Wayward Season 1 ending explained: Does Evelyn die in the finale?

Wayward, Mae Martin’s eerie Netflix miniseries, follows Alex (played by Martin), a newly arrived police officer in the picturesque yet unsettling town of Tall Pines, Vermont. Beneath the town’s idyllic surface lies a mysterious, troubled teen institute run by Evelyn (Toni Collette), a magnetic, cult-like figure who subjects her students to an intense hallucinatory ritual known as the “leap.” 

Canadian teens Abbie and Leila, portrayed respectively by Sydney Topliffe and Alyvia Alyn Lind, resist Evelyn’s control and begin to plan their escape. They team up with Alex, who has dedicated himself to uncovering the secrets of Tall Pines. Ultimately, Evelyn’s manipulative motives come to light, and in the final confrontation, personal freedom collides with communal obsession. 

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for Wayward Season 1. Reader’s discretion is advised. 

In the end, Evelyn seemingly dies at the hands of Rabbit and Alex, who inject her with toad venom, the very same that she has been using in her students to trigger hallucinations. After Evelyn gets injected, she enters a dream-like state and connects with Laura, sharing her experiences. As Laura gives birth to her baby, Evelyn hallucinates the words she has been chanting to the students at Tall Pines. She confronts her tarumas in increasingly troubling visions, and while her body is seen lying limp in the water. This leads to the assumption that she has passed away. However, creator Mae Martin has refused to definitively state whether the character is dead or alive. 

Exploring the backstory of Evelyn in Wayward Season 1

The penultimate episode of Wayward Season 1 unveils Evelyn’s unsettling backstory, explaining how she became the formidable leader of Tall Pines’ cult. Getting pregnant as a teenager, Evelyn fled her home after her parents took her baby away, eventually arriving in Tall Pines. There she encountered Weldon (Victor Andres Turgeon-Trelles), a charismatic older man whose family mythology inspired the cult’s teachings about “erasing generational trauma.” 

Central to Weldon’s lore is his father’s vision of a green door that he “leaped” through while in a coma, a symbol Evelyn later uses in her own “leap” rituals. Initially a partner in Weldon’s movement, Evelyn grows disillusioned with his thirst for power and ultimately murders him before the entire community. During his final moments, she recites an eerie mantra—describing a silent mother and a door in her mouth—that becomes the hypnotic centerpiece of her hallucinatory ceremonies. 

This flashback reframes Evelyn’s authoritarian presence, revealing how personal loss and betrayal hardened her into the manipulative figure who now lures vulnerable teens into her cult-like school. The haunting imagery of the “green door” and Evelyn’s chant underscore the series’ themes of trauma, control, and the dangerous allure of charismatic leaders.

How does Wayward Season 1 conclude for Alex and Laura

Toni Collette’s performance is (as always) both magnetic and terrifying in WAYWARD. pic.twitter.com/WsOFMUfdwg

— Netflix (@netflix) September 26, 2025

In the final episode of Wayward Season 1, Alex endures Evelyn’s twisted “leap” treatment after being taken into custody. Evelyn attempts to dismantle his relationship with Laura, claiming Laura doesn’t truly love him, suggesting their bond is only his fantasy of a perfect family, and even accusing Laura of murdering her parents. However, her credibility remains questionable. 

Before she can continue, Rabbit attacks her, giving Alex the chance to stab Evelyn with toad venom, seemingly killing her, before escaping. His path to freedom is blocked by his police partner, Dwyane, but Alex brutally kills him with a rock. Returning home just in time for Laura’s labor, Alex expects a normal beginning to fatherhood, but Tall Pines proves otherwise. 

Laura insists on skin-to-skin contact with the baby, and shockingly, the entire town strips naked to hold the child, creating a communal bond with the newborn. Meanwhile, Abbie flees in Alex’s station wagon. Alex imagines escaping with the baby to start fresh, but in reality, stays trapped within the eerie town. Though he convinces himself he’s staying to protect his child, it becomes evident that Laura, not Alex, wields the true power, leaving him bound to a disturbing, inescapable fate.

Check in for more updates on the latest in the world of entertainment.