‘Wayne’: righting wrongs through a violent, yet charming fashion
By Udeshi Seneviratne, Illustrator
4.5/5
“He once ate a frog in class. But not, like, Biology class. In English class.” “Utensils or no utensils?”
At first glance, you may be baffled by the show’s cover. The word “WAYNE” is printed in a Walking Dead-esque font. However, once you start to dive deeper into the show, you realize the title is as encompassing as it can be. The show is about, well, Wayne.
So, who is Wayne? Take a look at this testimonial and you might get a sense of who he is.
“He once ate a frog in class. But not, like, Biology class. In English class.”
“Utensils or no utensils?”
The 16-year-old is always up to no good. The opening scene shows Wayne shattering a glass window with a rock and immediately he gets beat up bloodily, only to stand up, brush it off, and break the remaining window before storming off. All this to take revenge on a cheating boyfriend of his dying father’s nurse. Throughout the series, you can look forward to more instances out-of-the-blue vigilante brute force from Wayne—such the crucifixion of a xenophobic driver to his van and beating up a bully with a trumpet. Even the kids in his high school are more terrified of him than their own principles.
The show surrounds the journey of Wayne (Mark McKenna) and Del (Ciara Bravo), a foul-mouthed 15-year-old that gets looped into the chaos when she sells Wayne some cookies. Del’s mirroring brashness and aggression adds to the show’s hyperbolism, triumphantly showing her nearly cut off a kidnapper’s foot with a chainsaw. The two hop onto a bike and makes their way down to Florida to retrieve his father’s stolen ’79 Pontiac Trans Am. We see the intriguing and ridiculous events that unfold as three search parties are conducted in search of the two rebellious protagonists.
Wayne has immaculate character development. Among the three search parties, we see Del’s father—who had his nose bitten off by Wayne (yes, actually bitten off)—go to great lengths to search for his beloved daughter and is accompanied by her two bickering brothers. We also see a police officer take pity on the boy and cashing in some holiday time to join in on the search. The final party consists of Wayne’s principle and the only friend he has at school, Orlando. Each episode along the series crafts us a glimpse into all the character’s lives, allowing us to see their own tinted motivations behind finding Wayne and Del.
If you are not easily discouraged by Deadpool-style violence, thick Boston accents, and a heavy metal soundtrack, this show was hand-made for you. Wayne is addictive, engrossing, and just dysfunctional enough for you two to be on the edge of your seat at every twist. Wayne is currently streaming on Prime Video.
