The first part of the second season of Wednesday is finally out now on Netflix to stream. Created by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, this season stars Jenna Ortega, Steve Buscemi, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, Isaac Ordonez, Owen Painter, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Victor Dorobantu, Noah B. Taylor, Evie Templeton, Fred Armisen, Luis Guzmán, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Wednesday Addams returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery.

It’s been three years since the first season of Wednesday first premiered. Hard to believe it’s been that long. 2022 was a great year for me for many reasons, and the first season was one of them. I remember catching the first season right when it first premiered. It’s always nice to see something right before the hype takes over. I can’t say I was excited for a second season as so much has happened in between both seasons. What Wednesday is able to accomplish reminds me a lot of Stranger Things. No matter how much time it takes, it’s going to be incredible television. If you were anxious about how a second season would go, no need to worry. We’re in good hands.

I rarely rewatch a show before a new season comes out as it’s hard to squeeze it into my time. Even without a recap, I felt like I still remembered the first season quite well. To my surprise, the new season immediately brings you back into that same world and never wastes a single moment. It brings you up to speed with where Wednesday is at and how it brings her back into her new year at school, setting up interesting stories.

I feel like I have to emphasize on the three year difference, because the returning cast members all come back like they never left their roles. Ortega was born to play the titular character. It’s even better to show this story from her perspective and how her outlook at life impacts those around her. The show brings a lot of humanity to the character. We also get to see a lot more of Catherine Zeta-Jones as we learn more about who these characters are. Steve Buscemi is also a welcome addition to the show and one of my favorite characters right now.

While the show is clearly influenced by Tim Burton and his works, I have to keep reminding me that he’s really just an executive producer on the entire show and a director on a few of the episodes. You can see where his work shines through here, even in the episodes he’s not directly involved with. When Burton is involved, it feels like he’s finally getting the chance to embrace the genre that made him so good in the first place. With Alfred Gough & Miles Millar steering the ship, you can tell just how much they care about the story and its characters based on how much goes on in the first four episodes.

That’s right. It’s been three years, and we are officially getting only four episodes of the new season until the second part releases next month. If you decided to watch only one episode per week, it would line up with the second part. With four great episodes of television, I don’t know why anyone want to do that. It’s a frustrating strategy that I can’t get behind and I am sure others will attest. Either release them all or releases one episode per week. That would at least get people talking without having to wait four more weeks.

Considering the first part is only four episodes, I was still quite surprised by how contained it is. It feels like the writers were deliberate with what they wanted to share in the first part and they delivered. There are a lot of characters and stories to follow that can make it overstimulating at times. I am interested to see how it plays out with the second part, which I do have high hopes for. Viewers may be disappointed that they have to wait, but I can also see viewers being pleasantly surprised by what the first part delivers.

The first part of the second season delivers on every aspect that made the first season great. The humor is offbeat, dark, and goofy. The camera work continues to showcase the locations perfectly, while the overall look and design is immaculate and full of clear development. This is a world that is fully realized. The fact that this is already renewed for a third season should come as no surprise.

Overall, part one of the second season of Wednesday delivers. It gives everything that we loved about the first season without ever skipping a beat. The returning cast was born to play their characters, while the new ones are welcome additions. I am still a bit reserved at the moment to see how the second part plays out. Until then, I am still quite surprised by how much four episodes of television is able to accomplish.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)