Tim Burton’s Netflix hit Wednesday has become one of Netflix’s most loved shows, and the second season of the show full of woe is being released on August 6, with the second part coming out on September 3. Plus, Wednesday has already been renewed for a third season. The first season was released in 2022, so if you’re worried you’ve forgotten things, here’s a recap of the spooky first season and everything you need to about Wednesday season 2!
Wednesday moves to Nevermore Academy
We are first introduced to Wednesday when her brother Pugsley is getting bullied. He doesn’t tell Wednesday who was responsible, but she finds out the water polo team did it through a vision. She has recently been experiencing vivid visions, which happen when she touches someone or something, but she hasn’t told anyone about them. She then takes revenge on the water polo team by dropping piranhas into the swimming pool.
Wednesday is then expelled, and her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán), send her to the boarding school they attended: Nevermore Academy. The school’s principal, Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie), used to share a dorm with Wednesday’s mother. Wednesday will be sharing the same dorm with bubbly werewolf Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers). Enid is unable to transform or “wolf out,” which has made it difficult for her to fit in.
Enid introduces Wednesday to siren Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), artist Xavier (Percy Hynes-White), the son of famous psychic Vincent Thorpe, and gorgon Ajax Petropolus (Georgie Farmer). It is later discovered that these students are part of a secret society of outcasts, called the Nightshades, who meet in the secret library. She also meets Miss Thornhill (Christina Ricci), the only teacher at Nevermore who is not an outcast but a normie. Wednesday also befriends Eugene Ottinger (Moosa Mustafa), a bee-loving outcast.
The deadly prophecy
Wednesday escapes her court-ordered therapy session with Dr. Kinbott (Riki Lindhome) and explores Jericho, Nevermore’s neighboring town. In the local café, Weathervane, she meets Tyler (Hunter Doohan), whom she tries to use to escape Jericho later at the Harvest Festival. Things don’t go as planned at the festival, and Wednesday ends up encountering fellow Nevermore classmate Rowan, who attempts to kill her using telekinesis. He shows her a drawing of her that his mother drew many years ago. Rowan’s mother was a powerful seer, and said Wednesday would destroy the school.
However, before Rowan can kill Wednesday, a monster shows up out of nowhere and kills Rowan instead.
Wednesday reports Rowan’s murder to Sheriff Galpin (Jamie McShane). However, Rowan returns to school, alive and well, before getting expelled. It is later revealed to the audience that Principal Weems is a shapeshifter, and disguised herself as Rowan to not arouse suspicion. Rowan is very much dead.
Wednesday sees visions of Joseph Crackstone and Goody Addams
Wednesday competes in the annual Poe Cup race. During the race at Crackstone’s crypt, Wednesday has a vision of a girl who looks like her, who tells her, “you are the key.”
On Outreach Day, Wednesday finds out that Jericho’s favourite pilgrim, Joseph Crackstone, was responsible for the deaths of many outcasts by locking them in a crypt and having his followers torch it. Crackstone vowed to get rid of the outcasts for good, but before he could do so, Goody Addams, the ghost girl Wednesday saw in her vision, managed to escape. Goody ended up killing Crackstone and set up security measures to make sure no one could revive him. No one except an Addams family member, that is.
Garrett Gates’ murder
During parents’ weekend, Sheriff Galpin arrests Gomez for the murder of Garrett Gates, which happened while Gomez was a student at Nevermore. Gomez was the initial prime suspect, after a young Larissa Weems saw Garrett fall from the balcony at the Rave’N Dance and Gomez holding a bloody sword. He was cleared of all charges, but when, in the present, the Jericho coroner kills himself and leaves a note admitting he covered up how Garrett really died, Sheriff Galpin takes Gomez into custody.
Wednesday’s father falsely confesses by saying he killed Garrett to protect Morticia. Morticia later tells Wednesday that she stabbed Garrett Gates in self-defense because he was acting crazy. She and Wednesday figure out that Garrett was crazy because he was poisoned, meaning Garrett was already dying before he fell.
It is revealed that Garrett’s father Ansel Gates despised outcasts, just like his ancestor Joseph Crackstone, and had instructed Garrett to spike the punch bowl at the Rave’N with nightshade. However, Garrett saw Morticia and Gomez and pursued them instead. In the fight with Gomez, the vial of nightshade broke and poisoned Garrett.
Parents’ weekend trouble for Bianca and Enid
It is not just Wednesday who is dealing with a difficult parents’ weekend. Bianca’s mother arrives, much to Bianca’s displeasure. Through their conversation, it is revealed that Bianca is hiding something from her peers. Bianca is not her real name, and she fled a cult called MorningSong. Her mother tells her that her siren song is drying up, and she needs Bianca to entice more people into the cult. She threatens Bianca with blackmail, saying everyone will know she used her song to enroll at Nevermore. Bianca agrees to help her mom after the semester ends, on the condition that after she does, her mother leaves her alone for good.
Enid is still struggling to “wolf out” on a full moon. Her overbearing mother suggests she go to a camp to sort out her problem, but Enid is able to stand up to her by the end of that episode. She will wolf out when she’s ready.
The investigation at the Gates’ Mansion
In a vision, Wednesday sees the entrance to the Gates’ mansion. Before she goes in to investigate, Wednesday sees Mayor Walker outside, calling the sheriff, so she shifts her investigation to him. However, before Wednesday can confront the mayor and the sheriff, Mayor Walker is run over by a blue Cadillac.
Along with Enid and Tyler, Wednesday goes to the Gates’ mansion. They see the car that hit the mayor in the garage. After Garrett’s death, the remaining Gates family all passed away. Garrett’s sister Laurel supposedly died in a shipwreck. In the house, they find an altar for Joseph Crackstone, as well as evidence that somebody has been in the house. Laurel’s room appears to have been lived in, and there are body parts down in the basement. The monster shows up, as if to prevent the intruders from discovering secrets in the house, and wounds Tyler.
The mysterious monster
At Mayor Walker’s funeral, Wednesday discovers her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) lurking in the nearby woods. He informs Wednesday that the monster is called a Hyde.
A Hyde is a creature that can be unlocked by somebody, usually from a traumatic event or through hypnosis. This means that the monster is controlled by someone, supporting Wednesday’s theory that Xavier Thorpe is the Hyde. Xavier has been drawing the Hyde, which he allegedly sees in his dreams, and he strangely showed up at the Gates Mansion after Tyler was injured. After seeing him talk to Dr. Kinbott outside, Wednesday is convinced she is Laurel Gates and that she is controlling Xavier. However, she is killed by the monster.
Somebody frames Xavier, putting evidence of the murders, including Rowan’s glasses, in his art studio. Wednesday informs the sheriff that Xavier is the Hyde, and he is arrested.
Series finale
Wednesday has a vision where it is revealed that Tyler is the Hyde, not Xavier. Tyler’s mother was a Hyde, and her death triggered Tyler’s ability.
Wednesday enlists the help of the Nightshades to incapacitate him. Appalled by Wednesday’s torture methods, they go to Principal Weems, who ultimately decides to have Wednesday expelled from Nevermore. On her way out, she visits Eugene, who is recovering at the hospital after being attacked when he went to the monster’s cave alone. It turns out that he saw someone before the monster attacked him. Someone wearing red boots.
That person is revealed to be Marilyn Thornhill. AKA, Laurel Gates.
Laurel Gates, Garrett’s sister, faked her death. She controls the Hyde and was responsible for killing Mayor Walker and the coroner. Wednesday confronts her, with Principal Weems disguised as Tyler, and she confesses. Laurel ends up poisoning Weems to death and kidnapping Wednesday.
She takes Wednesday to Crackstone’s Crypt and resurrects Crackstone with Wednesday’s unwilling help. After Crackstone awakens, he stabs Wednesday and goes off to destroy the school and murder all the outcasts as he had planned to do many years ago. But, with Goody’s help, Wednesday recovers and gives chase to Crackstone.
Tyler, as the Hyde, stops Wednesday in her tracks. This time it’s Enid, who is wolfing out for the first time, who rescues Wednesday. Enid attacks the Hyde as a werewolf while Wednesday races to Nevermore.
Wednesday boldly takes on Crackstone, but he proves stronger than expected. Bianca comes to her aid, and they team up to kill him forever. Laurel is devastated by his defeat and tries to kill Wednesday as revenge. Eugene and his bees show up just in time to swarm Laurel and save Wednesday.
At the end of the episode, Xavier’s charges have been dropped, and he gives Wednesday a phone. She unlocks it, and an anonymous person texts her, saying they have been watching her.
The season’s final shot shows a chained-up Tyler in a vehicle, going somewhere unknown.
What do we know about Wednesday season 2?
Most of the original cast is returning, including guest stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán, but it should be noted that Percy Hynes White will not be returning to his role as Xavier Thorpe. This was due to some sexual assault allegations made back in 2023.
There are still some loose ends that are left unexplained at the end of series one. Bianca is left keeping her secret about MorningSong, and the deal that she made with her mother in order to keep her secret safe. This likely means we will see Bianca struggling in Wednesday season 2. Will she be able to keep her friends safe?
Whilst the trailer reveals that Tyler is taken to a psychiatric facility, the fate of Laurel Gates is unknown. Did she survive? Is she still able to control Tyler? And what will happen to Tyler? Can he learn to control his inner-Hyde?
We are also aware that Wednesday has a stalker. How much havoc is this person going to create?
In the Wednesday season 2 trailer, it is revealed Wednesday is still having powerful visions and that she will be the cause of Enid’s death. We don’t yet know why, or if Wednesday is able to save her.
Wednesday season 2’s newcomers
Nevermore is becoming home to more faces this year. Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) is joining the school. Evie Templeton plays Agnes Demille, Wednesday’s #1 fan. There are new additions to the staff too, including Principal Dort (played by Steve Buscemi) and a new music teacher, Isadora Capri (Billie Piper). Tyler is being looked after by Thandiwe Newton’s character, Dr. Rachael Fairburn.
The Addams family is also coming to Nevermore. Joanna Lumley plays Wednesday’s Grandmama, Hester Frump. There is friction between Hester and her daughter, Morticia. Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the 1991 film, is joining the cast as Professor Orloff.
With Wednesday being confirmed for a third season, it means that season 2 is not the end of the story for our favorite pigtailed psychic. That means we can expect plenty of mysteries and drama this season, and likely another cliffhanger ending.
Oh, and Lady Gaga’s there too. What’s not to love (or lament, if you’re Wednesday Addams)?
