Wednesday Season 2 Review – Jenna Ortega’s Charisma Could Power a Thousand Hearses
The bells toll once more at Nevermore Academy. A new semester has begun, and freshly minted celebrity Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is, naturally, unimpressed. “I liked it better when I was feared and hated,” she deadpans, as adoring classmates swarm for autographs.
Her newfound fame is unavoidable. “You’re kind of a big deal now after the whole saving-the-school-from-the-demon-pilgrim thing,” explains Bianca (Joy Sunday), the resident “It Girl.” This refers to last season’s climax, in which Wednesday foiled the resurrection of Joseph Crackstone, a murderous 17th-century zealot unleashed by botany teacher and secret monster-wrangler Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci). Thanks to Wednesday’s intervention, Crackstone exploded, Thornhill landed in prison, and Nevermore returned—at least briefly—to peace.
But peace never lasts long here. The second season—at least the four episodes available before the September drop—opens with another villain: the Kansas City Scalper, a serial-killing, doll-collecting dog groomer in a velour tracksuit, played with oily glee by Haley Joel Osment. In a high-speed prologue, we watch Wednesday track him down, get captured, escape, scalp the Scalper, and deliver him to the authorities—an elaborate set piece whose significance (for now) is left dangling.
The more pressing concern? Wednesday’s new stalker. Emerging from the shadows at last season’s end, they’ve begun sending cryptic, threatening notes demanding action. Who are they? And what’s their grievance? The mystery deepens as strange events unfold: a private investigator is pecked to death by a murder of crows; Wednesday has chilling visions of her bubbly roommate Enid’s (Emma Myers) untimely end.
Nevermore itself is under new management. Principal Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi) is all cardigan charm and moustachioed warmth—but, like any too-nice authority figure in this universe, he’s deeply suspicious. Equally intriguing is Isadora Capri (Billie Piper), the ethereal new music teacher who may or may not be a shapeshifting necromancer.
The Addams parents return as well: Catherine Zeta-Jones’ dreamy, languid Morticia remains a highlight, while Luis Guzmán’s Gomez still feels oddly unfinished, as though he wandered in from another set mid-rehearsal.
Minor gripes aside, the opener is a brisk, joke-packed ride. Tim Burton’s direction keeps sentimentality at bay, replacing any softness with ghoulish flourishes—rotting corpses, flocks of CGI caterpillars spelling “BUG OFF” in midair—delivered with gleeful morbidity.
At the heart of it all is Ortega’s Wednesday, effortlessly magnetic. Her presence could power a thousand hearses—though she’d scoff at the compliment. “Do not put me on a pedestal,” she warns during a disastrous school gala. “The only place I will lead you is off a cliff.”
Wise words. The rest of us, of course, are already following—parachutes at the ready.
Wednesday Season 2 Review – Jenna Ortega’s Charisma Could Power a Thousand Hearses
The bells toll once again at Nevermore Academy, heralding the start of a new semester. But our heroine, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), greets the occasion with trademark gloom. “I liked it better when I was feared and hated,” she mutters, deadpan, as autograph‑hungry classmates circle her like starstruck vultures.
The Weight of Fame
Wednesday’s brush with celebrity was inevitable after last season’s grand finale, when she thwarted the resurrection of Joseph Crackstone — a zealot from the 17th century with a taste for carnage — conjured back to life by botany teacher and secret monster‑wrangler Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci). Crackstone met a suitably explosive end, Thornhill was carted off in shackles, and Nevermore Academy was, for the moment, safe.
But Bianca (Joy Sunday), the campus “It Girl,” puts it plainly: “You’re kind of a big deal now after the whole saving‑the‑school‑from‑the‑demon‑pilgrim thing.” Wednesday, however, seems more interested in perfecting her death‑stare than relishing any accolades.
A Killer Cold Open
The second season wastes no time introducing fresh peril. Enter the Kansas City Scalper, a doll‑collecting, serial‑killing professional dog groomer clad in velour, played with oily relish by Haley Joel Osment. In a tightly wound prologue, Wednesday spends her summer tracking him down, is captured, turns the tables, scalps the Scalper, and delivers him neatly to justice.
For now, this bizarre escapade exists mostly as a stylistic flourish, unmentioned in the rest of the episode — but in this show, few loose ends stay untied for long.
The Real Threat
The more urgent mystery comes from Wednesday’s new stalker — a shadowy figure who emerged at the close of last season. Now they’re delivering cryptic, increasingly aggressive notes demanding that Wednesday do something about some unspecified offense. The threat feels both personal and theatrical, a riddle with teeth.
As if that weren’t enough, a local private investigator is pecked to death by an ominously organized murder of crows, and Wednesday experiences terrifying visions of her sunny roommate Enid (Emma Myers) meeting a grisly fate.
New Faces, Same Uneasy Atmosphere
Nevermore has a fresh headmaster: Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi), who arrives with cheery sweaters, Springsteen fandom, and a moustache that seems to follow you around the room. Naturally, he’s way too nice to be trusted.
Billie Piper also joins the cast as Isadora Capri, a vaporous, enigmatic music teacher whose every smile hints she might be a shapeshifting necromancer. Both additions slot neatly into Nevermore’s delicate balance of charm and menace.
Family Affairs
The Addams parents make their return, with Catherine Zeta‑Jones’ velvety, wistful Morticia continuing to enchant. Luis Guzmán’s Gomez, though, still feels like an unfinished sketch — amiable, grinning, but lacking the depth that might make him memorable.
Tim Burton’s Ghoulish Playground
Director Tim Burton continues to keep sentimentality at arm’s length, replacing heartfelt beats with lavishly oddball set‑pieces: decaying corpses that appear just in time to puncture a tender moment, CGI caterpillars that form the phrase “BUG OFF” for no discernible reason, and enough visual flourishes to remind you you’re watching something proudly eccentric.
The writing is brisk, dense with gags and plot hooks, rarely lingering long enough for you to question the absurdity — or to catch your breath.
Ortega at the Center of the Storm
In the middle of this whirlwind is Jenna Ortega, whose Wednesday remains an irresistible paradox: aloof yet magnetic, deadpan yet razor‑sharp. The line “Do not put me on a pedestal. The only place I will lead you is off a cliff,” delivered during a catastrophic school gala, could serve as both a warning and an invitation.
Her presence is the anchor — and the spark — of the entire production. Truly, her charisma could power a thousand hearses, even if she’d roll her eyes at the thought.
Verdict
Minor gripes aside, the season’s opening arc is both confident and deliciously over‑the‑top. Wednesday’s sophomore year offers more of what fans loved — gothic absurdity, whip‑smart humor, and a central performance as sharp as a guillotine blade — while planting seeds for a darker, twistier mystery yet to come.
As for where Wednesday will lead us next? The sensible are packing parachutes. The rest of us are already in freefall, loving every minute.
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