A decade ago, in an era before “Stranger Things,” it would have been unthinkable for a show to return after three years off the air and expect its audience to pick up where it left off. “Wednesday,” the popular horror-mystery drama focused on the daughter of the Addams family, is one such case in our changed streaming landscape.
Thankfully, the first four episodes of the much-anticipated second season step up to the plate. It may not reach the heights of “Stranger Things,” but with Tim Burton returning to direct two of the four episodes, it’s a consistently entertaining watch. Jenna Ortega continues to be the show’s secret ingredient, embodying the iconic character with a steely deadpan and hilarious, sardonic one-liners.
What works particularly well in this new season was promised by Ortega herself many full moons ago, when she admitted that Wednesday’s love triangle in the first season made “no sense.” Breaking up the dynamic in this new season is certainly convenient — Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe, is no longer part of the cast after sexual assault allegations. The triangle’s third, Hunter Doohan, does reprise his role in these new episodes as the now-unveiled Hyde monster, Tyler Galpin, but not in a romantic capacity.
There are actually no love interests for Wednesday in this first batch of episodes… well, unless you ship Wednesday and her roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), who’s in a love triangle of her own. But gay yearning aside, avoiding that particular trope rampant on high school dramas allows “Wednesday” to lean into its sprawling ensemble while going for bolder and darker storylines, all with a morbid, humorous wink. It’s still a little silly — the third episode takes place at a camping retreat where the bulk of the action is a capture-the-flag game against a group of normies who had double-booked the camping site. But it feels a lot less YA than its first season, with more time to spend with the rest of the Addams family and strong supporting characters like siren Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), who gets to flex her psychic manipulation abilities this season.
That being said, there is definitely more gore this time around. You may want to avoid squishy foods while bingeing — particularly anything resembling eyeballs or brains, many of which are plucked from faces and eaten from skulls in Part 1.
Luckily, the show’s soft pivot allows you to sink into the new season with relative ease, without having to wrack your brain too hard for what happened in the first eight episodes. For one, we catch up with Wednesday over the summer before the new school year begins, where she’s spending her time hunting down a serial killer (for fun, of course), and developing her newfound psychic abilities. In one of her visions, Enid is found dead, setting the stakes for Wednesday to solve her to-be murder as quickly as possible when the school year begins.
Emma Myers and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” Season 2 (Netflix)
With Wednesday (and Thing) returning to Nevermore Academy with noteworthy popularity, having saved the school last season, it’s getting harder for the independent investigator to keep a low profile — and one “Pretty Little Liars”-esque stalker is determined to capture Wednesday’s attention. But the central mystery these new episodes set up runs a bit deeper, intertwined with why eyeballs keep getting plucked out by crows around town.
There’s more than teachers in the line of fire this season, though. The show previously kept the rest of the Addams family at arm’s length to allow a distinguished focus on Wednesday herself, but they’re closer than ever this time around. Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joins her as a new student while he explores his lightning-wielding ability — later playing a role in awakening a monster of his own, in a fun side plot alongside his new school friend, Eugene (Moosa Mostafa, reprising his role).
Now an empty nester in her new chapter, Morticia is approached by Nevermore’s new principal (Steve Buscemi) to chair the yearly Nevermore Gala, which includes the perk of on-campus housing. Having Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán, who plays Gomez, more closely intertwined with Wednesday’s story is a welcome addition this season. Uncle Fester (Fred Armison) also returns for a psychiatric hospital heist that hopefully begins setting the stage for his potential spinoff. The Addams family’s dark ways and incredibly strange diet (e.g. bugs and cacti) are so compelling to watch and lends itself well to their increased screen time.
Billie Piper and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday.” (Helen Sloan/Netflix)
There are a few new characters played by familiar faces, too. Billie Piper plays Nevermore’s new music teacher (who sings a lot) and Thandiwe Newton guest stars as a psychiatrist at Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, where Tyler is being held — both performances that are not flashy per se, but exciting to see such veteran actresses join the cast nonetheless. Lady Gaga is set to join in Part 2, streaming on Sept. 3.
By the end of these first four episodes, Wednesday’s investigation of missing eyeballs comes to a head with a major reveal. It is not immediately clear where the show might go for its second half in light of the accelerated pacing. But based on Part 1, “Wednesday” has found its stride and loosened its grip on boxing itself into the mold (or in some cases, coffin) of YA television, with the help of strong performances and more spooky, delectable production design.
“Wednesday” Season 2, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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