Review: Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 was ok

The first half of Wednesday Season 2 is a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s got a lot of the same gothic charm and clever humor that made the first season a massive hit. But on the other, it’s feeling a bit overstuffed and unfocused, like the creators are trying to please everyone and in doing so, are losing the edge that made it so good.

The biggest issue is the plot. They’ve really expanded the world, and in a way, it’s too much. The main mystery about the crow-controlling villain and Wednesday’s visions feels like it’s competing for screen time with a dozen other subplots. We’ve got the Addams family drama, the new headmaster, the new sidekick, and a bunch of new characters that get introduced and then feel like they’re just… there. It’s a classic Netflix problem, where the episodes are too long and filled with moments that could’ve been trimmed. The show zips from one thing to the next, and it’s hard to get invested when a new plot point drops every ten minutes.

While it’s cool that the Addams family is more involved, it also feels a bit jarring. In the first season, it was about Wednesday trying to find her own place and identity away from them. Now that they’re at Nevermore all the time, it sometimes feels less like “Wednesday’s story” and more like a general “Addams Family story,” which might be what some people want, but it takes away from the central character.

And let’s be honest, not all the new characters are home runs. While Steve Buscemi is perfectly creepy as the new headmaster, some of the others, like Wednesday’s new sidekick, feel a bit like plot devices rather than fully-formed characters. It also seems like some of the fan favorites from Season 1, like Enid and Eugene, are being pushed to the side to make way for new faces, which is a total bummer.

Ultimately, the show still has its moments, and Jenna Ortega is absolutely fantastic in the role. But so far, the second season feels like it’s trying to do too much. It’s still got the style and the spooky vibe, but the substance feels a little thin. It’s a fun watch, but it’s not the thrilling, addictive mystery the first season was. I am still looking forward to the second half, and a potential third season.