Wednesday is digging up secrets and lies surrounding the Addams family, sometimes literally. It’s also clearing up burning questions that were never answered since the very beginning of the franchise that began with the 1964 TV series The Addams Family. The second part of season two finalizes the story for this school year. It also sets things up beautifully for more deliciously evil fun to come in the confirmed third season. And while the plot centres around Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), who continues to do a fantastically deadpan job at portraying the morbid teen, the biggest standouts in this half of the season are the new characters.
Note: light spoilers for season 2, part 2 of Wednesday.
Wednesday Season 2 Shines the Spotlight on Family Dynamics
Following the first half of season two of Wednesday, which was released last month, Wednesday’s back half of season two uncovers a lot more about the Addams family. Secrets, lies, and fractured relationships are the root of all their issues. This partly results in Wednesday’s loss of her psychic abilities.
There’s a lot of personal growth through the final four episodes of the season as Wednesday and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) work on burying the hatchet and building a better relationship with one another. The family, including Wednesday, actually show they care about Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), even if they find him remarkably unremarkable. And the friendship deepens between Wednesday and Enid (Emma Myers), though Wednesday still refuses to openly acknowledge that she cares as much as she does for her quirky roommate. Even Wednesday’s obsessed stalker Agnes (Evie Templeton) manages to tap into her own sense of self, actually get Enid to like her, and prove she’s actually useful.
As it turns out, Morticia and Gomez (Luis Guzmán) are more deeply involved in the saga with Tyler (Hunter Doohan), the Hydes, and Nevermore Academy than Wednesday realized and that they’d like to admit. Apparently, both were busy bees while attending Nevermore Academy decades ago, getting mixed up in a lot of the drama, much of which dredges up old problems that cause the commotion every season. This time, it culminates in a stand-off with one of the most compelling new characters this season, “Slurp,” eventually revealed to be former scientific genius Nevermore student Isaac Night. Owen Painter, a relative newcomer on the acting scene, absolutely nails the role. I expect he’ll be scoring plenty more gigs to come after his thrilling performance. You can’t keep your eyes off him whenever he’s on screen, especially as the zombie-like rot slowly melts away to reveal an actual human beneath the grunts and groans.
His role is heavily tied to another major family on the series, which further expands the story and, in a weird way, ties back to the original series and the franchise as a whole. His presence and the reveal of his identity is clever and also clears up loose ends we never knew we needed. One of the most interesting aspects is how it relates to a backstory for Thing (Victor Dorobantu) who has never really known where, or rather who, he came from. Yes, even Thing has moments to shine this season, bringing a level of both heroism and humour. It’s nice to see the show highlighting one of the most unique “characters” ever on television, and the storyline fits beautifully within the plot.
The New Characters Outshine the Old
While Ortega, Zeta-Jones, Guzmán, Sinclair, Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), Georgie Farmer (Ajax Petropolus), Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), and other returning characters are just as engaging as in the first season and first half of season two, it’s the new season two characters who continue to outshine them in this second half of the season. This includes Steve Buscemi as Principal Barry Dort, Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump, Frances O’Connor as Françoise, and Templeton.
Characters that initially seemed one-dimensional in the first half of the season finally become far more interesting, stories that either make them more likable, more loathed, even a little of both. Gwendoline Christie is a surprise return reprising her role as Larissa Weems. But her presence is felt in a much different way. It’s more pleasing, in a way, and allows Christie to show off her tremendous range as an actor. She’s a welcome return to the cast.
With another memorable dance sequence this season (it still doesn’t hold a candle to Wednesday’s often mimicked school dance scene from season one) and a hilarious Freaky Friday moment that will leave you laughing and thoroughly confused, these are four deeply entertaining episodes.
The stories are exaggerated and dark, but the themes of outcasts fighting dangerous, unhinged other outcasts as well as “normies,” and people of all kinds coming together, mirrors real life. The coming-of-age challenges the kids face, family strife, a desire to protect the ones we love, and a desperate need to feel accepted and fit in, are all universal feelings to which anyone can relate. We really aren’t all that different, after all, even kids who turn into werewolves when there’s a full moon and who shoot electricity from their fingers.
There are some puzzling moments where clearly evil characters are spared, secret familial connections revealed, and let’s not forget Lada Gaga’s completed wasted role – it’s really more of a fleeting cameo. There are predictable twists and a few unpredictable directions the story goes in. But the way the plot is driven forward will keep you invested, even if you really need to suspend belief and let a few glaring plot holes go. The cliffhanger ending especially will leave you wanting more, curious to see where the investigation takes Wednesday next.
Wednesday has been renewed for a third season, though there’s no official premiere date just yet. Hopefully, there won’t be another two and-a-half year wait between seasons. There’s too much danger lurking in the shadows and people Wednesday needs to save to leave us hanging for that long again.