'WEDNESDAY' SEASON 2 REVIEW

AS A WHOLE, THE SECOND SEASON OF ‘WEDNESDAY’ IS A GOTHIC AND CAMPY DELIGHT.

THE PACING ISN’T PERFECT AND NOT EVERY STORY BEAT PAYS OFF IN A MEANINGFUL WAY - I DON’T THINK RELEASING IT IN TWO PARTS WAS THE BEST CHOICE EITHER - BUT THE SEASON MAKES UP FOR THOSE PITFALLS IN OTHER AREAS.

THE REST OF THE ADDAMS FAMILY GET MORE TO DO THIS GO AROUND AND I THINK THAT WAS A WISE MOVE AS THE SEASON REALLY FEELS THE MOST ENTHRALLING WHEN ALL OF THE ADDAMS FAMILY ARE PULLED INTO THE FRAY.

THOSE HOPING FOR THAT LADY GAGA CASTING TO COME WITH ANY SUBSTANTIAL TIME ON SCREEN WILL LIKELY BE DISAPPOINTED AND THE INCLUSION OF HER SONG (AND MUSIC VIDEO CHOREOGRAPHY) FEELS PRETTY FORCED.

HOWEVER, THE SEASON DOES A GREAT JOB ON NOT LEAVING ANY LOOSE ENDS FROM THE SEASON BEFORE WITH ALL CHARACTERS, IN SOME FASHION, GETTING DECENT FOLLOW-UPS TO THEIR STORYLINES WITH THE MYSTERIES OF NEVERMORE ACADEMY DEEPENING IN A WAY THAT FEELS NATURAL WITHIN THE WORLD OF THIS STORY.

WARNING! - SPOILER REVIEW BELOW

ONE THING JENNA ORTEGA SAID WHILE DOING PRESS FOR THE FIRST SEASON OF ‘WEDNESDAY’ WAS THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE FELT SHE HAD TO PUT HER FOOT DOWN AS AN ACTOR, FEARING THE SHOW WAS BECOMING TOO MUCH OF A TEEN DRAMA, WHICH SHE FELT DIDN’T REALLY FIT WEDNESDAY AS A CHARACTER. NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE MAIN CRITICISMS OF THE FIRST SEASON WAS THAT WEDNESDAY WAS INVOLVED WITH TOO MUCH TEEN DRAMA, RIGHT DOWN TO BEING INVOLVED IN A LOVE TRIANGLE. ONE OF THOSE MALE ACTORS BEING LET GO FROM THE SERIES AFTER A PUBLIC SCANDAL ACTUALLY HELPS SOLVE THIS PROBLEM FOR THE SECOND SEASON AND WITH JENNA ORTEGA NOW IN A PRODUCER ROLE, THE CHARACTER IS SAFEGUARDED FROM HAVING TO DEAL WITH THESE STORYLINES ANY FURTHER, AT LEAST FOR NOW.

INSTEAD, WEDNESDAY IS ROOTED SECURELY IN THE PARANORMAL AND HOMOCIDAL SIDE OF THINGS WHERE SHE SHINES BEST. THE YOUNG ADULT DRAMA STORYLINES ARE STILL THERE, BUT SAVED FOR THE CHARACTERS FOR WHOM THOSE STORYLINES MAKE SENSE FOR.

THE PERFORMANCES IN THE SERIES ARE ALSO ALL TOP NOTCH FROM THE CAST ACROSS THE BOARD. CATHERINE ZETA-JONES ESPECIALLY SHINES AS MORTICIA MORE THAN EVER BEFORE AND GETS A CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT HER OTHER RANGE OF TALENTS (DID YOU GUYS KNOW SHE WAS A SINGER ALSO BACK IN THE DAY?) AND ALSO PROVED FOR ALL OF THOSE ‘THE MASK OF ZORRO’ FANS THAT SHE CAN STILL PUT ON A DRESS AND DUEL WITH A SWORD LIKE NOBODY’S BUSINESS. JENNA ORTEGA AND EMMA MYERS ALSO GET A CHANCE TO FLEX OTHER TALENTS AND HAVE A FUN STORYLINE WHERE THEY GET TO PLAY EACH OTHER’S CHARACTERS FOR A BIT IN A ‘FREAKY FRIDAY’-LIKE SUBPLOT THAT I THOUGHT WAS MASTERFULLY DONE. THEY COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN CAST IN EACH OTHER’S ROLES FROM THE JUMP AND THE SHOW WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME AND THAT’S SUPER FUN TO SEE.

FOR THE MOST PART, THE VFX ARE GREAT (ESPECIALLY FOR A STREAMING SERIES), THOUGH I STILL THINK THE HYDES LOOK TOO ROUGH AND, HONESTLY, SHOULDN’T BE DONE ANYMORE.

SOMETIMES THE STORYLINES FELT A LITTLE DISJOINTED AND WHILE LADY GAGA DOES WELL WITH WHAT SHE IS GIVEN TO DO, SHE IS THERE FOR MAYBE A MINUTE AND A HALF AT MOST ON SCREEN, MAKING IT NOT ONLY OVERHYPED, BUT THE WAY HER SONG IS WORKED INTO THE SEASON LATER ON DOESN’T FEEL NATURAL AT ALL. INSTEAD IT’S ENID AND AGNES DOING THE MUSIC VIDEO CHOREOGRAPHY IN A WAY I THINK THEY WERE HOPING WOULD BE AS VIRAL AS THE WEDNESDAY DANCE FROM THE FIRST SEASON...EXCEPT IT’S NOT. INSTEAD IT JUST RADIATES MUTUAL CAPITALISM - ‘WEDNESDAY’ HELPS PROMOTE GAGA’S ALBUM AND GAGA’S ALBUM HELPS PROMOTE ‘WEDNESDAY’ - THE SORT OF THING WEDNESDAY ADDAMS WOULD ACTUALLY DESPISE.

THOUGH MAKING LARISSA BECOME WEDNESDAY’S NEW SPIRIT GUIDE MAKES ZERO SENSE, IT’S A WONDERFUL DYNAMIC AND A GREAT WAY TO KEEP HER INCLUDED - ESPEICALLY OPPOSITE WEDNESDAY AND MORTICIA. LARISSA TELLS WEDNESDAY THAT THE ADDAMS FAMILY’S POWER COMES FROM ITS UNITY AND THAT’S TRUE FOR THE SERIES AS WELL AS IT’S THE INCLUSION OF THE WHOLE FAMILY THAT REALLY MAKES THE WHOLE SEASON WORK, ESPEICALLY AT THE FINAL MOMENTS.

7/10

YOU CAN WATCH ALL EPISODES OF 'WEDNESDAY' SEASON 2 NOW ON NETFLIX.