‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Volume 1 Review & What To Expect From Volume 2

Wednesday Season 2 Volume 1 Breakdown Ending Explained
‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Volume 1 Review & What To Expect From Volume 2

Picture: Netflix

Jenna Ortega returns as everyone’s favorite melancholic, morbid psychic-detective Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday season 2. After season 1 was one of the streamer’s all-time most popular seasons, does the next batch of episodes live up to the hype?

Wednesday season 2 takes viewers on another journey to Nevermore, the shadowy and macabre school for Outcasts. But this time, things are different. Not only is it the first time that Wednesday Addams has willingly returned to a school, but she’s now (very unwittingly) a local celebrity after saving the school in the previous term. Many of the old faces are still there, such as her roommate Enid (Emma Myers), Ajax (Georgie Farmer), and Bianca (Joy Sunday). In addition, there are several newcomers, most notably Bruno (Noah B. Taylor), new Nevermore principal Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi), and music director Capri (Billie Piper). 

Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!

The central plot of season 2 kicks off when Wednesday experiences a vision that makes her feel responsible for Enid’s seemingly imminent death. She sees a headstone with Enid’s name inscribed, surrounded by a murder of crows — all being led by a single one-eyed crow. Moreover, in her vision, Enid appears before Wednesday, claiming it was all her fault. 

Wednesday’s fears and curiosities are piqued when more synchronised attacks occur, such as the death of Tyler’s father, Galpin, as well as his former partner. Believing there’s one killer behind them all — a hooded Avian — Wednesday seeks answers by honing her psychic abilities through the pages of ancestor Goody Addams’ book of spells — but her mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) revokes the book and hides it from her. 

Where Was ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Filmed Across Ireland?
Where Was ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Filmed Across Ireland?

Elsewhere, Wednesday’s brother, Pugsley, has now entered his first year at Nevermore Academy. Becoming friends with Eugene, Pugsley quickly gets into wacky and dangerous situations of his own. When he hears a story about a former, long-dead student who replaced his heart with a mechanical, clockwork heart, Pugsley sets out to find him — and his electrokinesis allow him to restart the man’s clockwork heart. The man rises as a zombie, whom Pugsley names Slurp. This zombie is a recurring source of comic relief throughout the season. There’s something very Frankenstein about the whole story, which I loved.

The wider Addams Family — Gomez (Luis Guzmán), Morticia, and Fester (Fred Armisen) — all feature more prominently this season, too. While this is very much a Wednesday-centric series, there’s something inherently right about seeing the family spending more time together. Expanded roles for both Gomez and Morticia is a treat. The new characters are great too, especially Steve Buscemi’s Dort. It seemed like a nigh-impossible task to replace Gwendoline Christie’s Principal Larissa Weems, but he does it with a flourish. Dort is a different type of principal; he’s less interested in integrating Outcasts with the broader Normie society. 

One major difference compared to season 1 is the focus on horror. Season 1 leaned heavily into romance, for better or worse. It certainly humanised the character of Wednesday Addams more than any other iteration of the character has. While still completely wacky and whimsical with traditional Addams family charm, Volume 1 strays away from romance elements. Stylistically, it’s similar to Frankenstein and even occasionally George A. Romero’s movies (especially with the zombie plot line).

For its emotional core, it focuses on the complex and unlikely friendship between Wednesday and Enid. 

Overall, this is a fantastic Volume 1. It remains as charming and dazzling as ever, though the plot is woefully formulaic. Could they not spice things up more? Even so, through the lens of Tim Burton’s breathtaking vision and Jenna Ortega’s wonderfully macabre Wednesday Addams, as well as this glorious ensemble cast, Wednesday remains one of Netflix’s standout shows. Returning to Nevermore Academy is always a joy. 

4.0/5Very Good

★★★★☆


Volume 1 Ending Explained & What to Expect From Volume 2

Wednesday 202 Unit 00523Rc
Wednesday 202 Unit 00523Rc

Wednesday. (L to R) Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in episode 202 of Wednesday. Cr. Jonathan Hession/Netflix © 2025

When we reach the midseason point of Wednesday season 2, there’s more than a few climactic moments, as well as a pretty big cliffhanger. After storming Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital with Uncle Fester (who’d willingly had himself admitted to the hospital), Wednesday learns that the lady she’s been seeking, ‘Lois,’ is not a person, but an acronym. A secret ward, LOIS stands for Long-term Outcast Integration Study

Spearheaded by Fairburn’s assistant Judi (Heather Matarazzo), who’s also Augustus Stonehurst’s daughter, LOIS takes Outcasts and chains them up for experimentation. The goal is to steal their abilities and share them with Normies. After learning of LOIS and the cruel intentions behind it, Fester attempts to electrocute Judi, but he instead accidentally trips the electricity in the hospital. As a result, all of the freed Outcasts attack Judi. Her ultimate fate is unconfirmed, but it’s likely that she’s dead. If she is dead, Enid may be safe. 

We also catch up with Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates and Tyler, who’s tied up in a high-security section of the hospital. By the end of season 2, she frees Tyler, but his bond to her has faded, and he morphs into his Hyde form and kills her. He then faces Wednesday, whom he throws out of a window. Despite suffering what appear to be immense injuries, Wednesday appears alive and conscious, but heavily bloodied and gravely injured. “I’ve always dreamed of looking death in the face,” Wednesday narrated. “But in my final moments, all I can hear is my mother’s words ringing in my ears. Maybe I have made everything worse. Much worse.”

There are a few other subplots, too. For instance, Bianca uses her siren powers to hide her mother in a hotel room at the Apple Hollow hotel. We know that she previously saved her mother and is keeping her hidden, but beyond that, there are not many more details. This subplot will be expanded upon in Volume 1. 

Going into Volume 2, Tyler is back out on the loose, and Wednesday will undoubtedly dust off and continue her investigations.

We’ll have more on what we can expect from volume 2 in a post tomorrow! Wednesday returns for Volume 2 on September 3, 2025.

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