Wednesday S2 (Part 1)

The goth queen of the 2020s is back, with another mystery to solve. That’s right: I’m talking about Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), who would threaten to kill you if she saw you filming her. 

In this second season, our protagonist faces her own version of hell, as she and her gang of misfits become the cool kids now, for saving the school last season against Prince Charming turned beast Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and her master, Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci). Naturally, our little antihero is unhappy with how much attention this has gotten her. But especially not so when stalkers are on Wednesday’s trail, and trouble ensues at Nevermore: gruesome murders are happening around her, and it’s time to discover who’s behind them. 

The mystery in question starts interesting and very creepy. The first episode, directed by Tim Burton, perfectly captures the sense of eeriness to sell the vibe off. And when the stakes are revealed, they seem particularly high. 

The momentum continues on a compelling second episode, where the sense of dread grows and the apparently strange detours come back to the main storyline in surprising ways. However, when it comes to setups and payoffs, the series either underutilizes newcomers and fan favourites alike, spends too much time on shenanigans which, quite frankly, overstay their welcome, or doesn’t deliver on climaxes and ends up on familiar places. 

Ironically, Ortega’s not the star here. We’ll see if Steve Buscemi has more to do as principal Dort, but we’re gladly getting more of Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and of Tyler. 

Morticia’s backstory is so interesting, and her scenes with Wednesday are fantastic this season. There’s a particularly a moment between the two in the woods that had me hooked to the screen. Legacy and unresolved trauma seems to be a big theme this season. And if the introduction of Grandmama Addams (Joanna Lumley) is any indication, we’re in for an interesting ride. 

Tyler, on the other hand, has more sinister things in store. Hunter Doohan’s fascination with psychopaths continues with a remarkable performance here, and, without saying much, I’m excited for the journey his character will take on moving forward. 

Fester’s (Fred Armisen) a scene stealer, obviously. However, Enid (Emma Myers), despite having a great presence in the season, seemed neglected by the script somehow. At least in part 1. Her storyline, although interesting, doesn’t get that much attention, rushed or brushed aside. 

Who’s compensating for that is, gladly, Wednesday’s new super fan Agnes (Evie Templeton) and, unfortunately, Pugsley Addams (Isaac Ordóñez). Agnes seems like a perfect mixture of both Wednesday and Enid, so it’s interesting to bring her skills to the mix. As for Pugsley, the character is fun, but his storyline is quite absurd and mainly pointless. He’s just okay. 

But okay is not enough for a show we had to wait three years for. Especially when the first season was such a breath of fresh air for the platform. 

Wednesday took the wrong lessons: bigger is better. When in fact keeping it tight and focusing on expanding on its characters, rather than replacing them for shiny new toys, was the way to go. Oh well, we’ll see on September 6th what the season was all about.