TikTok’s favorite goth girl is back. Jenna Ortega returned as Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday” season two.
The Netflix Original series took the world by storm back in Nov. 2022. The dance scene went viral on TikTok, everyone wanted to channel their inner Wednesday Addams on Halloween and finishing the season was dreadful because no one knew when the next one was coming.
Now, three years and a WGA writers strike later, “Wednesday’s” second season has finally arrived, opening the can of worms of newfound mysteries and prophecies. Split into two parts, consisting of four episodes each, this season debuted on Aug. 6th and Sept. 3rd respectively.
It’s the perfect watch for a family movie night. “Wendesday” may be a series, but it possesses the cinematic qualities of a thriller film, never losing the attention of an audience ranging from children to teenagers to adults.
It’s evident that Tim Burton is the man sitting in the director’s chair.Without his cynical, artistic and symmetrical eye, they would be room for boredom.
He recognizes that every second serves a purpose and progresses the plot, pivoting it into new directions.
The camera work also adds to the perfection of the series, with balanced composition and seamless pans. What could simply be a scene of Wednesday playing the cello, is one that serves as the score for another suspenseful scene cross-cut with it, seamlessly intertwined into a captivating final product.
Jenna Ortega truly embodies Wednesday. She brings the lines to life, but in the lifeless manner that suits the quick-witted, dark character with monotonous delivery and an impressive lack of blinking. It’s all about body language and microexpressions.
She’s not one to show fear, or confusion with gasps or a dropped jaw, instead with a slightly furrowed eyebrow or wide eye.
Though Wednesday is the quirkiest of them all, the other outcasts still have their own unconventional qualities.
The new addition to their dynamic, a ginger-braided Agnes (Evie Templeton) finds herself in the middle of Wednesday and Enid, a symbol for her place in the show.
Other returning characters include Marlyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci), the ‘90s’ Wednesday, Bianca (Joy Sunday), a siren, and Tyler (Hunter Doohan), a hyde – one of the main villains of the series. Xavier did not return this season following actor Percy Hynes White’s scandal following season one.
While many aspects of the show impress me, an element that falls short is the editing, which often feels dated. The cartoonish look of the hydes momentarily causes me to detach from the immersion, as everything else feels up to par.
In part one of season two, I found myself bewildered as to why the rest of the Addams had so much screen time. Nothing against them, but as a show titling only one of the Addams, I thought only she would be in the spotlight, like in season one.
It started to make more sense in part two, as it became clear that one of the themes is the importance of family. The mother-daughter relationship between Wednesday and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a central focus, highlighting the complications that come with Morticia’s desire to protect her daughter, and Wednesday’s unwillingness to open herself up to a protector outside of herself.
Part of growing up is becoming open to trusting and loving your family and community, something Wednesday comes to realize as the episodes progress. Episode six also emphasizes this through the friendship between Wednesday and Enid, as they are put in each others’ shoes.
That episode also features the range of Ortega and Myers’ acting, as they find themselves playing characters they don’t usually play, and telling stories that aren’t normally theirs to tell. Their deliveries were seamless and entertaining.
The most captivating episodes of the season are seven and eight, as the climax enacts, and it all comes down to the final two episodes. Everything that leads up to them proves to be worth it through a satisfying ending.
As an orchestrated rendition of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics enchants the closing scenes, the path for the next season is already being paved. Plots are opened, some stories are left unresolved and it’s safe to say audiences will be eagerly coming back for more in “Wednesday” season three.
Rating: 4/5