Wednesday Season 2 Episode 1 “Here We Woe Again” felt familiar but with even bigger stakes. A sophomore season is never an easy thing to do. You have to honor the expectations that blossomed after your freshman season, elevate them, but also still stay in your lane. And somehow Wednesday managed to do that in the first episode of its sophomore season.
It also managed to immediately start all of our characters on different journeys. We’re not repeating things, regressing our characters, and then moving forward all over again. Wednesday has been changed by everyone in her life in Season 1. Now she’s going to take everything that she’s learned and go forward to figure out who is stalking her in Season 2 while trying to protect those she loves.
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She is the Ultimate Outcast
One of the biggest flops when it comes to a sophomore season is that characters regress a little bit. Oftentimes it feels like showrunners forget that we watched the first season, obsessed over it, and are back for more because we loved the first season. Shockingly enough, Wednesday Season 2 feels like they remembered what they delivered in Season 1 and are ready to elevate those stakes in a way that progresses Wednesday’s journey while also remaining true to who she is: the ultimate outcast.
When we see you Wednesday again in Season 2 she’s still the curious, sharp witted, and morose young woman we got to know in Season 1. But there are small changes within her that speak of the events that happened in Season 1 but also her relationship with Enid, the latter which will have its own part in this review. Wednesday has so much on her plate and is taking the time to hone her abilities instead of pushing them away, a refreshing take when it comes to powers. And she uses those powers to fight crime, making her the superhero she would probably pluck out my eyeballs for saying she is.
It’s almost kind of meta that when Wednesday returns to Nevermore, everyone is aware of her. It’s the show’s way of flipping expectations for the audience but also for Wednesday herself. She’s so used to not being the center of things and living in her own world as that ultimate outcast. And it’s got to be shocking to have all eyes on you, with most of them being worshiping eyes. No matter if you’re a teen or an adult, that attention shakes someone to their foundation and leaves you feeling uncertain. I can see that in Wednesday, even if by the end of the episode she burned a painting of those honoring her.
Then There’s Wednesday and Enid…
Season 1 Wednesday was very adamant about not wanting to connect with anyone. That included her bubbly, sweet, and utterly determined roommate Enid. By the end of Season 1 they formed a bond that showed Wednesday that it’s okay to let others in. It doesn’t make you weaker to be friends with someone like Enid. You become stronger. And so do they when you return that support. These two were the best part of Season 1. And they remain the best part of Season 2 after just one episode.
Wednesday brought Enid a gift. Yes, a part of it was to unnerve Enid, because that’s just what Wednesday likes doing. But there’s something in the way that Wednesday looks at Enid and their small interactions that speak of a tenderness. And it could be platonic or romantic. I haven’t gotten into the shipping of it all with these two, if I’m being honest. But there’s no denying the tenderness between them and how they meet each other halfway. And that’s symbolized in everything from Wednesday covering for Enid when she didn’t want to see Ajax or even just the manifestation of their room being divided into pastel and black.
Towards the end of Season 2 Episode 1 “Here We Woe Again” we see a monumental moment that defines this sophomore season. And I’m not talking about Enid running to get help because Wednesday was under the crow pyre. I’m talking about when Wednesday was having her vision. It was clear from the way that it was framed, that this is a deep fear for Wednesday. You can see it in the way that the blood runs down her eyes or the scared look on her face when she sees Enid in that vision. But for me, I wanted to point out that Enid doesn’t touch Wednesday when she’s withering on the ground. It’s a small and gentle reminder that even in her weakest moments, Enid understands Wednesday and respects her boundaries.
And if this is what I got in one episode in Season 2, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for these two.
MORE: What Happened to Christina Ricci’s Character Marilyn Thornhill in Wednesday Season 1?
New Cast Members and the Headmaster Being a Creep
Just because I’m someone who writes reviews weekly for TV shows and movies, doesn’t mean I know everything. And that’s especially true when it comes to Wednesday Season 2. Because I knew Steve Buscemi was going to be in Season 2. What I didn’t know was that Billie Piper was going to be there too. The gasp that I let out when this beauty walked in as Wednesday’s music teacher is a firm reminder that I’m a reviewer first, but I’m also a fan of the show and the world that they’re creating.
I also wanted to shout out to Marilyn Thornhill’s pastel home that the Addams now have access to. It feels like a throw back to the Addams Family Values when Morticia and Gomez go to visit Fester after he married Debbie. Pastels? Really? Truly evil. It’s also a little throwback to the 1964 Addam’s Family Show. On screen it was all black and white. But black doesn’t show up that well in black and white film. So you have to play with colors and have furniture and decorations that pop. And 2025 Morticia would’ve been horrified by it all.
As for the rest of the newbies, there’s a little bit of a spark between Enid and the jock Bruno. There’s no denying that. Buscemi’s headmaster is definitely brewing something up and was kind of gross to Bianca. And by kind of gross I mean did no one really think that threatening the one Black character with taking away their scholarship if they don’t do what the white older man says in chair a fundraising committee, was kind of gross? Because I did. And Pugsley is trying a bit too hard, his eagerness deterring anybody he gets close to. But that’s the least of his problems since he brought back a dead man and looked way too delighted for his own good.
Wednesday Season 2 episodes 1 through 4 are available on Netflix. Part 2 arrives September 3rd.
