If These Woes Could Talk

Terrific midseason finale. Definitely a much darker tone than last year, what with the gruesome death last episode and the gruesome death(s) this episode. I will admit that most Wednesday fans will be surprised about the demise of a certain character, but it does kind of up the ante that nobody - except the titular Ice Queen herself, of course - is safe.

If I had any complaint about this season so far it would be that they are under-using Enid, who is tied with Thing - imho, anyway - as the show's second most intriguing character. I do like that the primary plot device this season is Wednesday trying to solve her friend's death before it happens. But so far Enid's role is hanging with Thing (awesome) and taking Wednesday's place at the center of this season's love triangle (not so awesome). Hopefully, Burton, Gough and Millar will gave our favorite werewolf girl some cool stuff to do in the second half.

The chaos at the asylum was mindless fun. Tyler/Hyde's rampage. Fester's antics. The reveal of what "Lois" actually means. Poor, deluded Louise/Lois, and so much more.

Plus, the "What happened? Wednesday happened" line was pure gold.

There was another big reveal that I will say took me by surprise - something that most of us thought wasn't going to be revealed until sometime toward the end of the season - but of course will lead to bigger reveals in the second half. Don't want to say more as this is a spoiler-free review but I think most fans who have watched this episode will know what I am talking about.

Eagerly looking forward to part two of this season. Who's behind all the chaos and what is actually going on? Who knows, but I am counting the days until the first Wednesday of September.

After the weird third episode I came into this one a little tentative. Boy was I surprised though. The story continues and is extremely compelling with sudden twists some of which are very shocking(in my opinion) and some great scenes like Billie Piper's character playing Zombie on the piano in that one scene! :> Absolutely devastating cliffhanger and I like the altered formula to make it different from the previous episodes. The relationship between Grandma-ma and Morticia is interesting and it's nice to see Morticia take some action. But the icing on the cake is the last 15-20 minutes with one banger of a cliffhanger. It's also always a plus to see Fester. Agnes is also a very interesting character and I would like to see more on her. Can't wait for Part 2 on September 3rd.

Comparing with season 1 (at least first 4 episodes that released for now) this season is much more thrilling. The childishness from s1 is gone and all the scary elements are well put. Another good thing is we can see the Addams family and their dynamics more. Waiting for last 4 episodes for now, As yet all good.

In quirky shows like this, the actors, directors, writers, & crew have to work harder to suspend our disbelief. Yes, it's a genre piece so as such it can be read in varying degrees of expectations; however, odd ball comedy, to gentle horror, to a mystery story like this needs convincing character actors so the viewer believes the characters realness over the unreal situations.

In "Addam's Family Values", Christina Ricci smiles in such a way that it is burned in my memory forever. That singular smile is elevated beyond what is written or even the story itself by her incredible acting. The weight & value of that smile is solely dependent on Ricci; that is, she brilliantly establishes Wednesday so that a singular smile would resonate through all time, space, & matter. I was smitten with her talent from that point forward.

Thandiwe Newton is equally as brilliant & is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. Have I seen all of her work? No. What I have seen of her is that she's able to layer her characters with such believability that we find emotional pay off in unlikely places. Again, that's incredible talent that helps viewers suspend the disbelief over the situation, for the belief in these characters.

Truthfully, I watched this episode giddy. Who on earth cast this thing? Everyone is fantastic! Honestly! It's as if someone plucked out so many of my favorite talents & put them in the same show just for me. No, I'm not that vain, but it says something about the talent director of this film. It appears to me that talented people love working with Tim Burton.

I love Jenna Ortega as Wednesday. Her portrayal is burning so many great memories into my skull the way Ricci has. The thing about every actor in this piece of literature, is that they seem to only grow stronger standing next to another.

Thank you for keeping the spirit of The Addam's Family and updating the satire for modern day audiences. Thank you for putting so much effort into suspending our beliefs, so that we can see the human in every outcast. Because truthfully, all humans have value & are often limited by how they allow themselves to limit their potential.

Most importantly, thank you for giving us a scene where Newton and Ricci can act in the same room. I could say more about how rewarding it has been to watch Ricci's arc, but I'd have to take time on every character to actor because they all deserve high praise.

This is a brilliant show.

*That look Newton gives Ricci, in that one scene...omg...(spoilers)

There are so many improvements to Wednesday in S02, I don't even know where to start:

• Characters - They are really establishing the stand-alone universe and exploring the Nevermore school. They are showing students powers, but unlike in S01 where powers were used in an ostentatious way, you can see students using the powers in purposeful ways (build bonfire, use siren song to manipulate, etc) so it feels more like a real school with real students using powers in real-life scenarios, rather than in S01 where you had a bunch of young kids in a school setting occasionally using power without any purpose just to showcase "oh, it's really a magic school". At times, it reminds me of Hogwarts, but in an new and original way where they don't try to copy it, but build its own universe.

• Addams family - In S01, Wednesday was the main character and her family was just background cameo without any importance. In S02, i really like that they are bringing her family to the front and they also explore their personalities and motivations, not just have them as stand-ins with occasional line. Their re-introduction is also done in a smart way where in each episode we focus on a new Addams character and get to know them better - first episode - Pugsley, 2nd/3rd episode - Morticia/Gomez, last episode - grandmama/Fester. And their side stories are organic and interesting. I am happy that Pugsley/Fester got their own interesting storylines. Bit sad that Morticia/Gomez do not, but I am happy that at least they are exploring their personalities and motivations more and we get to know them better. Plus, the relationship between Wednesday and her mom is very interesting (Morticia wants to protect her in a condescending way and Wednesday rebels as a regular teenager - feels very organic)

• Dialogues - Dialogues are much wittier in Season 2 - so many punchlines and memorable quotes. I also like the overall pacing. I like they bring back a lot of S01 characters too, and not just for the sake of cameo, but give them interesting storyline as well and implement them to further progress the plot.

Overall, every scene seems purposeful, every character has importance and there seem to be no filler scenes. Really smart writing this season and huge upgrade from S02. Addams family now knows who they are and the writers are playing into their strengths.