's exactly what happened at the end of Wayward, streaming on Netflix now.
The 'Wayward' ending, explained.
The final episode of Wayward opens with a pretty shocking turn of events: Alex is about to embark on his Leap (which we've learned is basically just drug-induced torture), but when Rabbit sees a brand new family is adopting Stacey, Rabbit decides to use the drug on Evelyn instead. The teacher ends up hallucinating and overdosing, but has one final bombshell before she dies: Laura killed her own parents.
“I think Laura genuinely believed that she didn’t kill her parents," Sarah Gadon (Laura) told Netflix. "That’s how I approached it — like she really has this conviction that she did not do something like that, and it was an accident. Denial is a very, very powerful thing.”
Laura, meanwhile, is about to give birth and Alex gets there right in time, but not before killing Dwayne on his way. Alex can't shake the unsettled feeling that's come over him, especially since (as Netflix puts it), Laura's "decided that their newborn is actually 'everyone’s.'”
Disturbed by everything that's gone down, Alex wants to take both the baby and Abbie, get out of town.
What happens to Alex at the end of Wayward?
Netflix
Finally friends again, Abbie and Leila escape the camp with Rory before they get split up: Leila returns to camp, and Rory kisses Abbie before surrendering to the town, so Abbie can escape Tall Pines in Alex's car.
But the final moment is the one that really sticks with you. Alex and the baby join Abbie in her escape, and they have a sweet conversation about how Abbie isn't a bad kid, and how Alex will always be a protector. But at the last second, you realize it's just Alex's imagination, and he's still in Tall Pines with the baby — which means the claim that Abbie's a bad kid still hangs over her as she leaves town on her own. Yeah, devastating.
“I like the moral ambiguity and gray area of the finale. I hope people feel satisfied that they watched a really messed-up kind of fairy tale,” Mae Martin (who created the show and plays Alex) said in the interview with Netflix. “Ultimately, I just hope it stays with people.”
How many episodes are in Wayward on Netflix?
Netflix
There are 8 episodes of Wayward on Netflix, and they're all available to stream now!
- Season 1, Episode 1 "Tall Pines" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 2 "Burrow" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 3 "Break" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 4 "Mud" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 5 "Build" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 6 "Mirror" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 7 "Ascend" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
- Season 1, Episode 8 "Leap" premiered on Netflix September 25, 2025
Who's in the Wayward cast?
Netflix
The Wayward cast includes:
- Toni Collette as Evelyn Wade
- Mae Martin as Alex Dempsey
- Sarah Gadon as Laura Redman
- Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila
- Sydney Topliffe as Abbie
- John Daniel as Rory
- Elizabeth Adams as Ello
- Milton Torres Lara as Daniel
- Joshua Close as Duck
- Tattiawna Jones as Rabbit
- Isolde Ardies as Stacey
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