After three years of suspense following a cliffhanger, season 2, part 1 of Wednesday finally released on Aug. 6 of this year. The season was produced in two parts, with the second part of the season, consisting of four episodes, releasing on Sept. 3 on the streaming platform Netflix. After watching both parts, I felt that a brand new mystery was exactly what viewers needed to spike their enthusiasm.

Season 1 of the show was produced on Nov. 3, 2022 with the airing of eight episodes. Main characters in the first season included Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe), Christina Ricci (Marilyn Thornhill), Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), and Gwendoline Christie (Larissa Weems). Season 2 introduced new characters including Wednesday’s new friend Agnes DeMille (played by Evie Templeton) and a more prominent role of the rest of the Addams.

The first episode “Here We Woe Again” kicked off with Wednesday’s return to Nevermore. We see how the school recovers from the showdown between Wednesday and Joseph Crackstone as well as Marilyn Thornhill by replacing Principal Weems with a new character: Barry Dort. The rest of the episode focuses on Wednesday’s new stalker and her vision of Enid’s death. My favorite part of the episode was the hosting of the Back to School carnival since we got to see the school’s spirit rekindle after the tragedy last semester. I did find the plot slightly confusing because it was quite rushed – Wednesday’s visions, Enid’s death and Tyler’s crime were overlapping too much. However in terms of graphics, the producers definitely stepped it up. The storytelling of the Skull Tree was phenomenal. The producers used the same animation that was used in other Tim Burton films such as Corpse Bride and the entire scene radiated dark beauty.

The rest of the season dove deeper into Wednesday’s mystery while also continuing to stay comedic. Principal Weems becomes Wednesday’s “spirit guide” this season, portraying herself as a ghost to help Wednesday solve her case. I loved the addition of her character because she was able to bond with Wednesday, encouraging her to open up more. We also uncover Wednesday’s first stalker as a student at Nevermore, Agnes DeMille. She is introduced as a creepy, know-it-all who is infatuated with Wednesday; however, towards the end of the season I thought it was so brave of her to find her own identity while also maintaining her friendship with Wednesday. Her character added an interesting twist to the mystery since she could use her invisibility skills to help the case, and was overall a very relatable character. After discovering that Tyler’s mother, Francoise, is still alive we see the depth of the relationship between her and her brother, Isaac. As someone with two siblings, I think that the show portrayed the relationship between a brother and sister as slightly toxic. I feel that both Isaac and Francoise were possessive of each other in an unhealthy way but the love that they had for each other was truly reflected in the show. The most gripping part of the show was definitely the plot twist during the season finale – it added a jaw-dropping aspect to the season and made the entire watch worth it.

Overall, the season tackled a capable mystery which was both interesting for Wednesday as well as the audience to work through. The boosted quality of visuals from season 1 definitely made a huge difference in the merit, as well as brought a slight increase in the fear factor, of the show. The producers and actors on the show truly brought light and authenticity into their respective roles and contributed to the season’s success. Season 3 of Wednesday is expected to release in late 2027 and based on the fantastic visuals, raw acting and deep mysteries that season 2 showcased, I will surely be waiting for the new release.

This article received edits by Emily Logan, Kate Duncan and Trisha Panicker