Wednesday Season 2 Episode 6 “Woe Thyself” reminded me about how much I love body swap episodes. It’s an opportunity for the characters we know and love to see life through someone else’s eyes. And it always comes with a big lesson for both of the characters that completely shifts who they are from here on out. And that happened to Wednesday and Enid in “Woe Thyself.”
On the Wednesday front, she has been making decisions for Enid. Even if they’re well-meaning decisions, she has been taking away Enid’s choice to help Wednesday evade the death that our titular character saw in a vision. And being in Enid’s body allowed Wednesday to understand the quiet strength in the colorful and bright person that is Enid. By the end of the episode she verbalizes that understanding by apologizing to Enid for ever underestimating her.
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But when it comes to Wednesday, I think the biggest shift in her understanding of Enid is thinking like Enid. Wednesday has always been assured that her way is the only way of doing things. She doesn’t take advice from anyone, including her mother. But in a moment of stress she thought “What would Enid do?” And that acts as a callback to Enid saying “What Would Wednesday do? in Season 1. Now everything that comes in the final two episodes, will be from a shifted perspective.
Same thing goes for Enid. She has been looking at her relationship with Wednesday in Season 2 through a lens of jealousy. She thought that her and Wednesday had formed a strong bond in Season 1. And it’s kind of jarring to have what you think of as your best friend keep secrets from you and brush you aside like everything that happened in the previous year didn’t while also buddying up to Agnes. So she’s been operating from a place of jealousy, sadness, but also anger.
Literally being in Wednesday’s skin allowed Enid to understand the doubts that plague Wednesday. Because our favorite Addams is very good at putting up this wall as if she’s an immovable object. She’s not. She’s just like everyone else. Maybe she’s a little paler and colder. But she has her own doubts and fears. And Enid seeing all of that makes her appreciate what her friend has done to protect her, even if she wishes Wednesday came to her after she had that deadly vision.
This body swap episode also proves that the heart of the show is Wednesday and Enid.
Wednesday might be the title character, but the show is about these two young women. It’s about their relationship as roommates but also as best friends. And I would even go as far as saying that this could be the building blocks for something bigger than friendship. Because if these two were a guy and a girl, the show would already have them locked and loaded for an epic romance. Just saying.
Talking about guys…we need to talk about Tyler.
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I don’t like Tyler. I mentioned in my previous review that he’s a one-dimensional character. Almost like a cartoon villain. But even though I don’t like him, it doesn’t mean I approve of him getting smacked around by his mother. That is child abuse and it should be called what it is. And it’s such a shame because in the previous episode I was so excited about what this dynamic could prove for Tyler. Maybe he was going to receive a mother’s love that would pull him back from the darkness he has gladly walked into.
I was wrong. Tyler has his darkness and has accepted it. But his mother also has a darkness that she uses to hurt him.
When it comes down to it, I think Francoise is not going to choose Tyler. In the same vein I don’t think Tyler is going to choose his mother when the season ends. She wants to take away her Hyde because she sees it as something monstrous and that has ruined her life. Tyler on the other hand has found freedom within that. And I’m really hoping that Wednesday Season 2, and possibly Season 3, doesn’t take that away from Tyler.
Tyler is a bad guy. He maims and kills because he likes bringing others pain. And that’s different from the darkness that Wednesday carries in her. Wednesday is fascinated by darkness but will fight for what is right because she has felt light in her life and appreciates it in her own way. Tyler has felt that light and has brushed it off because a darker nature is more satisfying to him.
Wednesday and Tyler can never be anything more than enemies. And if it comes to a point where Wednesday becomes Tyler’s master, I implore Netflix not to make it romantic. Tyler has manipulated her affections and tried to kill her and the closest person in her life, Enid. I simply can’t forgive that. And I don’t think that Wednesday would be able to forgive that either.
Additional thoughts about Wednesday Season 2 Episode 6 “Woe Thyself”:
- I really like seeing more of Billie Piper. Where have they been hiding her this season? Seems like a wasted opportunity.
- As much as I love Enid, I think she was a little bit too mean to Agnes. There I said it.
- It was kind of sad watching Agnes go to that meeting and try to find a sense of belonging.
- It was also absolutely terrifying seeing Isaac kill the professor and Agnes witnessing that.
- Like true horror movie stuff right there.
- No one deserves to witness that.
- Also Lady Gaga… was there for like a minute and some change. She did a good job but that’s it?!
Wednesday Season 2 is now available on Netflix.
