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It's crazy to think that it has been three years since the first season of Netflix's Jenna Ortega-led Wednesday series premiered, and now Season 2 is here.
Picking up after Nevermore's summer vacation, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is back, ready to solve more mysteries. Her brother, Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), is entering his first year at Nevermore as well.
So, she has to deal with that while she is also being stalked. Her newfound popularity, due to her solving the first season's mystery, is yet another hurdle she faces.
Tim Burton once again returns to direct two of the first four episodes. Paco Cabezas takes over to direct the second and third episodes of the second season. There is a clear drop-off when Burton isn't in the director's chair, but the season collectively gets off to a good start in the first four episodes.
The biggest problem is Netflix's insistence on splitting up seasons of its shows. It keeps the conversation around the series going, but it sacrifices the pacing. The second half of Wednesday Season 2 is set up to be better than the first, but we'll have to see how they cap it off.
Wednesday Season 2 review
The collaborative relationship between Burton and Ortega was a match made in heaven. Ortega fit perfectly into Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and their Wednesday collaboration has done wonders for the show.
Burton is the best filmmaker to have directed episodes of it. He brings his unique flair to the premiere of Season 2. The biggest giveaway is the animated sequence in the premiere episode that harkens back to The Nightmare Before Christmas.
He has always toed the line of scary and fun. Wednesday, which is rated TV-14, pushes those boundaries and restraints. However, some creatures, as was the case in the first season, look too cartoonish for their own good.
It's unclear if that is a Netflix budget problem or a filmmaker problem. It's unlikely to be a budget problem, considering Netflix splurged to use Bruce Springsteen's “Dancing in the Dark” in the first episode. Either way, there is one particular creature in the fourth episode that stands out like a sore thumb. It looks like something that would be seen in a Goosebumps TV series.
Jenna Ortega is made for the role
Of course, the highlight of Wednesday remains Ortega, who retains a commitment to the role. She was a pitch-perfect casting, and her performance remains top-notch.
The monotone, wisecracking Wednesday has become Ortega's signature role. There aren't any dance sequences to speak of yet, but her character's range is expanding in the second season.
Wednesday begins the season by having a bad dream, which puts the life of her roommate and best friend, Enid (Emma Myers), at risk. Around this time, she also discovers that she sheds black tears, which is something only her mother, Mortricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), can help solve.
With a character like this, it's imperative that the writers keep adding new folds to her. Wednesday could grow stagnant if they let it. Luckily, creators/writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar seem dead-set on not letting that happen.
Her dynamic with Enid continues to develop in the second season. Myers once again returns, giving this Elphaba her Glinda. It took Wednesday a long time to warm up to Enid, and now a third party threatens their relationship.
Again, it would have been easy to retread what we've already seen with them. Instead, the writers decided to put up roadblocks in their relationship. Myers' charisma gives the series a much-needed breath of fresh air and levity that grounds Jenna Ortega's stoic performance as Wednesday.
Side characters
The same cannot be said of Pugsley, who gets an expanded role in Season 2. Ordonez played the part well in the first season, but his character arc in Season 2 is a snorefest. He discovers a zombie in the woods surrounding Nevermore, and he enlists the help of one of his classmates.
You can't help but feel for Pugsley, who is an outsider at a school of outsiders. As a freshman in high school, there's a lot to explore, given how different Pugsley is from Wednesday. Unlike his sister, Pugsley does not have an aura that kids gravitate towards. This struggle is shown occasionally, but he is usually preoccupied with a zombie whenever you see him.
Even still, the episodes drag whenever he is on screen. The blame lies more at the feet of the writers, but here's hoping it picks up in the second half of the season.
The scope does feel bigger in the second season of Wednesday. She ventures off-campus a lot in the first few episodes, including a camping sequence that features a genre staple: a game of capture the flag. It's one of the most exhilarating set pieces the season has to offer so far.
The elephant in the room is how Wednesday Season 2 would handle the presence of Xavier (Percy Hynes White). There was some controversy surrounding the young actor, and fans were likely wondering what that meant for him. Without spoiling it, the series finds a workaround that should suffice.
It's an unenviable situation, given how important Xavier is to the series. He was set up as a potential love interest for Wednesday at the end of the first season.
Should you watch Wednesday Season 2?
Netflix, at times, has gone overboard with the number of movies and TV shows it produces. Wednesday is one of the rare winners they've had as of late, thanks to Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton.
The second season of the hit Addams Family spin-off starts strong, especially with Burton's steady hand behind the camera. They built enough intrigue on their way to the second half of the season.
At least when it comes to its title character, Wednesday finds herself in the middle of another mystery. Some of the side characters, like her younger brother, are shoved to the side in mundane subplots.
The two-part format remains a risky move. The first half of Wednesday Season 2 ends on a cliffhanger, and the second half will have to pick the ball up and score immediately to keep viewers hooked. At least it's not as obnoxious as Cobra Kai Season 6 being split into three parts across eight months.
For now, fans should be cautiously optimistic that Wednesday Season 2 will deliver yet again.
The first half of Wednesday Season 2 is streaming on Netflix. Part 2 will come out on September 3.
