It’s almost time to return to Nevermore Academy.
It’s been nearly two years since we last saw Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) arrive with no patience for small talk and a knack for uncovering secrets no one asked her to find.
“Wednesday,” an Addams family spin-off, is a supernatural coming-of-age mystery series executive produced by Tim Burton.
The show follows Wednesday Addams, the deadpan, macabre daughter of Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez Addams (Luis Guzmán). After being expelled from her “normie” high school for an incident involving piranhas and the water polo team, she’s sent to Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for supernatural “outcasts.”
There, she crosses paths with her pastel-clad werewolf roommate Enid (Emma Myers), aloof psychic Xavier (Percy Hynes White), and barista-slash-sheriff’s son Tyler (Hunter Doohan). Wednesday quickly discovers she has emerging psychic powers … and that something monstrous is stalking both the school and the nearby town of Jericho.
Thing and Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday.”Netflix
Between fencing class, forced therapy and her own deeply rooted trust issues, Wednesday launches her own investigation. But what starts as a classic whodunit, soon unravels into a story about prophecy, resurrection, and a plot centuries in the making.
Here’s what to remember from Season 1 ahead of the show’s Season 2 return Aug. 6.
Wednesday’s visions reveal a deadly prophecy
Wednesday’s visions begin after a classmate named Rowan (Calum Ross) tries to kill her in the woods, convinced she’s destined to destroy Nevermore. His proof? A prophetic drawing from his mother, a powerful seer, that depicts Wednesday surrounded by flames as the school burns. Before he can follow through, Rowan is killed by a monstrous creature.
The next day, he shows up at school … alive. Or so it seems. Wednesday soon discovers that Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie), a shapeshifter, impersonated Rowan to cover up his death and avoid panic. As more attacks surface in Jericho, Wednesday learns the creature is a Hyde: a once-human monster triggered by trauma and controlled by a hidden master.
Her psychic visions, triggered by touch, begin connecting her to a long-dead ancestor named Goody Addams — and a prophecy that suggests the destruction of Nevermore may start with her.
The Hyde’s Identity Is Revealed
As the killings continue, Wednesday becomes convinced the monster is someone at Nevermore. Her suspicions land on Xavier, especially after discovering sketches of the creature in his studio. But after a tense date with Tyler, she kisses him — and the contact triggers a vision that reveals the truth: he is the Hyde.
It’s a painful discovery. Tyler had gained her trust, but he had been hiding who he was the entire time. And worse, someone else is commanding him.
Laurel Gates Is Alive
That someone is Laurel Gates, sister of the late Garrett Gates — a former Nevermore student whose death still lingers in the town’s history. Laurel faked her death years ago and returned under a new name: Miss Thornhill (Christina Ricci), the friendly botany teacher and Nevermore’s only “normie” staff member.
Laurel is the Hyde’s master and orchestrates the murder of several key characters, including Coroner Reggie (Nitin Ganatra), Mayor Walker (Tommie Earl Jenkins), and Principal Weems. She manipulates Tyler and uses Wednesday’s blood to resurrect Joseph Crackstone (William Houston), a Pilgrim-era zealot who once vowed to wipe out all outcasts. In the finale, she succeeds … briefly.
Wednesday. Jenna Ortega as Wednesday in episode 206 of Wednesday.Netflix
Nevermore’s Fall
In the season finale, all hell breaks loose. Crackstone returns from the dead and stabs Wednesday, nearly killing her. But she is saved by Goody Addams’ spirit and a protective necklace passed down by her mother.
Meanwhile, Enid finally transforms into a werewolf for the first time and takes down Tyler. Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), once her rival, helps Wednesday destroy Crackstone once and for all. And Eugene (Moosa Mostafa), one of Wednesday’s few genuine friends, wakes from a coma and arrives just in time to unleash his bees on Laurel.
With the villains defeated, Nevermore closes for the semester. But the danger isn’t gone. In the final scene, Wednesday receives a text from an anonymous number with photos of her and a chilling message: “I’m watching you.”
Douae Maarouf
