Netflix released the first season of “Wednesday” on Nov. 23, 2023. Two years later, the hit show returned for its second season, showing how the Addams family is a beloved fictional lineage even 61 years after their creation.
Our favorite member of the kooky-mysterious and spooky family returns to the small screen as Wednesday returns to Nevermore to start her second year. Things have changed not only for Wednesday but the friends she made during her first year.
SPOILER WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Wednesday’s roommate, Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), transformed at the end of last season and is now a part of a wolf pack while grappling with her new identity as an Alpha. After her season-long pursuit of the gorgan-outcast, her romance with Ajax Petropolus (Georgie Farmer) comes to an abrupt end with the introduction of a new character, Bruno Yuson (Noah B. Taylor), a fellow werewolf. A romance decision that has garnered disdain from fans.
Wednesday returns to their dorm room to discover Sinclair’s newfound status, and she also finds her own while being swarmed by her own pack of superfan-stalker turned minions, including a new supporting character, Agnes Demille (Evie Templeton). Invisible girl, Agnes, plays a key role in the investigation and schemes to uncover the grand mystery of this season: “Will Wednesday save Enid?”
Pugsley Addams (Isaac Ordonez) deals with his first year at Nevermore and making friends, including his roommate, fan-favorite bee-keeper and insect manipulator, Eugene Ottinger (Moosa Mostafa). Pugsley soon discovers an undead friend, “Slurp,” who turns out to have more history with the Addams family than initially thought.
With the introduction of new outcast species, including avians, the possibility of hybrid outcasts and possible dark romances, there were highlights of the season that both created and answered questions that have sparked conversation about what to expect in season three.
After the ending of season one and the discovery that Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) was the serial-killing Hyde, he was sent to Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, where he was kept in solitary confinement. Tyler then escapes from Willow Hill and is reunited with his mother, Francoise Gaplin (Frances O’Connor), and, in turn, his Uncle, Isaac Night (Owen Painter).
Night is revealed to us in a rather unorthodox way: he was Pugsley’s pet zombie, “Slurp.” We learn that Night was Gomez Addams's (Luis Guzmán) roommate during their time at Nevermore, and was killed by Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones) after he tried to take Gomez’s powers to cure his sister, Francoise, of her Hyde madness.
Tyler accompanies his mother and uncle as they try to get revenge on the Addams family and cure Francoise of her Hyde. While Tyler is getting more development as a character, the relationship between him and Wednesday is also being developed, with speculation that creators may be writing their romance into fruition.
Gwendoline Christie reprises her role as Principal Larissa Weems, now guiding our morbid protagonist from beyond the grave. Principal Weems is Wednesday’s new spirit guide due to being Wednesday’s 13th cousin twice removed.
We get a deeper look at Principal Weems and Morticia’s relationship, seeing how much they truly did mean to each other, along with Morticia still grieving her friend. We see the caring and sarcastic charm of Principal Weems in action.
Lady Gaga made a guest appearance as Roaline Rotwood, a past teacher at Nevermore who was, as Grandmama Hester Frump said, “a legendary Raven.” Gaga plays a minor role in the show, but she is the catalyst for Enid and Wednesday's body-swap, which leads to a hilarious episode in the series.
Gaga shows once again that she is the queen of whimsical goth and the macabre. Gaga's song “The Dead Dance” was included in a dance scene with characters Enid and Agnes at Nevermore's fundraising gala, planned by Morticia.
Thing Addams takes center stage as we learn about his origins, being the hand of Issac Night after it was cut off when Morticia stopped his plan to kill Gomez. However, Thing was given life the night of Night’s death.
We meet Isadora Capri (Billie Piper) this season as the new head of music, who is especially interested in Wednesday’s musical abilities. We later learn that the werewolf music teacher’s father was a Hyde. This makes Capri’s character the first ever hybrid we have been introduced to, with the thought of possible future hybrid nevermore characters and plotlines being compelling.
The fates of Tyler and Enid are in the air. Enid is now stuck in her werewolf form after having to sacrifice herself to save Wednesday. Tyler has now been freed from the clutches of his mother and Uncle and is now under the tutelage of Miss Capri, who promises Tyler a better life.
There is also speculation of a budding romance between siren Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday) and Petropolus.
Barclay had her own storyline during the season, taking down Principal Berry Dort (Steve Buscemi), who was the mastermind of the cult that Barclay helped her mother escape from.
We are left on a cliffhanger with the reveal that Wednesday’s Aunt Ophelia Frump is alive and, in fact, not missing, but in Grandmama’s basement. Ophilia, who was said to have gone missing from Willow Hill after a breakdown, which left her screaming with black tears running down her face, was in the courtyard of Evermore.
With the phrase “Wednesday must die” scribbled on the wall, we are left wondering what Wednesday’s fate will be next season as she and Uncle Fester are on their way north to find a wolf-trapped Enid. This poses the same question that started this mystery-induced season, “Will Wednesday save Enid?”
RATING: 4/5
