This Means Woe

A full-fledged phenomenon, despite nearly three years between the first and second seasons, I thought the first season was alright, just about threading the needle of it's mishmash of genres. I did hope for improvement with a second run though but I'm not sure I really got it.

Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) returns to Nevermore academy for a second year, this time joined there by her brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez). There is a new principal Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi) who appears amenable but really wants the Addams family to invest in the school and for Morticia (Catherine Zeta Jones) to join the fundraising committee. Wednesday appears to have burned out her psychic powers but not before seeing a vision of Enid's (Emma Myers) tombstone and a crow with a grotesquely swollen eye.

Whilst the answer has been shown to be 'apparently everybody' I opined on the first season review that I didn't really know who the show was for. It's had quite a basic obvious whodunnit plot, but some scenes of violence and language that perhaps didn't suit the tween audience. I'd say that those juxtapositions remain, but that the plot of the series is a little more complicated this time.

I felt that the performances were still good. Most of the first season cast return, even those that may have not survived it. They are joined by Buscemi, by Billie Piper as the new music teacher, by Thandiwe Newton as a psychiatrist and, in another nice callback to the films, by Christopher Lloyd, as a disembodied head, still working as a teacher.

I'm not really sure why, but I do struggle to connect with this series quite as much as I'd like too. The performances and visual effects are good, I like the style. Maybe it's not quite as well scripted as I'd like. It's not a huge failure though and I'll probably still be back for the proposed third season.

We should all be thankful that Tim Burton's Wednesday series didn't come out back when all of us were on Tumblr. Can you imagine the barrage of gifs posted by the most annoying person you know, pretending that this version of Wednesday Addams is "totally me", even though the "me" in this scenario gets panic attacks trying to order at McDonald's by themselves?

Released in two chunks (because Netflix is beginning to realize that dropping a season of TV all at once isn't generally that good for a show's longevity/buzz -- if only there was a way they could give us one new episode per week), the new season is largely an improvement upon the first.

Right off the bat, it's nice to finally be seeing more of the other Addamses aside from Wednesday herself (a better-than-ever Jenna Ortega) -- Isaac Ordonez's Pugsley has ascended to main character, for one, and as it turns out, the actor's pretty good. Luis Guzman and Catharine Zeta-Jones continue to work well as Gomez and Morticia, although they don't seem quite as violently in love as Gomez and Morticia ought. The previous season featured Christina Ricci in a nod to the 1990s Addams Family film series; Season 2 contains a similar special appearance. Speaking of charming call-backs, Burton himself returns to the realm of stop-motion horror in one of the season's best sequences (easily).

I liked the newer characters more this season, as well; Steve Buscemi is a hoot as always, Emma Myers as the bubbly Enid is still delightful, and especially entertaining is Evie Templeton as a creepy yet adorable admirer of Wednesday's.

At worst, this show feels like a fan fic -- specifically a crossover between The Addams Family and some CW superhero crap or Miss Peregrine spin-off that never got made. At best, it looks and sounds excellent, but seeing as we had to wait three years for eight episodes (and the characters, many of whom are supposed to be children, inevitably look visibly older), Wednesday is one of many recent shows that put into question whether TV shows need to be as grandiose and expensive as they are these days, especially when so much other content takes up time and resources in the interim. (You will have seen many a baffled tweet about the difference between the production/release schedule of stuff like Stranger Things and Euphoria vs that of, say, the original run of The X-Files.) With shows like Severance and Andor, I understand (considering the WGA strike delays or not). With this, eh.

A good 8th and final episode for this second season. On par with the previous one, but a bit behind episode 6, which remains, for me, the best of this season. A good pace and a fairly balanced presence of the various main and secondary characters. The action scenes are successful overall. The only criticism I would make - and which obviously doesn't only concern this episode - is the physical representation of the Hydes. Much more ugly than scary. I always think of the "baby" alien in the movie Alien: Resurrection, which was a real visual failure for me.

All in all, this second season was very uneven. It started off in a generally disappointing way. When I look at my ratings for the various episodes, it started off poorly, with only one excellent episode out of the first five, before ending well.

Ep 1: 04/10 Ep 2: 06/10 Ep 3: 03/10 Ep 4: 08/10 Ep 5: 04/10 Ep 6: 09/10 Ep 7: 08/10 Ep 8: 08/10

Let's hope that the third season, which will conclude the series, maintains the same quality from start to finish.

I *firetrucking LOVE this show. It oozes everything I delight in about odd ball family comedies. The writing is smart, keeps me motivated to solve the clues, and is unafraid to hit us with a lot of tight wrap ups done well. IT fits SO WELL for the medium of streaming. As always, that's the end of this review, let's start at the beginning.

Tim Burton is the entire reason I gave this show a try. I've been very open about my bias and it remains the same even today. Season 1 was brilliant and I've been amazed by Jenna Ortega, to that incredible knight from "Game of Thrones", to one of my favorite characters from "The Big Lebowski". I loved everything about the casting but the first season was all about "Wednesday" and these really cool new characters that bring a lot of joy into their performances.

Speaking of joy, let's take a moment to note Joy Sunday. If Tim Burton and Danny Elfman are the sweet sound that brought me to Season 1, Joy is the entire reason why I stayed. Why? Because I've often wondered what it would be like to be a siren who just wanted friends. That notion has sent me through a number of redemptive arcs which I feel they're eagerly giving Joy the ability to play. The position she has been put in this season, next to the rest of her story, is one I'm eager to revisit on my twice through (brilliant use of streaming services and talented performers).

What the writers do well, is that they seem to have threads laid out for all their characters to show us (the consumer) the struggle of how the world perceives the "outcasts" of society (think: island of misfit toys but who have magical powers too). This season shows more of her arc as they seem to be doing for every character that fills this show. It's absolutely wonderful to see so many characters written with intent.

My final word is this, I really *firetrucking love this show. The eagerness of which I feel to consume IT has me reflecting on who I am as a writer. I am humbled.

Thank you for reviving an old franchise in an honoring and timeless way. In this case, timeless equals the pricelessness of every second watched, rewatched, and watched again.

Perhaps this show is a sign of greater stories to soon be told?

The Season 2 finale "This Means Woe" is a fitting end to a bold second chapter. It ties together the season's many threads with plenty of drama, dark humor, and emotional weight. What stands out most is how Wednesday herself evolves: she isn't just the sharp-tongued outsider anymore - she's now confronting her own darker instincts and proving she can write her own story.

The supporting cast also rise to the occasion. Enid gets her strongest material yet, the Addams parents anchor the chaos with surprising gravity, and the ensemble feels more like a genuine family of misfits than ever. Visually and emotionally, the episode delivers the right blend of gothic thrills and heart.

Yes, some of the finale's moments lean on familiar tropes, but they're executed with confidence and land with satisfying impact. It may not be the most mind-blowing episode the series has produced, but it's a strong, rewarding close that leaves me eager for Season 3.

Bring it on.

8.5/10.