TL;DR: Wednesday’s return is ghoulishly fun and finally gives the Addams Family real screen time, but slow pacing, sidelined characters, and a mid-season break leave us impatient for the real meat of the story

Previously on Wednesday…

In Season 1, Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams was shipped off to Nevermore Academy after a small “misunderstanding” involving her brother, some bullies, and a pool full of live piranhas. There she made one reluctant friend — her pastel-clad werewolf roommate Enid — and a long list of enemies. A centuries-old prophecy tied her to the school’s destruction, a series of grisly murders pointed to a mysterious monster called a Hyde, and her psychic visions introduced her to Goody Addams, her witchy ancestor.

By the finale, the monster turned out to be her crush Tyler (a Hyde) under the control of Ms. Thornhill, secretly Laurel Gates, out for revenge on all outcasts. Crackstone, Jericho’s bigoted founder, was resurrected long enough for Wednesday to stab him back into the grave. Enid finally wolfed out in time for a monster brawl, Principal Weems died a heroic death, and Wednesday ended the season with a new phone… and a new stalker already texting her ominous photos.

Two Years in the Crypt

Two years is a long time to keep a coffin closed.

When Netflix first dropped Wednesday back in 2022, it felt like the kind of cultural lightning bolt that could split the streaming sky in half. Jenna Ortega’s icy, deadpan delivery of a character we all thought we knew — and yet clearly didn’t — caught on faster than you could say “thing.” The TikTok dance went viral. The gothic schoolgirl aesthetic surged back into fashion. For a moment, it seemed like we were all living in Wednesday’s monochrome world, draped in black lace and sarcasm.

But then came the wait. A long wait. And in the vast content graveyard where even the hottest shows get buried by newer, shinier corpses within months, a two-year hiatus is practically an eternity.

Now, finally, Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 has clawed its way out of the crypt — four episodes, a darker tone, a new mystery, and, for the first time in decades, the Addams Family actually stepping into the main spotlight.

And yet, much like the first bite of a long-anticipated meal, it’s… delicious, yes, but oddly portioned. We get flavour, texture, a promise of something even richer — but before the main course arrives, the plate is whisked away.

The Addams Family Renaissance

Let’s address the black-clad elephant in the room: for all the hype around Wednesday’s first season, it wasn’t really about the Addams Family. Morticia and Gomez were delightful guest stars. Pugsley was an occasional plot point. Lurch might as well have been a background prop. The heart of Season 1 was Nevermore Academy — a supernatural boarding school with a Tim Burton filter over the Harry Potter formula.

Season 2? Different story. The Addams clan finally gets the narrative real estate they deserve.

Pugsley, played with a quiet earnestness by Isaac Ordonez, now attends Nevermore. Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) aren’t just cameos; they’re present, involved, meddling, and, in Morticia’s case, subtly at odds with Wednesday in a way that turns every scene they share into a passive-aggressive duel. We even meet Morticia’s estranged mother (Joanna Lumley, stealing every frame she’s in) and hear whispers of a long-lost sister.

And the best part? The show doesn’t just toss them in for fan service. Their presence actually shifts the gravitational pull of the season. Suddenly, Nevermore isn’t just Wednesday’s stomping ground — it’s the Addams Family’s territory, haunted by their history, politics, and secrets.

New Blood in Nevermore

Of course, a new school year means new faces, and Season 2 brings in some heavy hitters. Steve Buscemi as Principal Dort is an inspired piece of casting — all false cheer and political opportunism, a man who sees “Outcast Pride” as both a rallying cry and a marketing opportunity. His energy is a complete tonal shift from Gwendoline Christie’s regal Principal Weems, and it gives Nevermore a new kind of instability.

Then there’s Billie Piper as music teacher Isadora Capri, who feels underused so far (more on that later), and Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Rachael Fairburn, head of the nearby asylum Willow Hill — a character who brings a deliciously antagonistic presence to every scene with Jenna Ortega. Watching Newton and Ortega verbally spar is like watching two cats circle each other: elegant, precise, and just a heartbeat away from violence.

Willow Hill: The Mystery Worth Caring About

The real hook of Season 2 isn’t in the halls of Nevermore at all — it’s down the road at Willow Hill. The asylum becomes a focal point for the season’s central mystery, and it’s here that Wednesday truly finds its gothic groove again. There’s a tangled history between Normies and Outcasts, a decades-old conspiracy, and a stalker who seems to know more about Wednesday’s future than she does.

This plotline is pure oxygen for the show. It’s creepy, it’s dangerous, and it forces Wednesday into situations where her icy detachment cracks — ever so slightly — revealing that, yes, she actually cares about the people in her orbit. Especially Enid.

Enid, Pushed to the Sidelines

Which brings me to one of my biggest frustrations with Part 1: Enid.

Emma Myers’ rainbow-sweater-wearing werewolf was, in Season 1, Wednesday’s perfect foil. Watching her sunny optimism bounce off Wednesday’s arctic sarcasm was the beating heart of the show. This season, she’s still around — but much of her time is spent with her pack, particularly a new admirer named Bruno (Noah B. Taylor). The result? Far less screen time for the odd couple dynamic that made Season 1 so compulsively watchable.

Yes, her life is in danger thanks to one of Wednesday’s visions, which adds urgency to the plot. But emotionally, her arc feels muted here. The chemistry between Ortega and Myers is too good to sideline — and when they finally share more substantial scenes again, the show instantly perks up.

The Pacing Problem

Here’s the core issue with Season 2 Part 1: it takes too long to get to the good stuff.

Between Pugsley’s adjustment to school, Enid’s pack drama, Wednesday’s fan club (led by the amusingly intense Agnes Demille, played by Evie Templeton), and the new staff introductions, the show spends a lot of time laying track. Necessary track, perhaps, but it slows momentum.

Meanwhile, the Willow Hill plot is a gothic powder keg — but we only get glimpses of it in the first few episodes. When the focus shifts there, the show catches fire. When it wanders back to the less urgent school shenanigans, the tension leaks away.

Morticia vs. Wednesday: The Heart of Part 1

If the Willow Hill mystery is the spine of this season, then the relationship between Morticia and Wednesday is the heart.

Zeta-Jones plays Morticia with a velvet-gloved steeliness that makes her a perfect counterpoint to Ortega’s Wednesday, whose problem-solving methods tend to involve bulldozing through obstacles without regard for collateral damage. Their clashes over how best to protect the family — and, in Morticia’s case, how to protect Wednesday herself — are layered, cutting, and occasionally explosive.

One standout sequence even nods to Zeta-Jones’ own swashbuckling film past, folding action into the drama in a way that feels like a sly wink to the audience.

When Nostalgia Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Season 2 continues the first season’s habit of weaving in references to the broader Addams Family canon. Some moments feel like deliberate callbacks to Addams Family Values — there’s even a field trip sequence that echoes Camp Chippewa. These nods are well-placed, charming without tipping into empty fan service.

But nostalgia can only carry you so far. A few subplots — like Billie Piper’s music teacher — feel like they’re waiting for a reason to exist. With only four episodes in Part 1, those dangling threads stand out more than they might have in a full-season drop.

The Part 1 Problem

Splitting the season into two halves is the most frustrating choice Netflix has made here. Just as the mystery deepens, just as relationships start to strain and secrets begin to surface — cut to black.

It’s not a cliffhanger so much as someone yanking the book out of your hands mid-chapter. Yes, it builds anticipation for Part 2, but it also leaves Part 1 feeling incomplete. An appetizer with no entrée.

Verdict: A Delicious but Incomplete Return

Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 is both exactly what I wanted and not quite enough. The Addams Family finally gets the attention they deserve, with standout work from Zeta-Jones, Guzmán, and Lumley. The Willow Hill mystery has teeth, the atmosphere is as deliciously gothic as ever, and Ortega remains magnetic in the title role.

But the pacing wobbles, some key relationships (Enid and Wednesday in particular) get sidelined, and the split-season structure makes this feel less like a satisfying meal and more like a promising snack.

I’ll be back for Part 2 the second it drops. I just wish I didn’t have to wait — again.