Summary
Netflix’sWednesdayhad no shortage of monster mayhem, but if Season 2 stands a chance at topping the explosive finale of Season 1,it will need to double up on the supernatural creatures.WednesdaySeason 1 introduced Vampires, Gorgons, Hydes, Sirens, Werewolves, Shapeshifters, and Psychics. Some of these species play more prominent roles in the series than others; Wednesday and her mother Morticia are Psychics, Wednesday’s roommate Enid is a Werewolf, and Bianca is Nevermore’s most popular Siren. While all of these species live harmoniously at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday uncovers a conspiracy that paints some of them in a bad light, especially Hydes.
As the basis for Season 1, Wednesday is forced to investigate a killing spree at Nevermore, all while delving into a 25-year-old mystery involving Gomez and Morticia. At the same time,Wednesday works to control her psychic abilities, which become apparent throughout the series, and aids her in uncovering the truth behind the murders. In the final showdown with Tyler, who transforms into his Hyde form, Enid finally “wolfs out” and comes to Wednesday’s rescue. In the ensuring chaos, Wednesday and Bianca work together to take down Crackstone, whom Ms. Thornhill has resurrected to massacre all the outcasts.
There were a lot of scenes inWednesday’s final episode that served as a culmination of Season 1’s unanswered questions. For example, Enid finally shows off her werewolf form, which had been teased for the majority of Season 1. The same goes for Tyler,whom no one suspected to be the major monster antagonist. Wednesday and Bianca form an unlikely alliance and Ms. Thornhill, the “normie” teacher, turns out to be the overarching villain despite having no supernatural powers or relation to a species of any kind. However, other than Tyler and Enid showing their true colors at the end,there’s really no other significant moment that shows off a monster’s abilities.
Wednesday Season 2 Should Hand the Spotlight Over To Another Species
In Season 2,Wednesdayneeds to amp up the monster action, which was severely lacking from Season 1. On one hand, Season 1 helped set the scene for Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday in a new world unfamiliar to Addams Family fans. Nevermore was conceived solely for the show, as were many of the characters, so it’s unsurprising that Season 1 takes the time to delve into the cast’s motivations and focuses more on the murder-mystery aspect of the story than the creature-feature side. But despiteWednesdayturning its main character into an unconventional hero and an outcast detective,the series lacks action-packed scenes like Wednesday lacks joy.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the equivalent of a Werewolf-Hyde free-for-all should happen every episode, but allthe Nevermore cliques deserve some development. While Psychics, Werewolves, and Hydes formed a lot of the interactions at Nevermore, species such as Vampires, Gorgons, and Sirens are still very much a mystery to viewers. The only Vampire character even mentioned is Yoko, Enid’s new roommate when she and Wednesday have a falling out. As for Gorgons, the only Gorgon that gets significant screen time is Enid’s crush, Ajax. Bianca is the Queen Bee of the Sirens, but she doesn’t even play an important role until later in Season 1.
Season 2 Shouldn’t Recycle the Hyde Storyline
Really, the only mention of a ‘monster’ inWednesdayis directed at the Hydes. Without them, all the other species are relatively harmless unless provoked or play such a minor role in the story that they don’t pose a threat to those around them. Theoretically, if Enid can “wolf out” and attack Tyler, then otherWerewolves might not be able to control their urgeseither. That could spell disaster in Season 2 if one rebellious Werewolf decides to take a bite out of another student. Likewise,Shapeshifters have proven to be very powerfuland deceptive characters inWednesday, such as when Mrs. Weems pretends to be Rowan to cover up his murder.Gwendylyn Christie’s Principal Weems became a beloved side character inWednesdaydespite her fate. Still, she represented the Shapeshifters of Nevermore and made a point of how often they’re underestimated.
Perhaps inWednesdaySeason 2,a corrupt shapeshifter starts running amuck at Nevermoreand stirring up mayhem. Maybeanother Hyde is lurking among the student body. The Hyde seems to be the most intimidating species of all, so it wouldn’t be surprising ifWednesdayleaned into that again for Season 2. But as true as that is, another Hyde storyline would be a carbon copy of Season 1, so Miles Millar and Aflred Gough will need totake the story in a different direction to keep the plot engaging. If not the Hyde, then a new species might reveal itself in Season 2 to wreak havoc and Wednesday could get caught in the crossfireor assemble a team of students to fight back. From what the Season 2 announcement trailer reveals, it looks as ifWednesdaywill be getting better, badder, and bloodier when Jenna Ortega steps back into the role next year.
