Camille Wallace
Staff Writer/Practicum
Spoiler Alert
Jenna Ortega returns to the screen for a second season of the Netflix hit series “Wednesday”.
Bearing her same stoic attitude and witty remarks, her character embodies more than just a moody teen with psychic abilities, a typewriter, and a love for the macabre.
This 8-episode supernatural series dives further into the twisted halls of Nevermore Academy, family secrets, and Wednesday’s unsettling evolution.
The new season picks up after summer vacation, with Wednesday accumulating a newfound popularity after saving Nevermore from Tyler Galpina, a Hyde (as in Dr. Jekyll). Former professor Marilyn Thornhill was manipulating Tyler.
Thornhill, played by Christina Ricci, also played the 90s version of Wednesday. In the previous season, Thornhill used plant-created chemicals to both brainwash and awaken Tyler’s Hyde abilities as part of her revenge plot against Nevermore.
The short series is currently listed as number 4 on Netflix’s Top 10, and this is no surprise, given the amount of traction season 1 received, which ironically was also listed number 4 on Netflix’s Top 10 in 2023.
Speaking of fame, Wednesday despises it, and so enters a new mystery character, Agnes, who can make herself invisible. Her ability ironically adds to her overall character scheme. Her desperate longing for friendship proves useful to Wednesday over the course of the season.
Pugsley, Wednesday’s little brother, joins his big sister at school this semester, and his idle mind unravels a chilling secret of his own family. Long story short, it adds fuel to the unspoken tension between their parents, Morticia and Gomez, further extending their family lore.
Bianca Barclay, a siren student at Nevermore, is blackmailed by an “unsuspecting” character, who uses her abilities to get precisely what they want. Along with Wednesday’s other ghastly endeavors, her brother’s reckless behavior, and her own mother’s intention to do what’s best for her, this detail adds another surprising twist to the series.
After Wednesday’s supernatural psychic abilities reveal premonitions about Enid’s future – her rainbow-loving roommate and best friend – she embarks on a dangerous journey. She has to reclaim those abilities after she misuses them for her own personal motives, like tracking down a serial killer and sealing his fate. Goody Addams is mentioned frequently, as she was Wednesday’s former spirit guide in season 1.
Unfortunately for the dark-spirited teen, Goody completed her mission in the afterlife as her spirit guide and has returned to her spirit form, leaving Wednesday to fend for herself. That was, until a new one presented itself.
This time around, the danger seems more personal. The stakes are higher, the villains more unpredictable, and buried secrets within the Addams’ family prove to be a constant turn of events.
The cast consists of several high-profile additions this season. Steve Buscemi is cast as Principal Barry Dort of Nevermore, who showcases a giddy demeanor and a somewhat complicated and twisted past. Joanna Lumley plays Grandmama Addams, who plays a substantial part in the wedge between Morticia and Wednesday. Singer and songwriter Lady Gaga appears in a flashback as a deceased Nevermore Professor whose legacy haunts the storyline as well as Wednesday’s subconscious.
The second season of “Wednesday” proves it is no one-season wonder. Balancing gothic horror, character development, and humor that is to-die-for, the show continues to evolve. A third season of “Wednesday” has been confirmed by Netflix, continuing the supernatural suspense.
