Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 has landed on Netflix, and though it still doesn’t reach the gothic heights of the Addams Family’s glory years, it’s a marked improvement on Part 1. Why? It remembers to have fun.
Christina Ricci immortalized Wednesday Addams in the ‘90s, with her razor-sharp wit and disdain for normalcy showing all the outcasts of the world that it’s okay to be weird. A Gen-Z revival for Netflix shouldn’t have worked, and yet Season 1 defied our expectations, a massive reason being Jenna Ortega nabbing (and nailing) the title role.
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Despite a three-year gap, Season 2 Part 1 failed to capture the macabre magic of its predecessor. As we said in our two-star review, the “overstuffed narrative and meandering subplots” left it feeling, at times, boring.
Thankfully, Part 2 is much better. While it doesn’t fix everything, Episodes 5-8 are injected with new energy, tighter character arcs, and a few moments that feel destined to go viral. Oh, and Lady Gaga finally makes her debut.
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What is Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 about?
Following the cliffhanger ending of Episode 4, Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 picks up where we left off. Don’t fret – of course she isn’t dead (that isn’t a spoiler). However, she has picked up a new spirit guide in the form of Principal Weems, played to perfection by Gwendoline Christie.
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The Willow Hall case might be solved, but Wednesday still has to find a way to stop Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and save her bestie Enid (Emma Myers). And the threat may not be solely on Enid: as is revealed in the trailer, the entire Addams Family is at risk.
This is far from the only mystery at hand. What happens now Tyler doesn’t have a master? Who is the mysterious Willow Hall patient Wednesday saved? What is Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) really up to? And why, oh why, does Isadora Capri’s American accent sound like that? (Just kidding on the last one, Billie Piper still does a great job).
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All of these questions and more are answered throughout the course of Part 2. Enid also continues her journey of self-discovery, Bianca gets drawn deeper into Nevermore’s power struggles, and even Thing takes on a surprisingly pivotal role. Add in Grandmama Hester Frump, cult entanglements, and a zombie subplot, and you’ve a lot going on in just four episodes.
On paper, it sounds thrilling, but in practice, it’s often overstuffed. Particularly in Episode 5, where it feels like the writers are trying to explain their way out of the labyrinth they built in Part 1. The biggest issue is pacing, with the Netflix show meandering from one topic to the next in a bid to fit it all in.
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Instead of letting the Addams’ oddities breathe, the dialogue often feels like a Wiki page being read aloud. You can’t look away for fear of missing a vital line of lore, and yet it’s hard to care when the stakes are constantly diluted by subplots.
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Episode 6 is Wednesday at its best
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Still, buried amongst the clutter are moments that remind you why this show became a hit in the first place, and it’s well worth sticking with, especially Episode 6 (no spoilers, but it’s the most fun the show has ever had).
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Enid’s arc in general is stronger here, salvaging what looked like a baffling detour in Part 1 and turning it into a moment of growth. Ortega and Myers are still the beating (and snarling) heart of Wednesday, and Episode 6 proves just how good the show can be when it leans into their chemistry.
Elsewhere, Evie Templeton shines as Agnes, whose storyline feels both earned and engaging, and there’s a brief but welcome turn from Lady Gaga that reminds you the show can still pull off a celebrity cameo without it feeling like stunt casting.
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The wider ensemble – Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Fred Armisen, Joanna Lumley, Piper, Buscemi, and more – are all back, and though there are almost too many to keep track of, they all give fantastic performances.
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Season 2 is another Tim Burton feast for the eyes
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Visually, Wednesday remains untouchable. Every set piece has director Tim Burton’s fingerprints all over it, from baroque interiors to mist-choked graveyards, and the costume department goes ham when the cast aren’t in their Nevermore uniforms, decking them in renaissance ballgowns during one notable event.
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And yes, there’s another dance scene destined to go viral on TikTok – Netflix clearly knows what its audience wants. The same goes for the horror elements, which are ramped up in Part 2 with some genuinely spooky (and gruesome) scenes.
The finale also deserves credit: it ties up loose ends, delivers some satisfying pay-off, and even plants a genuinely intriguing twist. It’s a neat hook for Season 3, even if the road to get there was shaky.
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Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 score: 3/5
Wednesday isn’t dead on arrival anymore, but it’s not quite alive either. Part 2 is an improvement over Part 1 – funnier, more confident, and great to look at. But it’s still a muddle of competing tones and overloaded storylines.
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Thankfully, Ortega and Myers raise the experience, and the finale at least wraps the many subplots up in a satisfying way. Here’s hoping Season 3 can resurrect the show for good (preferably without the three year wait).
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Wednesday Season 2 is streaming on Netflix now. You can also read about why Xavier doesn’t return and check out what else is coming up with our 2025 TV show release calendar.
