Wayward

Trailer.

Available Summary:

Nothing is what it seems in Tall Pines. After an escape attempt from an academy for troubled teens, two students, Leila and Abbie, join forces with a newly-appointed local police officer, Alex, in unearthing the town's dark and deeply rooted secrets.

-Wikipedia.

Jack's Summary:

The relaxed trans characterisation in this show is probably one of its best qualities. I also liked the show's premise and spookiness, before it got too bogged down and (dare I say it) wayward. My main complaints with the show would be its writing, pacing, and ending, but you can read general reviews to get more information about that stuff. I still think it's worth a watch,

In summary, the show has two major storylines; teenagers Leila and Abbie trying to escape a youth institution, and Alex investigating the institution (and its surrounding town) from the outside, after moving there with his pregnant wife, Laura. The pair are unofficially married, since they cannot legally be spouses. This article addresses why Martin, who is non-binary and uses they/them, chose to play a trans man:

"The show’s set in 2003, and I think there wasn’t a lot of fluency around non-binary identity then, and not a lot of they/thems," Martin noted, adding that playing a man "just made sense" to them. "Who knows where I’ll end up on that spectrum? But it felt pretty natural to me as an actor. More natural than it would’ve been to play a woman."

The first dialogue we get specifically focusing on Alex's gender identity is when his new colleague Dwayne, a police officer working at the Tall Pines station, tells him, "It's a small town," and after seeing Alex's nervous reaction, clarifies, "But not a small town mentality, if you're worried. Tall Pines is actually a pretty liberal place... You and Laura won't get any stick. You'll be one of the guys."

In the same conversation, we get a hint that Alex is not a particularly good person, although it takes the show a long time to circle back to this fact and flesh it out. When Dwayne asks about an incident in Alex's past, Alex nervously insists that what he did was "by no means excessive force," while also admitting that his conduct was "not ideal". This sets the scene, albeit in a vague way which isn't expanded upon for a while, for Alex indeed using excessive force a few episodes later, straddling a subdued man and beating him unconscious.

Alex is a walking, talking example of police brutality, but the show doesn't properly lean into it until the second-last episode, with this dialogue:

ALEX: My dad was violent. I used to stand there and watch it happen. Watch him beat her up, and... I should've killed him.

DWAYNE: Okay. So, what, you said, "Next time, I won't freeze like that again". Right? "I'll be ready, I'll act." So, you put on a uniform and bust some skulls?

ALEX: Yeah.

This aspect of Alex's character, and the violence which hides beneath his jokey, pleasant exterior, felt more consistent and understandable during my rewatch.

When introducing Alex to his new colleagues, his superior is a little awkward when saying, "him," clearly not used to having a trans person around. It's subtle, it's realistic, and I appreciated the non-hostile, clumsy interaction. Alex is more focused on the strangeness he's already noticed in the town, including a terrified runaway from the institute, and the other officers are more focused on hiding the town's secrets. No time for gender discourse when you're dealing with a generations-strong cult.

Later in this first episode, we see Alex shirtless, revealing that he has had top surgery. He then lays with Laura in bed. She strokes his face and remarks, "There's still no stubble." Alex says, "Yeah, I know... Maybe I should up my dose," referring to his testosterone. After a moment, he jokes, "Bet you never imagined the father of your kid looking like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone." His wife smiles and replies, "Alex, everything I ever imagined, you blew it right out of the water."

I loved this gentle interaction. Plenty of trans men struggle with testosterone not changing things as expected; facial hair not growing fast enough, voice not deepening as desired, etc. It was nice to witness this interaction, showing a woman in love with a trans man who is experiencing such struggles.

The show then largely moves on, focusing on the town and its dark secrets. Even when Alex physically and verbally fights with townspeople and cult leaders, his gender is not brought up. His aggression, history of excessive force, and intergenerational trauma is the focus, consistent with the cult's beliefs about severing emotional ties to fix weaknesses. He is treated like everyone else. Everyone has trauma that the cult can latch onto.

The most awkward commentary on Alex's gender identity comes from Leila. Alex comes across her as she is trying to find the institute, intending to rescue her friend Abbie. Upon hearing that Alex has only recently moved to the town, Leila scoffs and says, "Yeah, I figured you weren't from here. Queer people who grow up in small towns generally get the hell out." Alex seems uncomfortable with this comment, and she adds, "No offence. I'm bi."

Alex is a potentially straight man who wishes to live as a typical father and husband, has given no indication that he identifies with the word "queer," and is being labelled that way based solely on his non-passing (for lack of a better descriptor) voice and appearance. He has not introduced himself as being queer, he has been labelled that way by a stranger. I can understand why he is uncomfortable. It's called a reclaimed slur for a reason. If someone hasn't reclaimed it, it's just a slur when used to describe them. I personally remember that word being used quite violently in the early-2000s, particularly. For example, see this episode of Cold Case.

In the following episode, Leila (now institutionalised as well, following the failed rescue) tells Abbie that Alex can help them escape. Abbie is doubtful, saying, "Cops just swing their dicks around, dude." Grinning, Leila says, "I don't think he has a dick." I did not appreciate this dialogue. The first trans man who had phalloplasty bottom surgeries was Laurence Michael Dillon, born in 1915, with the surgeries starting in 1946. Alex could indeed have a dick. She has no idea. Commenting on what might be in a trans man's pants is gross, even as a joke... Especially when that comment seems to be largely based on Alex's non-passing traits, since Leila knows virtually nothing else about him.

It all feels quite realistic to an immature teenager's mindset, to be fair, and it also captures my own experience as an FTM transsexual living in a small town. Among those who know about my trans status, I've found that cishet people will typically accept me and avoid commenting on it, unless I bring it up first. They might be awkward initially, like Alex's colleagues, but they don't make a big deal out of it (with a few nasty exceptions). Cis LGB+ townspeople, however, will make comments which label me, out me to others, and make assumptions informed chiefly by their own lived experience. It's not a universal issue by any means, but it is a theme I've heard other trans people discuss. I can't fault the writing for being accurate to my experiences, I suppose.

Moving on, I really enjoyed a sex scene in the fifth episode. Laura assumes a verbally- and physically-dominant role, issuing commands to Alex and standing above him. I appreciated the portrayal of a pregnant woman being sexually assertive, and her attraction to her trans husband. It's fantastic whenever a show dares to do something a bit different.

I do think this show is worth watching, if you're looking for representation of a trans man in a committed relationship with a woman.