Wednesday Season 2 review: goth queen returns — bigger, bolder, slightly overstuffed

WEB DESK: Wednesday Addams is back, and turns out that she’s not here to play. Unless of course it’s a murder mystery, involving eye-gouging crows, resurrected zombies, or psychic meltdowns. Season 2 of Netflix’s mega-hit Wednesday kicks off with our favourite deadpan detective once again proving that black is never out of season, even in the middle of summer.

This time, Nevermore Academy is brimming with new faces, old secrets, and a growing body count. Jenna Ortega continues to rule the screen with that perfect blend of sarcasm and subtle chaos. Whether she’s staring down serial killers or delivering cutting one-liners like “It’s Addams with two Ds — like ‘padded room’,” she’s still the show’s magnetic (and morbidly delightful) core.

But Season 2 goes big. Maybe a little too big. Each hour-long episode is crammed with new subplots and star power: Steve Buscemi plays the suspicious new headteacher with uncanny “fellow kids” energy; Thandiwe Newton and Billie Piper join the ensemble; Wednesday’s little brother Pugsley accidentally revives a zombie named Slurp (yes, really); and Thing, the hand with more charisma than most humans, continues to steal every scene he’s in.

Wednesday Season 2 returns to haunt screens tomorrow

While the cast is stacked and the vibes remain top-tier creepy, the plot can feel a little frayed. There’s a lot going on — too much at times. Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) are around a lot more, which sounds great on paper but often ends up diluting the Wednesday-focused narrative. And fan-favourite Enid (Emma Myers)? Criminally sidelined, even as her character undergoes big emotional changes.

‘Wednesday’ Season 2 gets gothic global premiere in London

Still, the show’s production value is rich, its humour sharp, and Tim Burton is clearly having a ball — the premiere alone throws nods to The Birds, The Tell-Tale Heart, and Sleepy Hollow, with a haunting stop-motion sequence to boot.

Season 2, Part 1 is ambitious, spooky fun, but in trying to do it all, it sometimes forgets that less is more. Thankfully, the bite is still there, the black tears are flowing, and that one-eyed crow is still circling.

Here’s hoping Part 2 sharpens the claws. Halloween can’t come soon enough.