Teen runaways, cryptic reformation schools hidden behind tall pine trees and a close-knit community that seems a little too perfect. It all makes a great foundation for an eerie psychological thriller and Wayward is just that. The Netflix show focusses on a school for troubled teens whose charismatic founder is more of a cult leader than a principal. Just eight episodes long with lots of heart-pounding chases, I devoured the series in a week.

It starts with a broken window and a petrified teenage boy escaping the school. Soon after an officer moves into the town with his wife and the mystery begins as he discovers the school and its founder are darker and more twisted than they at first seem.

Comedian Mae Martin is the creator and protagonist of the show and they are partly what is so captivating about the series. Apart from the incredible performance by Toni Collette, who plays Evelyn, the school’s leader, Mae’s character is striking.

The non-binary actor plays a non-binary cop, married to his pregnant wife. This portrayal of queer characters is refreshing to watch and even more so because their queerness is not the star of the show but simply a detail of the character.

As the new cop in town, they are the only person in law enforcement trying to dig up what is going on in the school. When two best friends get locked up there and try to fight the brainwashing tactics, they team up with the cop to uncover the Tall Pines Academy’s twisted ways. But for Alex, the cop, the story hits a little closer to home as his wife’s secrets begin to unfold.

There is no doubt the show is unsettling and no matter how unlikeable Toni Collette’s character is, she is captivating. And it is upsetting to think that leaders like her and schools like that shown in Wayward exist. In fact, Mae Martin revealed that the story is inspired by their own real-life experiences and the reports of a school system eerily similar to Tall Pines. Creepy and unbelievable but it kept me watching day after day.