Here We Woe Again

Wow, Tim Burton and Wednesday made a great comeback with this first episode of Season 2. Such great acting, effects and storyline in the opening for this season. I love how the dark vibe, creepy and eerie feels surrounded this episode. It was a perfect way to start the season. Jenna Ortega as Wednesday never fails to amaze me by how her acting is very effective and so dark convincing!

Season 2 starts with a good premise and the some interesting character variation.

The successful formula of Wednesday's humorous interaction with others alongside an unfolding mystery looks to be replicated. This can work if the mystery is good and the characters continue to entertain. So far I am relatively hooked into finding out what will happen. Wednesday's relationship with Enid was one of the strongest aspects of the first season so what happens here is reasonably compelling.

Seeing more of the Addams family is interesting approach considering it is a Wednesday show. I like the inclusion of Pugsley at Nevermore and the additional screen time allotted to Morticia. Hopefully the writers have plenty of good material for these characters.

Steve Buscemi is a worthwhile addition to the cast. His introduction is good and hopefully the material he has is consistent.

Visually it's another Tim Burton feast that mixes gothic beauty with the macabre. The scene with the Scalper and creepy dolls sets the tone perfectly.

Jenna Ortegas portrayal of Wednesday remains a 10/10. Every scene with Wednesday tends to be fantastic. The problem is the supporting cast. Joy Sunday's acting was quite bad in season one, both the character Bianca and her portrayal of her was cringeworthy and skippable. She's back for more cringe in season 2, and now Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley is added to the mix. I thought he was great in season 1, but now his acting seems uncomfortable and forced, and it's making me uncomfortable too. The story seems alright, but significantly less happened than episode 1 in season 1, and the action seems more spontaneous rather than built out like season 1.

Regardless of how you feel about the first season of Wednesday's story, humor, or genre the one thing that to me was undeniably fantastic was the shows cinematography and art direction and how beautifully they fit into and enhanced the directorial sensibilities of tim burton. Season twos start has a lot going for it and while im certainly looking forward to where they will go with this season i cant help but be a bit put off by the change in visual approach. The first season felt like it was shot by a photographer, there was artistry in how far they pushed the contrast while maintaining visual fidelity, or how focal depth felt considered and wielded as a tool to provide visual clues or obfuscate a mystery; season two looks like it was shot by a competent camera man, who rather than collaborating with the director is just getting the shots hey are told to and making sure they are in focus. Maybe its a new art director or an over reliance on the post production team but there is something noticeably off about the look of this episode.

This episode is an interesting and entertaining opening to season two except for a few things like Pugsley, I thought having him as a more permanent cast member would be interesting but something that I just couldn't quite place was off... I don't know if it was his acting or something else but it just stood out to me. Everything else was fine except this.