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Despite Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) disapproving, Season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday brought me great joy.
It’s been almost three years since Wednesday first appeared on our Netflix screens like a wonderfully gloomy storm cloud. Showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have refined the show’s formula during this time. They got rid of what didn’t work (goodbye to Season 1’s unpopular love triangle) and increased the macabre elements and involvement of the rest of the Addams Family. These changes, combined with the show’s enchanting boarding school setting, set the stage for more grotesque fun.
Wednesday Addams faces a new mystery in Season 2.
Upon returning to Nevermore Academy (after spending the summer hunting a serial killer, as one does), Wednesday receives terrible news. She’s popular now! The horror!
Indeed, the ultimate outcast has become the talk of Nevermore, all thanks to her heroic actions in Season 1. Wednesday’s new legion of fangirls brings a fun twist to the dynamic of Season 1, where she was more isolated from her classmates. Naturally, this popularity is a nightmare for Wednesday, who prefers infamy to popularity.
However, Wednesday has a more urgent nightmare to confront. While honing her psychic abilities, she has a terrifying vision: her roommate and best friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) is destined to die, and it will be all Wednesday’s fault.
Haunted by this knowledge, Wednesday sets out to save her friend, realizing that Enid’s predicted fate may be linked to other murders in Jericho and to the murder of crows circling Nevermore. Yes, the crows contribute to the Edgar Allan Poe atmosphere of Nevermore, but can’t they find another hobby besides pecking people to death?
Wednesday Season 2 continues to deliver dark thrills and high school adventures.
The killer crows are just one of the many ways that Wednesday remains true to its eerie roots. Wednesday’s visions take a darker turn, marked by black tears that enhance her monochromatic aesthetic and signal that she’s pushing her psychic boundaries to a dangerous extent.
In this season, Wednesday introduces its first zombie: a reanimated student from Nevermore known as Slurp. The show depicts his story in beautiful black-and-white stop-motion animation, reminiscent of Tim Burton’s “Vincent” and Frankenweenie. The brain-eating zombie horror proves to be chaotic (and deadly) fun, while elsewhere, Wednesday delves into a storyline involving experiments at Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital.
Despite Wednesday’s preference for doom and gloom, Season 2 continues to explore high school traditions, from a bonfire to a prank day. The Nevermore spirit reaches its peak during a school camping trip that divides Outcasts and Normies, culminating in a game of “capture the flag” with a unique Wednesday twist.
Season 2 also introduces new faculty members, each bringing their own charm. Steve Buscemi, sporting a Poe-inspired look, appears to be enjoying himself as the new Nevermore Principal, Barry Dort. Billie Piper intrigues as the new head of music, Isadora Capri, someone who may challenge Wednesday in unexpected ways. And the addition of Christopher Lloyd, known for portraying Uncle Fester in Addams Family movies, as a head-in-a-jar professor is a brilliant choice.
Lady Gaga is set to make an appearance as a Nevermore teacher in Wednesday Season 2, Part 2, although Part 1 sadly lacks her presence.
Wednesday Season 2 is a celebration of the Addams Family.
Just as the new Nevermore faculty shine, so do the other members of the Addams Family.
Isaac Ordonez, also known as Pugsley, enrolls at Nevermore to work on honing his lightning powers through practicing some light resurrection. Meanwhile, Catherine Zeta-Jones, playing Morticia, joins the academy’s fundraising committee, leading to her and Gomez, played by Luis Guzmán, moving to Nevermore. The pair begins to ignite the chemistry established in Season 1, although their interactions are not as intense as in previous portrayals of Gomez and Morticia. It’s exciting to see their sweet seductiveness come into play, with a tango scene paying tribute to Addams Family Values adding to the fun.
Family Dynamics
The most rewarding relationship this season is between Morticia and Wednesday, who clash over the latter’s excessive use of psychic abilities. It’s a classic teenage rebellion story: a daughter wanting to use an old family book of spells, while her mother prefers she find a more stable psychic guide.
New Additions
Joanna Lumley joins the family as Wednesday’s icy Grandmama Hester Frump, and Fred Armisen’s wacky Uncle Fester gets more screen time. The jury is still out on Cousin Itt, though.
As Wednesday continues to grow in the Addams Family, it’s clear that she remains the star of the show. Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday as the cold, dead heart of the series is a compliment to her character. With one deadly glare and a dry putdown in voiceover, Ortega’s Wednesday remains a force to be reckoned with, especially now that she’s free from a love triangle. Watching her detective exploits is pure gothic fun, something worth celebrating.
Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 is now available for streaming on Netflix, with Part 2 premiering on Sept. 3.
Topics
Netflix
Streaming
