Wednesday season 1 premiered on November 23, 2022. It offered a reimagining of the Addams Family universe. But this time, through the lens of the sharp, macabre, and endlessly deadpan Wednesday Addams.
The Netflix series, co-created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and co-directed by Tim Burton, quickly gained attention. Combining gothic horror, murder mystery, and teen drama, it featured distinctive worldbuilding and dark humor that drew in a large global audience.
At the heart of the show is Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday. She is defiant and deeply introspective as she uncovers secrets about her family, her school, and herself. With Wednesday season 2 on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to revisit how season 1 unraveled.
What happened in Wednesday season 1?
Wednesday season 1 opens with Wednesday exacting revenge on her brother Pugsley’s bullies by dropping piranhas into their swimming pool. Her actions earn her expulsion, and her parents, Morticia and Gomez Addams, decide to send her to Nevermore Academy—a boarding school in Jericho, Vermont, for supernatural outcasts. It’s also their alma mater, adding layers of family legacy and expectation.
Wednesday is resistant from the start. At Nevermore, she meets Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), a perky werewolf who becomes her roommate, despite their polar-opposite personalities. Where Enid is bubbly and colorful, Wednesday is monotone and emotionally guarded. But over time, their strange pairing becomes one of the show’s most endearing dynamics.
As Wednesday settles into the gothic architecture and eerie traditions of Nevermore, a darker mystery unfolds. A hiker is found brutally killed by an unknown monster near the school. Meanwhile, Thing—a disembodied, sentient hand sent by her parents to spy on her—joins the cast as a silent but expressive ally.
Wednesday plays detective
From the very beginning, Wednesday season 1 sets itself apart from traditional teen dramas by threading in supernatural intrigue. Wednesday begins having psychic visions—an ability inherited from her mother, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). These visions give her glimpses into the past and future, often pushing her deeper into a dangerous mystery involving missing students, violent deaths, and a monstrous creature lurking in the nearby woods.
Wednesday season 1 episode 1 ends with a shocking moment: Wednesday witnesses student Rowan attempting to kill her in the forest, only to be saved when a monstrous beast tears him apart. But in episode 2, Rowan inexplicably returns alive and well—raising the first of many suspicions.
As Wednesday digs further, she discovers that Principal Larissa Weems—a shapeshifter—had impersonated Rowan to keep the school’s image intact. This revelation sets the tone for what becomes a recurring theme in season 1: adults in power concealing the truth for their own protection.
Wednesday discovers secret clubs and hidden libraries
Wednesday’s thirst for truth and rebellion leads her to uncover the secret history of Nevermore in Wednesday season 1. She discovers a hidden library beneath the school used by an elite student society known as the Nightshades. Among its members are key classmates, including Bianca Barclay (a siren) and Xavier Thorpe, a psychic artist with a complicated past.
Wednesday’s detective instincts go into overdrive after she finds a drawing of a mysterious pilgrim girl—Goody Addams, an ancestor who shares her psychic abilities. Through a series of visions, she learns that Goody escaped persecution at the hands of Joseph Crackstone, Jericho’s founder and an anti-outcast zealot. The image of Goody fleeing a puritanical mob becomes a recurring symbol in Wednesday’s investigation and dreams.
A field trip to the town fair reveals more buried history and bitter divides between Jericho’s townspeople (“normies”) and Nevermore’s outcasts. When Wednesday sees a painting of Goody Addams at the Pilgrim World museum, she realizes the town’s history isn’t just old folklore—it’s directly tied to her fate.
The Hyde
Wednesday finds herself surrounded by suspicious characters in season 1. Xavier, whose paintings eerily resemble the monster’s appearance, becomes a prime suspect. Tyler Galpin (played by Hunter Doohan), a local barista and the sheriff’s son, becomes Wednesday’s romantic interest—but he, too, begins acting suspiciously.
Then there’s Dr. Kinbott, her court-mandated therapist, who seems unnerved by Wednesday’s visions and obsession with death.
Meanwhile, a classmate named Eugene (Moosa Mostafa), leader of the beekeeping club, becomes Wednesday’s unofficial sidekick. After he witnesses someone blowing up the monster’s cave, he’s brutally attacked. This confirms for Wednesday that someone is controlling the creature—and that they’re willing to kill to keep the truth hidden.
Wednesday uncovers that each of the monster’s victims had body parts surgically removed—suggesting a larger, more ritualistic plan. Her sleuthing becomes more intense and dangerous as she defies Principal Weems and town authorities, determined to uncover the killer herself.
The ghosts of Jericho’s past and how the Addams Family is connected to it
One of Wednesday season 1’s most emotional arcs involves the Addams Family themselves. During Parents’ Weekend, Wednesday confronts her parents about an old murder case involving her father, Gomez (played by Luis Guzman). He had once been accused of killing Garrett Gates, a student at Nevermore and a descendant of Joseph Crackstone.
Through further investigation, Wednesday learns the truth: Garrett had been poisoned and was attempting to kill the outcasts at Nevermore on behalf of his bigoted family. Morticia, not Gomez, had accidentally killed him in self-defense. The cover-up was meant to protect the family and avoid scandal.
This revelation not only clears her father’s name but also reveals how deeply hatred and prejudice have shaped Jericho’s history—and how these wounds continue to fester in the present. Laurel Gates, Garrett’s long-lost sister, is revealed to be alive and hiding in plain sight.
Wednesday and Enid’s friendship
In Wednesday season 1, Wednesday has grown from a solitary investigator to someone caught in a web of history, hatred, and identity. Her personal quest is as much about uncovering a killer as it is about understanding her place in the world.
Nevermore Academy becomes both a sanctuary and a prison. Wednesday learns that being an outcast doesn’t just mean having supernatural powers—it means living under constant threat and suspicion. The series cleverly uses this dynamic to explore themes of marginalization and belonging, resonating with younger audiences navigating their own identities.
Her relationship with Enid continues to evolve. The once-irritating roommate becomes a loyal friend, and their eventual emotional connection stands out as one of the most heartfelt aspects of the season. It’s Enid, after all, who transforms into a werewolf and saves Wednesday’s life in the season’s climactic battle—symbolizing her growth and the strength of their bond.
Wednesday is guided by her ancestor
After uncovering the truth about her father’s past, Wednesday turns her attention to a more recent mystery: the return of Laurel Gates, the sister of Garrett Gates, who was presumed dead. Guided by a vision from her ancestor, Goody Addams, Wednesday is drawn to the decaying Gates mansion on the edge of town.
With help from Enid and Tyler, Wednesday breaks into the property and discovers a cellar filled with body parts—the victims of the monster she’s been tracking. The implication is clear: this isn’t just the work of a wild creature. Someone is orchestrating the kills. Wednesday suspects Laurel Gates is alive and may be the one controlling the monster.
At the same time, Mayor Walker, who has been investigating the same leads, is run down in a mysterious hit-and-run—just after visiting the Gates mansion himself. The attack puts him in critical condition, and then he dies in the hospital, further fueling Wednesday’s belief that a cover-up is underway.
Tyler’s dark secret
In Wednesday season 1 episode 7, If You Don’t Woe Me by Now, Wednesday’s investigation leads to a critical breakthrough. Uncle Fester makes a surprise visit and helps Wednesday steal a diary from the secret library. It contains the truth: the monster is a Hyde, a rare outcast mutation that only emerges under extreme emotional trauma. Hydes are unstable and dangerous—but more importantly, they are always controlled by a master.
After observing suspicious behavior, Wednesday is led to believe that Xavier, the talented and brooding artist, is the Hyde. She finds his drawings of the monster, follows him to secret meetings, and even uncovers strange connections to the murders.
When Dr. Kinbott, her therapist, is later killed, she concludes that the master must have been Laurel Gates, and that Xavier is her monster.
But she’s wrong. In a chilling twist, Wednesday kisses Tyler—and immediately has a vision confirming what she feared most: Tyler is the Hyde. It was never Xavier. It was the boy she was starting to trust.
A murder of woes
Wednesday season 1 episode 8, A Murder of Woes, delivers the final pieces of the puzzle. Reeling from the vision, Wednesday captures Tyler and tortures him in an attempt to force a confession.
Her classmates, horrified by her methods, report her to Principal Weems. She’s arrested—but Tyler privately confirms the truth: he is the Hyde, and he enjoyed every moment of the killings.
Now expelled from Nevermore, Wednesday teams up with Principal Weems for one last plan. Disguising Weems as Tyler using shapeshifting, they confront Miss Thornhill (played by Christina Ricci), the botany teacher. She confesses everything: she is Laurel Gates, and she used Tyler to murder outcasts as part of her plan to resurrect Joseph Crackstone, her family’s twisted spiritual leader.
But Laurel is one step ahead. She kills Weems and incapacitates Wednesday. Using Wednesday’s blood—descended from Goody Addams—Laurel completes the resurrection ritual and brings Crackstone back to life.
What follows is an all-out supernatural battle for the soul of Nevermore.
Friendship saves the day
Just when all seems lost, Wednesday’s allies rise to meet the moment in Wednesday season 1.
Enid, who has struggled all season with her inability to “wolf out,” finally transforms into her full werewolf form. In a fierce fight, she defeats Tyler in his Hyde state, saving countless lives and proving that she’s more than just the bubbly sidekick. It’s a breakthrough moment for her character and a triumph for her friendship with Wednesday.
Bianca, who started the season as Wednesday’s rival, joins the final stand as well. She helps stab Crackstone with a ceremonial sword at a critical moment, weakening him enough for Wednesday to strike the final blow. Meanwhile, Eugene—recovered from his injuries—leads an attack on Laurel Gates with his swarm of bees, disrupting her spellwork and giving the others a chance to stop her.
With all forces combined, Wednesday kills Crackstone and defeats Laurel, ending her reign of terror once and for all.
Wednesday has a stalker
The battle is won, but peace is fleeting in Wednesday season 1. Nevermore Academy announces it will close for the rest of the semester to recover from the chaos. Principal Weems is dead. Tyler is unconscious and in chains. Crackstone is gone. But the threat isn’t over.
As Wednesday prepares to leave, Xavier—now cleared of suspicion—gives her a smartphone. Moments later, she receives a text from an unknown number with photos of herself and a chilling message: “I’m watching you.”
It seems that someone is still pulling strings. Someone is still out there. There are still more mysteries to unravel.
The first part of Wednesday season 2 is set to release on August 6, while the second part will be on September 3, 2025. Wednesday season 1 is now available for streaming exclusively on Netflix.
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Edited by Somava
