Season 2, Episode 1: Here We Woe again
Much like Season 1, Season 2 opens with a preamble, a cold open if you will. Wednesday takes down a cold case serial killer with the use of her psychic powers that she has mostly master aside for some black goth tears. This opening does seem like a misdirect for the trailer but it’s fine and the TSA sun-screen gag was at least amusing, felt akin to Addams’ family humor.
The first episode sets up a lot of plot-irons in the fire. There is Wednesday’s stalker which was set-up at the end of season one, Nevermore school pride, Pugsley, The Birds, Morticia running a gala with Bianca, Enid’s love life plus a prophesy, zombies and more probably too much more.
This episode does have a decidedly more Addams family-leaning humor mixed with the style they were going of for season one. The joke about Morticia being aghast by Thornhill’s taste is derivative but it’s fine. It’s basically the 90’s pastel à la Debbie BUT also Enid’s aesthetic versus Wednesday’s dorm room decor. Still Wednesday’s playing off her family is welcome so long as the story-threads interconnect and compliment the narrative as whole it should be fine but as of episode one it’s all over the place and given season one not sure how much faith should be put into the writers.
Then there is the stop-motion animated segment which depicts a ghost legend of one of the dorms. On the one hand, and it’s big hand, I always love seeing stop-motion animation, it’s the only reason I watched Del Toro’s version of Pinocchio. The segment also provided a much need visual for the ghost story. It’s far and away more compelling to watch the story than Ajax just speaking dialogue to the students and the camera. But on that much smaller hand it felt a little out place and more of an indulgence. Maybe if they did more cool other-worldly visuals akin to that and not just CGI it would feel more integrated. Just more touches of that aesthetic in more tangible medium than solely CGIs. But Stop-motion animation is a net positive so if it was Burton indulgence, it’s forgivable.
A negative is that so far characters feel out-of-character from then end of season one. This could be because the gap between seasons or the writing or both. Ortega is still on-point and Wednesday but Wednesday as a character in this version has been all over the place with her “morals.” Enid ghosting Ajax is off-putting and Eugene’s awkward wooden acting worked with his character in season one but it’s not working now. Bianca is the only supporting character that works with maintaining her season one character growth and expanding on it moving forward.
Steve Buscemi as Principle Barry Dort is giving the same energy as his role on 30 Rock, Lenny Wozniak, with his “fellow kids.” So basically a blend of delight and cringe but jury is still out on this character
It’s not a grand season opening as it seems very cluttered with plot threads but we shall see how these plot on mingle together.
And Now a Tangent…
What the hell is up with DaVinci type of outcast? Like why are they called DaVincis? Implications are that DaVinci was an “outcast” too. But does it actually mean to have a type named for him? Was Xavier a DaVinci? Doesn’t matter they wrote him out of the show instead of recasting. Do Davincis just have telekinesis? Are they artists? Inventors? Something with flight? The show drops this information like it’s nothing but they made up type of outcasts and give the viewer very little, just a throwaway line . Do all psychic types have sub-classifications? Do “outcasts” have phylums and chordatas? Did the writers give any it thought beyond “wouldn’t it be cool if they were called Davincis?” Might come back to this point at later date, so putting a proverbial pin in on outcasts as monsters/artists and sub-groups.
Ngl, Enid’s energy is how I imagine book Esmeralda. Innocent and bubbly, falls in love very easy.
(That being said I am not saying Emma Myers could be Esmeralda, because she’s too fair, even if we went with book Esmeralda, who’s french but got darker features. She’d be a delightful Fleur de Lys Though. I bet she could pull of that petty, rich mean girl vibe. I really liked her work.)
As for the show, I like Wednesday, Jenna’s doing a formidable job (and she’s very beautiful, because it’s not easy to be able to rock Wednesday looks and look cool instead of plain creepy. I may be biased though, I like women with features similar to hers a lot, maybe because I’m Hispanic and saw much of that growing up. This may sound weirdly specific, but since I’m a makeup artist Inlay a lot of attention to features and I think her mouth shape is absolutely beautiful and unique) Back to the show, I like Wednesday, she’s macabre and unapologetic, but I don’t really like the whole setting – Addams family was cool because of its contrast to an American Dream backdrop, so setting her in a school of “outcasts” is pretty counterintuitive.
Also, I don’t understand why those people would be outcasts. Enid, for example, if no one knew she was a werewolf, would be the type of girl to be very popular in any normal school. She’d probably be a queen bee without the mean streak.
Bianca Barclay would be another popular girl, Queen Bee type om a normal school and even if she used her powers no one would know, so she wouldn’t be outcast either. (Btw, I think Joy Sunday is the prettiest girl on the show. And no, I’m not saying with the contacts, tho they look cool, I’m saying with her natural eyes. 10/10 that girl, she rocks that shaved hair look and that’s not easy either – I hope to see her in more films, maybe in the lead.
Ajax I could understand being outcast, man can’t hide his nature if his beanie gets off and got that strange “hair”.
Xavier would be the hipster rich kid, he could just not use his powers in front of normies and would be fine.
Also, I love Catherine Zeta Jones, she’s absolutely brilliant and look wise makes a fabulous Morticia, but I think it’s hard to top Angelica Houston – maybe if there wasn’t the comparison she’d fare better.
I saw a lot of people pushing and shipping to make Wednesday queer and ship her with Enid, but honestly I wouldn’t like that. Sometimes friendship is just that and I think Wednesday would be a great opportunity to add some representation to the Aro/Ace community as I don’t see many like me on the media. Her story with Tyler could totally be framed as experimenting, but I think an Aro/Ace Wednesday would make such sense. wdyt?
Would you consider in the future reviewing K-Pop Demon Hunters?
I totally get what you saying about Enid being similar to book Esmeralda but not right look for the role. Though there was at least one blonde Esmeralda but that was a very weird version that differed a lot from the book. I would be game to see Emma Meyer as Fleur de Lys.
Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday is 100% a major highlight. I agree she looks great in the role. Wednesday’s overall look and vibe is not an easy on to pull off.
It’s hard to rationalize the “outcast” school with Addams Family. On the one hand it should be taken as it own thing separate interpretation but the whole Addams family subverting the American is shoe-horned into the concept. Burton’s movie Edward Scissorheand in more akin to concept of the Addams than Wednesday at monster highschool.
As far as Wednesday’s sexuality goes I’m ambivalent. The love triangle of season one didn’t work. Tyler might have been experimental but it seem like Xavier was supposed to be the end-game which got derailed by controversy plus Xavier was really boring. So I’m not sure how much faith should be put in the writers for giving Wednesday romance. Her and Enid could work but I’m not sure the writer can really pull it off. I guess if the writing is good I’m fine with any direction. But the writer will probably go with Enid to appease fans or at least hint at it.
K-pop Demon Hunters is currently on my watch list but maybe I guess I could review it.