‘Wednesday’ gets even better in season two

By Michael Bolcato

This past summer, many TV shows and movies came out that attracted online reactions. From superhero movies like James Gunn’s “Superman” to popular tv shows like “Love Island USA,” summer 2025 was definitely one for the history books. However, there was one release that stood out from the crowd — season two of the hit Netflix series “Wednesday.”

I am a huge fan of Tim Burton’s works such as “Corpse Bride,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and “Beetlejuice,” so checking out “Wednesday” was a no-brainer for me. I was very excited to see that the first half of season two dropped back in August since I was such a fan of the show’s first season. The second season picks up directly where season one left off, as Wednesday Addams returns to Nevermore Academy for another school year. 

The second season also dives deeper into character relationships such as Wednesday’s relationship with her family. This is great character development for the family especially since these are such iconic characters. The mother-daughter relationship between Morticia and Wednesday is excellent. The writers of the show definitely know “The Addams Family” original source material very well which helps make this spin-off work very well. There have been so many adaptations of older works that do not do the original source material justice, but “Wednesday” stands out as one of the best of its kind. 

The acting is also equally as excellent as it was in the first season. Jenna Ortega’s performance as Wednesday Addams and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ performance as Morticia Addams are highlights.

I also really appreciated the darker theme that season two went into. Season two explores areas that season one did not do. The new season involves Wednesday and her friends getting involved in danger more which makes for more interesting and intense stories in the episodes. The show even leans into the horror genre more as the show has the gothic theme throughout the season and becomes more noticeable as the episodes go on. Even the titular character Wednesday seems to shift her personality and style to become even more gothic.

The villains of this season are more sinister, as the villain from part one of season two, Judi Stonehearst, played by Heather Matarazzo, intensely controls crows through her power of Corvuskinesis. Stonehearst gives such a phenomenal performance as the villain that I was on the edge of my seat when she was on screen. The villain from the second half of the show, Isaac Night, played by Owen Nighter, had a great twist leading up. Even though she figured out who she was looking for at the end of part one of season two, there was even a bigger villain waiting for Wednesday Addams. Isaac Night started out as a small character in part one but gradually became a threat as the twist revealed that he was brought back to life as a zombie. This had me shocked as I was not expecting the notorious character, nicknamed Slurp, to come back to life. The writers were really on a roll with the villains in this season.

The show also does a great job with the special effects combining both practical and CGI technologies that blend so well with the show’s theme. The effects team really took their time with their job as the results are phenomenal.

I highly recommend watching the second season of “Wednesday” if you enjoyed season one of the show, are a fan of “The Addams Family” franchise or even just a fan of Tim Burton’s style of movies. Season two is actually better than season one with its darker tone and an exciting storyline.

Michael Bolcato is a junior communication studies major