Dark visions, buried family secrets, and a trail of crow-ravaged corpses draw Wednesday Addams back to Nevermore Academy — but this time, the thrill feels thinner.
After nearly three years, Netflix’s Wednesday returns with the first half of its second season: four episodes that see Jenna Ortega’s gothic misfit stepping once more into the shadowy corridors of Nevermore Academy.
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with Tim Burton returning to direct portions of the season, the show again stirs teenage drama into supernatural mystery — this time with more members of the Addams clan, richer mythology, and an uptick in body count.
Yet while the style and atmosphere still cast a spell, Season 2, Part 1 struggles to keep its story sharp. With the remaining four episodes arriving next month, this first batch feels more like a prolonged prelude than a satisfying chapter.
Following a blood-soaked summer spent honing her psychic gifts and matching wits with a killer, Wednesday returns for a new term at Nevermore. She’s joined by her younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), still learning to control his static electricity powers. The school now operates under Principal Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi), who ropes in Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for fundraising galas — much to Wednesday’s irritation.
Plagued by ominous visions, especially one involving her best friend Enid (Emma Myers), Wednesday is drawn into another investigation when locals start turning up dead, their eyes torn out by crows. Her search for the truth unearths long-buried family secrets, strains friendships, and forces her to confront unwanted fame. The return of Grandmama Frump (Joanna Lumley) and a handful of eccentric newcomers adds to the chaos, making Nevermore feel busier — and messier — than ever.
The highs
Despite the muddled storytelling, the show’s visual craft remains impeccable. Tim Burton’s fingerprints are all over the sumptuous gothic sets, shadow-drenched halls, and meticulously styled costumes. Jenna Ortega still anchors the series with her razor-dry delivery and unblinking intensity, even when the writing sidelines her. Her dynamic with Emma Myers brings emotional weight, particularly as secrecy begins to fray their bond.
The expanded focus on the Addams family creates moments of intrigue, with Morticia’s deeper involvement stirring tension. Midseason revelations about family history give the story flashes of depth. New faces — most notably Evie Templeton as an obsessive, wide-eyed fan — inject oddball humour and unpredictability.
The lows
Splitting the season in two undercuts its momentum. These four episodes function mostly as table-setting, ending on a midseason finale that lands without much punch. The sheer number of subplots means Wednesday is sometimes reduced to a supporting player in her own show.
Where the Addams family once thrived as peculiar outliers in a normal world, they now blend into a crowd of supernatural eccentrics, losing some of their uniqueness. Morticia and Gomez (Luis Guzmán) have more to do, but their exaggerated turns risk becoming caricature.
Most troubling, the sharp wit of Season 1 has dulled. There’s no viral moment to rival Wednesday’s dance scene, and fewer quotable one-liners. The central mystery lacks urgency, and her foreboding visions — complete with black tears — begin to feel like an overused gimmick rather than a gripping narrative tool.
The final word
Season 2, Part 1 of Wednesday delivers more darkness, more lore, and more Addams family screen time — but not always to its advantage. While it remains visually magnetic and occasionally heartfelt, its scattered plotting and softened edge risk losing what made the first season a cultural phenomenon. All eyes now turn to Part 2 to see if Wednesday can truly get her sting back.
