By Emma Coleman, Film and TV Subeditor, and Molly Pullen, Second Year, English
The iconic 2022 spin-off of The Addams Family (1991), Wednesday, returned with a bang in August this year - and Tim Burton, once again, did not disappoint. But we are left to wonder, with the first season of this series being so well received, can it really live up to the expectations of its return? Or will this be another series where the quality slowly depreciates as the story continues?
Emma here. After watching and adoring season one and waiting patiently for two years, I opened up Netflix on the day of release ready to be immersed once again in the Addams Family’s favourite daughter and all her gothic ways. I had high hopes… and it did not disappoint. Firstly, I loved the sneak peek into Wednesday’s summer holidays in episode one - how else would our spooky protagonist spend her summer except hunting down an elusive serial killer?! It acted as a quick reminder of Wednesday’s desire to do good within her own sphere of darkness.
But we were in for a treat as this year at Nevermore we did not only get Wednesday, but more of the Addams Family (God I was so excited!) - Morticia Addams (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), Gomez Addams (played by Luis Guzmán) and Pugsley Addams (played by Isaaz Ordonez). Unfortunately, we did not initially get the united Addams front we hoped for. The raven and the dove came to blows in a true dysfunctional family fashion - the lies, Wednesday’s unrelenting independence, the burning of Goody’s book, Pugsley’s friendship struggles - it really was a case of every man for themselves. We delve deeper into the family when Uncle Fester returns (played by Fred Armisen) to help Wednesday break into Willow Hill, unfortunately getting himself locked up in the process. I loved this unity and contrast between such an eccentric and serious character because we get to see two different, but incredible, minds working together on the case.
Unfortunately, Wednesday similarly alienates her friends in a time of chaos and search for resolution, believing the best path is her own one. After Enid’s (played by Emma Myers) near death under a moving shelf of knives, followed by Wednesday’s premonition of her death in episode four, the black cat and golden retriever duo has never been more divided. The discovery of Agnes (played by Evie Templeton) as Wednesday’s stalker, who turns out to be more of an obsessive servant, in other words Wednesday’s perfect friend, sees our season one besties entirely torn apart.
One aspect of Wednesday that is so intriguing is the stylistic choices that keep Wednesday ‘scary’ but far from being truly terrifying. Despite the pretty graphic content like stabbings, blood tears, zombies and eyes being pecked out, it is still able to be labelled a 12, how? Tim Burton’s clever use of camera angles avoids most direct displays of violence, which removes a bit of the terror and gore, as well as the focus of his scenes always remaining on the mystery - there are a lot more deaths than you actually realise when you think about it! This places the focus a lot more on the mystery, keeping it a family-friendly watch.
Let’s say I was scoring Wednesday a solid 9/10 up until now - well the last episode of part one dropped it down to a seven. The psychiatric hospital episode. Let’s talk about it… The climax was climaxing with Judi (played by Heather Matarazzo) being revealed as the avian, and her secret experiments being discovered - yet this was resolved in a mere few minutes with her captives being released and attacking her. I found this entirely anticlimactic - the first four episodes centre around this woman and she is defeated in the blink of an eye. Then who would be let out except Tyler Galpin (played by Hunter Doohan) - big baddy from season one - to be reused as the villain once again. PS. I’ve seen the edits and girls if a hyde pushes you out a first-story window into a coma, he does NOT love you. Passing over to you Molly...
Wednesday Addams miraculously survives her run-in with Tyler at Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital. However, in a twist of events, former Headmistress Larissa Weems (played by Gwendoline Christie) makes a surprise, posthumous appearance as Wednesday’s new spirit-guide (sorry Goody, it's out with the old and in with the new). Dear reader, you may be wondering how this could be possible, wasn't a spirit guide supposed to be a direct relative of its host? Do not fear! This loophole has been seamlessly sealed with Professor Weems revealing herself to be Wednesday's thirteenth cousin! How incredibly convenient!
Nevertheless, we are delighted to see Christie reprising her role in the series; her sparky, and often sarcastic comments (‘I don’t sashay. Ever.’) are a welcome comedic break from Wednesday's stoicism. Weems’ role in this series manifests itself in her practical advice; she demands Wednesday to embrace a level of 'emotional clarity' to reduce the unpredictability of her actions and psychic powers, ultimately citing her ‘escalating and unresolved tension’ with Morticia as a cause of this inconsistency. Weems may no longer be a professor, but that doesn't mean she can't assign Wednesday some homework. As someone who took issue with the first series’ deviation from the source material, I was more than pleased to see Morticia and Wednesday begin to mend their somewhat fraught relationship. Morticia extends an olive branch by offering her sister Ophelia's journal for Wednesday to study. The Addams Family are unified once again.
The pinnacle of this series was undoubtedly episode six, which elevated it beyond the rather plain 'Netflix acting' the first series was sometimes guilty of. The episode was a whirlwind of chaos, opening with a nauseatingly bright makeover montage as Wednesday twirls to Blackpink’s ‘Boombayah’, witnessed by a courtyard of baffled Nevermore students. Has the world gone mad? You may think so, but in actuality, a Freaky Friday-esque body swap had occurred after Enid mistakenly disrupted Wednesday’s ‘Raven’s Gaze’ ritual. It’s a classic comedy trope, but executed flawlessly by Ortega and Myers, who adopt each other's smallest mannerisms. Their voices, gait and personalities pass for the other to the extent that the audience may temporarily believe they truly had been cursed. The episode also effectively demonstrates Enid and Wednesday’s bond, and Enid’s jealousy at the new closeness between Wednesday and her wannabe sidekick, Agnes.
Now, one thing I couldn't help but wonder throughout my binge-watch session was whether anyone in this school genuinely reaped the benefits of an education? In the entirety of this season, we don't witness any of the students sit through a singular class; there are school trips, detention visits, masked balls, galas, cemetery inspections, and an abundance of coffee breaks (let's be real, we all want to try Enid's pink drink) - but not one hint of a curriculum-shaped lesson. That being said, the protagonists do certainly seem to have bigger fish to fry than their 9 A.M. date with a textbook.
In fact, it must be said the end of this series felt like the writer's room was scrambling to tie up loose ends, jam-packing the two final episodes with dozens of new narrative points. For example, Wednesday finally discovers the manipulation and blackmail of her fellow student, Bianca Barclay (played by Joy Sunday), by Principal Dort (played by Steve Buscemi) - a scheming leader of the cult Morning Song that ensnared Bianca and her mother. Wednesday, Enid, Agnes and some of the former 'Nightshades' (Nevermore's disbanded secret society) band together to expose his offences, including the murder of his former business partner and Bianca's step-father, Gideon.
With Dort removed from the equation (thanks to Ajax with a well-timed medusa moment), our main trio must turn their attention to more pressing matters. Enid discovers that she is slowly developing into an alpha wolf (yes, you read that correctly), and a transformation could mean restricting her to werewolf form permanently. However, in a bid to save Wednesday from being buried alive, Enid is forced to transform under a full moon and flees once Wednesday has been recovered from the grave. Evie Templeton truly shines in these final two episodes, embodying Agnes' insecurities and taking Enid's encouragement to 'be your own psycho' (she means it affectionately, we promise) to heart.
Another new star of the series must be Owen Painter’s masterful depiction of Isaac Night, reanimated from zombie form and making us all uncomfortable with his strange relationship with his sister. Yet, his plan is foiled; his machine designed to ‘cure’ hydes is rejected by Tyler, who has only ever felt ‘free’ in his alternate form. Understandably, chaos ensues: the machine is destroyed, Francoise (played by Frances O'Connor) and Tyler face off on Nevermore’s balconies, until Francoise ultimately throws herself from one of the towers. Pugsley is saved, and Thing comes to the rescue as he rips out Isaac’s mechanical heart with his own hand (imagine being betrayed by your own amputated limb, that’s a new level of tragic).
As Netflix have officially greenlit a third series of Wednesday, we have a few questions that we hope may be answered in this next instalment.
Enid has fled Nevermore Academy as her transformation into an alpha werewolf seems to have been made permanent, but with Wednesday and Uncle Fester seeking her out, will they be able to find her and bring her back to her original form? Principal Dort’s death was another of a long list of scandals for the school, but is Nevermore really ‘never more’ as Agnes said? Will the large injection of cash from Wednesday’s Grandmama be enough to keep the school afloat? Is it possible that Tyler will accept the help of music teacher, Isadora Capri (played by Billie Piper) and join her hyde support group?
Ryan Grant-Khailani
Finally, we hope we will finally meet Wednesday’s elusive aunt Ophelia, who we have – so far – only learned to be a former physic, who eventually went insane due to her own powers. There is a clear set-up for a continuing plot line as – in this series’ final scene - we see Wednesday’s Grandmama unlock a door to a basement vault where a woman, turned away from the camera, has smeared the blood-red words ‘Wednesday Must Die’ onto a wall. A bone-chilling reminder to the audience that the Addams family are not yet in the clear.
All will (hopefully!) be answered in the next series of Wednesday, on-track for a 2027 release.
Featured Image: IMDB / Wednesday
What did you think of the second season of Wednesday?
