Editor’s note: The below review contains spoilers for Wednesday Season 2 Part 2.
Another year at Nevermore is over, but how does Wednesday‘s sophomore outing compare to Season 1? Well, it’s a more difficult question to answer than you might think. On paper, Wednesday Season 2 is technically split into two parts, two pieces of one whole, but in practice, the show ends up feeling disjointed. Part 1 feels like an unfinished opening arc, while Part 2 feels rushed as it speeds toward its finale. It’s never been more obvious that Netflix’s method of breaking up its seasons into two parts just doesn’t work like it should. Whether it’s a bid to hold onto the “binge format” that the streamer became famous for or a move in an attempt to balm over some of the cracks in the veneer of a show, it’s clear in Season 2 of Wednesday that this format is working to the detriment of the narrative.
At the end of Part 1, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) was thrown out of a window at Willow Hill, and Tyler (Hunter Doohan) escaped the asylum to go on the run after killing his master. Part 2 picks up where we left off, but the show reveals new villains who were not telegraphed strongly enough in Part 1 to fully have the same impact as they might have in one continuous season. Ultimately, though, Wednesday Season 2 is just as thrilling as Season 1, but the series should either return to a full-season drop all at once or embrace the weekly release formatting to keep the momentum going.
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Part 2 Brings in Surprising Cameos and Recurring Guests
One of the highlights of Season 2 Part 2 of Wednesday comes in the form of some fantastic cameos and recurring guests. Lady Gaga finally makes her appearance in Part 2 as a chilling and mysterious figure named Rosaline Rotwood, once again showing that she is more than just a crooner and has more than enough acting chops for the screen. Although I was doubtful of the singer’s appearance in the series, worried it might lean too heavily on her musicality, her cameo adds some extra spice to the episode, and I hope we get more of her character in the future.
What really makes Part 2 stand out are the actors who fill out the supporting cast, notably Gwendoline Christie makes her return as Larissa Weems, the former principal of Nevermore; however, this time she acts as a spirit guide for Wednesday. It’s a role that fits Christie even better than when her character was living, as she wryly guides Wednesday while she struggles with the loss of her psychic ability. On top of that, Christie has fantastic chemistry with Catherine Zeta Jones, and the scenes where the two of them get together are easily some of the best of the season.
A moving performance done through just a disembodied head in a floating tank is difficult, but somehow Christopher Lloyd manages it as Professor Orloff. In a surprisingly heartfelt scene with Agnes (Evie Templeton) and Thing, Orloff offers some of the best advice of the series and digs deeper into what it means to be an outcast, even among other outcasts. On the flip side, Joanna Lumley’s performance as Hester Frump, Wednesday’s maternal grandmother, is still one of the most entertaining of the season. Acerbic and sardonic, she delivers some of the best one-liners of the show, and, if the cliffhanger ending of the season is anything to go off of, we will hopefully see more of her in Season 3.
The unfortunate downside of having such a stacked cast means that there’s very little room for some of the other cast members from Part 1 to shine. Billie Piper‘s Isadora Capri gets a bit more development in Part 2, but it comes as slightly jarring considering how downplayed she was in Part 1. Thandiwe Newton‘s Dr. Rachael Fairburn is woefully underused before her untimely death, and Heather Matarazzo‘s Judi Stonehearst barely has enough to work with in Part 2 to be notable.
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Part 2 Doubles Down on Deeper Character Connections
A recurring theme since Season 1 of Wednesday is the connections the show draws to the Addams family. It’s something that allows us to dive deeper into Morticia and Gomez’s (Luis Guzmán) past at Nevermore, but it also turns the Addams family, the prototypical weird family on the block, into outcast royalty. This has always been an issue with Wednesday in that it robs Wednesday of what makes her so unique. Yes, she’s an outcast, but in a school full of outcasts, her peculiarities don’t quite hit in the same way as they are meant to.
Season 2 once again dives deep into Morticia and Gomez’s past as the identity of the mysterious patient (Frances O’Connor) in the LOIS program is revealed to have a connection to the two of them. This creates a double-edged sword of a problem. On one hand, it’s exciting to look into the spooky past of the Addams family and see what mysteries trickle down from the past, but on the other hand, the show runs into the problem of simply explaining too much. Not every villain or significant character needs to tie back to the Addams family, but the show seems hellbent on doing so regardless. It ends up making the episodes feel a bit more like Gossip Girl rather than Wednesday, and it seems like the show will continue going down that path if the Season 2 finale is any indicator.
What also still doesn’t work for the show is its attempts at romance, specifically between the students. While Part 2 finally gives us a fantastic Enid (Emma Myers) and Wednesday episode, something that was sorely missing from Part 1, the lingering romances that come from either Season 1 or Part 1 feel like a waste of time, and burgeoning romances are too underplayed to matter. The biggest problem comes when the show doesn’t know what it wants to focus on. Does it want to explore these grand mysteries that span generations across the Addams family, or does it want to expand on this new generation of students at Nevermore? Season 1 struck a better balance of this, while Season 2 leans far too heavily into the former category.
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Shines Under Tim Burton’s Direction
Although Season 2 has its flaws, what is made clear is that Tim Burton‘s vision as a director is still strong and defined. Directing half of the episodes of the season, Burton helms the final two episodes that unflinchingly lean into the macabre and the weird. While Episode 5 sets up the final leg of the season and Episode 6 is more of a character study, Episode 7 and 8 lean fully into the grander plots of the season and tie them up nicely with Burton’s signature ghoulishness. Never one to shy away from death or darker themes, it’s Wednesday‘s willingness to take risks and lean into the weirdness of the Addams family fully that really makes the series unique.
Unfortunately, Wednesday Season 2 often juggles too many plotlines and characters. Perhaps because the show often holds tightly to the mystery element of the premise — wherein Wednesday is the Poirot/Sherlock on the case — the series leans too far into finding surprising twists that aren’t necessarily set up properly in a way that’s satisfying. The bones are there, the show is full of talent both in front of and behind the camera, and the Addams family is a beloved IP, but lacking a strong focus ends up making Season 2 scattered. With Part 2 ending on a surprising reveal and a character going missing, the setup for Season 3 is clear. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Wednesday
Wednesday Season 2 concludes with a ghoulish flair after stumbling all season and ends the show on another cliffhanger.
- Release Date
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November 23, 2022
- Network
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Netflix
Pros & Cons
- Supporting characters and cameos shine through in Part 2, with particular praise for Gwendoline Christie, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna Lumley.
- Tim Burton’s style shines the strongest through his episodes and his thematic notes keep the story cohesive.
- The two part season break weakens the show’s narrative and momentum.
- The overflowing cast means that previous characters do not get as much time to develop as they might have with a smaller cast.
