This week, while working from home, I had Wayward playing softly in the background on my tablet and I really let it sink in.

While it’s not an exact parallel to JVA (including the fact that we were technically adults), the similarities in tone and experience were striking. The rhetoric, punishments, humiliation, peer surveillance, and that locked-in, isolated feeling all felt familiar. There’s also that same undercurrent of quiet pressure, cult-like dynamics, and intense loyalty from some participants that many of us will recognize.

I highly recommend giving it a watch. It’s a powerful and thoughtfully told story, directed by Euros Lynn. I’m not sure yet if there will be a second season, but it’s absolutely worth your time.