Content Warning: Content contains spoilers for the Netflix show Wednesday. Readers be advised.
Back in 2022, fans of horror and mystery alike were captivated by the dark and disturbing character of Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, in the show directed by Tim Burton. Her bitter cynicism, lust for the dark and the dangerous, and her famous, unblinking stare made for a unique and entertaining main character.
In Season 1, viewers followed Wednesday’s adventures at Nevermore Academy, a school for the gifted where her parents, Gomez and Morticia, met 25 years ago. In addition to learning to harness her newfound psychic powers, she also uncovered a mystery surrounding her parents’ time at the school, as well as a horrific monster who resided in Tyler Galpin, a teenager that she befriended.
With the highly anticipated Part 1 of Season 2 released on August 6th, here is a breakdown of each of the four episodes paired with some dark book recs for your reading pleasure.
Episode 1 — “Here We Woe Again”
Back in May, Netflix Tudum released the first six minutes of episode one, where we find Wednesday tied up in the Kansas City Scalper’s basement, a serial killer Wednesday had been obsessed with since she was young. Having spent the summer mastering her ability, she used her powers to locate the serial killer and proceeded to cut off his hair like he did to his victims.
Now, back at Nevermore, she is joined by her younger brother Pugsley, who has acquired the lightning-wielding powers like his Uncle Fester. Used to being out of the spotlight, Wednesday now has to adjust to her new celebrity status (including a group of disturbing fangirls) as well as the threat of a stalker.
The perfect book to pair with the first episode of the new season is Tehlor Kay Mejia’s Wednesday: A Novelization of Season One. If you’re like me and did not finish rewatching Season One before the new season’s release, this is perfect for a quick yet in-depth recap of the first season.
Episode 2 — “The Devil You Woe”
Wednesday fans will remember the gothic heroine’s struggle with her psychic visions in Season One. Utilizing her ancestor’s, Goody Addams, book of spells, Wednesday believes she has fully mastered her visions. Until she begins to cry black tears during every vision, and collapses while having a terrifying vision of the murder of her roommate, Enid Sinclair. In the vision, she believes Enid is murdered by a group of crows, something that has been happening in the town of Jericho.
After finding Donovan Galpin, Tyler’s father and the former sheriff of Jericho, dead at the hands of the same crows, Wednesday makes it her mission to find the Avian, the person controlling the birds, before they can get to Enid. Galpin and his partner, also murdered by the crows, were investigating something, so Wednesday decides to find out what. But first, she pays a visit to Tyler Galpin (aka “the Hyde”) in Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility.
Therefore, the perfect book to pair with this gruesome episode would be Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach. This book has very similar components to Wednesday: a girl ostracized by a small town just because of her eccentric parents, small town secrets, and, of course, the monsters.
Episode 3 — “Call of the Woe”
Only Wednesday Addams would be impressed by her stalker’s dangerous tactics to get her attention. In Episode 2, the stalker uses Enid and her love interest as bait for Wednesday and ultimately reveals their identity, along with the fact that they stole evidence from Galpin’s house because they thought it would please Wednesday.
Utilizing the evidence from Galpin’s house, Wednesday learns that his murdered partner hid evidence at an old cabin. Embarking on an adventure involving a camp sing-along, a magic-filled game against some military Normie cadets, and a rampant zombie, Wednesday finally reaches the cabin. There, the hidden evidence is Outcast obituaries, former patients at Willow Hill, all pointing to the mysterious name Lois.
To pair with this classic mystery setting is the classic The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Known for his dark themes and twisted writing style, Poe is quoted multiple times throughout the series. The Raven served as an inspiration for Nevermore Academy due to its famous line, “Quote the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”
Episode 4 — “If These Woes Could Talk”
Marilyn Thornhill is back! Played by Christina Ricci, the Hyde’s handler is brought to Willow Hill to try and convince Tyler to cooperate. Their reunion is disturbing and violent as the Hyde attempts to kill Thornhill, much to her dismay.
Wednesday enlists the help of a familiar face, her quirky Uncle Fester, to get himself enrolled in the mental facility to find the mysterious Lois. Additionally, with the help of her grandmother, Hester Frump, she learns that the dead patients are not actually dead.
Lois turns out not to be a ‘who’ but a ‘what,’ the acronym for a secret experiment on Outcast patients to convert Normies to Outcasts. The Avian targeting Wednesday was one of those patients and is proof that the conversion was successful. In an attempt to protect himself from the Avian, Fester accidentally triggers a mass power outage, releasing all the patients from Willow Hill. Marilyn Thornhill goes to free Tyler, who kills her and sets off in search of Wednesday. We don’t see the battle between the Hyde and Wednesday, but we see her get thrown out of a window before the Hyde escapes into the woods.
A great pairing with the season as a whole is A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee. Much like Nevermore Academy and Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility, the Dalloway school has its secrets, too, with mysterious deaths bringing history to light.
Part 2 of Season 2 will be released on September 3rd. We hope you enjoyed this recap of Part 1 and its twisted, dark book pairings. Let us know on our socials, what did you think of Part 1?
For some more Wednesday-themed reads, click here.
These books and more can be found on our Nail-Biting YA Thrillers, Mysteries, and Horror Reads shelf on Bookshop.
