Note: Spoilers Ahead.
Mysterious, spooky and all together ooky: Netflix’s “Wednesday,” the “Addams Family” spin off, is back with a bang, featuring a season filled with lies, deceit and some fascinating new characters (I’m looking at you, Billie Piper). Fans could not wait to watch the rest, and luckily, they didn’t have to wait a long time. The final four episodes of season two came out on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
We start off almost exactly where we left off: Wednesday, as still as we’ll ever see her, nearly dead — comatose after Tyler’s attack at Willow Hill where she accidentally frees him and gets some serious injuries.
In episode five, “Hyde and Woe Seek,” we open with Wednesday in the hospital, arms crossed as if she’s being prepared for her funeral. She seemingly wakes up; however, we find out rather quickly that not only is she in some dream realm, but that Principal Weems (yes, the dead one) has revealed herself to be Wednesday’s newest spirit guide, which was previously her ancestor Goody. And if you’re thinking, “Wait!! Only family can be a spirit guide in the Wednesday-verse,” you’d be correct! However, it turns out they are 13th cousins, twice removed—who knew!
While Wednesday was in the hospital, a whole lot went down, and not everyone is so keen on her attitude anymore, especially her roommate-turned-best friend Enid Sinclair; she is frustrated that Wednesday is still so secretive and, to her, overprotective. Without revealing much, I’ll say that we get to see further development of their friendship, and while many insecurities come to light, they are also more understood.
Wednesday and Sinclair went through a great deal together. From getting paired up as roommates to saving each other’s lives, it’s no wonder that they are close. Jenna Ortega, in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, mentions that “I think their friendship works because of their differences. Sometimes you need someone to keep you tethered to the ground.”
This season (more specifically, the second half) truly digs into why things are falling apart. Wednesday’s inability to let other people help her conflicts with Enid wanting to be there for her, and their bond is strained. However, in the sixth episode, it changes in ways it hasn’t before (Freaky Friday, anyone?).
Ortega and Emma Myers had the exciting opportunity to play each other’s characters, and both did so perfectly. Their ability to copy each other’s mannerisms and act as though they truly swapped bodies was both entertaining and enjoyable to watch. This was an opportunity for us to learn more about Wednesday and Enid, and they got to learn what each had been hiding from the other, and why.
The first half of the season did not have many scenes of them together, so an episode dedicated entirely to the most beloved relationship in the show was nice. They both made some changes for each other, but with those changes, their appreciation toward one another changed. A body swap storyline can be gimmicky and overdone, but I found that it fit extremely well in this show.
As for the most anticipated cameo in the show, Lady Gaga, I found her character, Rosaline Rotwood, fascinating. Even though we didn’t get much time with her, she looked wonderful and made the most with her limited screen time. Additionally, Gaga has released a brand-new song for the show called “The Dead Dance.”
There were many side plots and characters this season, and while the majority of their storylines did wrap up, I wish we had more time to truly focus on how things went down. I did, however, like that we were able to gain more insight on the Addams’ family members, specifically, Thing.
Thing is a curious character and contains much personality despite being a literal hand. In these final episodes, fans were able to learn about Thing’s origin, and by doing so, more about Gomez and Morticia’s time at Nevermore.
All in all, I enjoyed getting to see both Enid and Wednesday’s growth as characters — they both realized that without working on the parts of themselves that led to struggle, they won’t be able to move on at all. Post-body swap, they seem even more settled into who they are and what their friendship means, even though some of that depends on Wednesday’s success in her journey.
As Wednesday says, the Addams Family’s dynamics depend on trickery, and most importantly, secrets. While we found many of these secrets out, I am confident that the showrunners, writers and directors will dig up many more from the grave.
It’s tough to get into why this season was so good without diving into spoilers, but I leave you with this: Sometimes, the most unpredictable ending is the one that suits us best, and it seems like Wednesday intends to keep audiences on their toes for quite some time. With a third season already announced, the cliffhanger we left on will hopefully be resolved soon.
Rating: 4/5 snaps
Wednesday is the best day of the week, it’s hump day. Love it!