Mae Martin’s Wayward exposes the dark world of ‘troubled teen’ schools

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This story contains details about the ‘troubled teen‘ industry that some reads may find upsetting.

It’s easy to find troubling reports about the ‘troubled teen’ industry – a large network of youth facilities across the US that claim to help and rehabilitate young people. This industry is worth millions of dollars.

Whether it’s Paris Hilton detailing abuse she experienced as a teen in her 2020 documentary *This Is Paris*, Netflix documentaries like *The Program* and *Hell Camp* exposing abuse at boarding schools and youth treatment centers, or countless personal stories shared online and in the news, the troubled teen industry (TTI) has a troubling history. Numerous accounts reveal physical, sexual, and psychological harm suffered by those sent to these institutions.

Okay, so I just finished watching “Wayward” on Netflix, and it’s really stuck with me. It stars Mae Martin, who I love from “Feel Good,” and it’s about this boarding school called Tall Pines Academy in Vermont. It’s supposed to be a place for teens dealing with really tough stuff – things like addiction, grief, and self-harm. The setting is beautiful, all rolling hills and greenery, but it quickly becomes clear this isn’t some simple fix-it place; it’s complicated and messy, and that’s what makes it so compelling.

The marketing for this place suggests it’s a nurturing environment where people can flourish, which is especially appealing to parents who are struggling with their own emotional health or aren’t actively involved in their children’s lives. However, the actual experience is far from this ideal.

The school in Wayward is made up, but author Kimberly Martin based it on her own experiences as a rebellious teenager in the early 2000s, and those of her close friend, who was sent to a program for troubled teens at age 16.

Martin told Dazed that she was sent from Canada to a behavioral correction program in the US, and returned with disturbing accounts of the lack of oversight and the methods used there.

I’ve spent two decades studying this topic. It actually started with groups like Synanon in the 1970s, which pioneered techniques for changing people’s behavior. It’s a strange story, and honestly, the details are so fascinating they almost tell themselves!

Martin not only created and wrote the series, but also stars in it as Alex, a police officer who relocates to the town of Tall Pines – where the school is located – with his pregnant partner, Laura (played by Sarah Gadon of *Alias Grace*). This move is a return home for Laura.

Laura was a student at the academy during her difficult teenage years and clearly left a strong impression on Evelyn Wade, the head counselor (played by Toni Collette from *Hereditary*), who is happy to see her return.

Collette delivers a subtly unsettling performance as Evelyn, who doesn’t fit the typical villain mold. Instead of being intimidating, she’s known for leaving thoughtful gifts like homemade treats and food baskets for her neighbors. She gets around on a tricycle, complete with a basket for her goodies, and her style is more cozy craft fair than menacing mastermind.

She’s devoted her life to helping teenagers who have experienced significant hardship overcome their trauma and rebuild their lives – a truly admirable commitment.

No, at first glance there is really nothing concerning about Evelyn.

It only takes a moment with her to realize something is deeply wrong. She disregards social norms and politeness, and her intense gaze feels like she’s seeing right through you – past your defenses, into your deepest vulnerabilities. It’s as if she consumes your inner self and replaces it with something of her own making.

When Alex encounters a frightened young man who has managed to flee the Tall Pines academy and desperately pleads with the police to not be returned, Alex starts investigating the academy’s true purpose. What he discovers is deeply disturbing.

Throughout the series, we see exactly how Evelyn and her team push students to grow, guiding them through challenges – from struggling and overcoming obstacles, to creating and ultimately, succeeding. Those who excel are given a unique opportunity, as Evelyn describes it, to graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives.

Laura’s time at the academy clearly left a lasting impact on her. Even after leaving, its influence remained, deeply ingrained in who she was – almost like a permanent part of her. She’d successfully hidden this from Alex by keeping her distance from Tall Pines and Evelyn, and by being careful not to share much about her life before they met.

Returning to town doesn’t bring Laura peace; her emotional wounds have just changed form, now endangering her relationship with Alex-the one part of her life untouched by Evelyn. This also makes her question her own behavior when she’s overwhelmed and loses control.

Laura isn’t the only student held captive at the school. Her friends, Abbie Topliffe and Leila Lind, are also prisoners there. Alex, a local police officer and the only one who seems concerned about what’s happening, is trying to rescue them.

She was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night by people her parents didn’t know, and they could only listen in horror as she pleaded for help. This is a sadly common experience for teenagers sent to these kinds of programs, where they often lose their sense of self. Oversight of these programs is often very weak, and the rules and staff screening processes differ greatly from state to state.

He then tries to find and rescue her, but ends up being admitted to Tall Pines himself. His mother even takes out a new mortgage on her house to pay for his tuition. The industry that runs these kinds of programs makes an estimated $50 billion or more each year in the United States, where it’s particularly prevalent.

If you weren’t aware of the Trials Taking Initiative (TTI) before starting Wayward, or only heard rumors, the challenges might seem unbelievable and shocking – like being made to hike 50 miles with very little equipment, as shown in the show.

Surely, you might think, this can’t be legal?

Although some programs start with positive goals – helping struggling teenagers become more self-aware and responsible in a supportive community, and encouraging healing through connection with others and the outdoors – their techniques often resemble a cruel practice used to tame elephants. This practice involves separating baby elephants from their families and using force to break their spirits and make them obedient, no matter the cost.

What’s particularly moving about Wayward is how it briefly shows characters finding genuine connection and a sense of belonging, both in the Tall Pines community and at school. For many of the people there, this is a feeling they’ve never known before, and the story highlights what life could be like if things weren’t driven by money, power, or strict beliefs.

Because these positive experiences are so uncommon, Wayward’s criticism of the Troubled Teen Industry becomes even more pointed, forcing us to consider what it actually means to ‘help’ these teens – and to question how we define a ‘troubled teen’ in the first place.

Does adolescence represent a challenge that needs fixing, as Evelyn suggests? Or are teenagers struggling because society, and those responsible for them, aren’t providing adequate support?

It’s clear things aren’t going well for young people, and the systems meant to support them are falling short.

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2025-09-25 10:43