📺 By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Having dropped just last Wednesday — brilliant planning right there — the second part of the second season of Netflix’s most popular title, Wednesday, kicks off right where the first half ended.

Not-so-sweet dreams. Wednesday is in the hospital following her fall in the midseason finale, where she enters a dreamlike state only to find out her spirit guide is none other than Principal Weems (Gwendolyn Christie) — who seems to enjoy the idea of taunting Wednesday in the afterlife a little too much.

While the first half of the season was disappointing — given its fragmented narrative and confusing plot lines — the second half quickly proves it’s not here to play, allowing us a sliver of hope that perhaps the final act would make up for an initially underwhelming season. It did — and then some. The second half follows Wednesday, Enid, and the rest of the Addams clan as they venture to save Pugsley from the zombie-turned-human Isaac Night — or as Pugsley likes to call him, Slurp.

Principal Weems, oh how we’ve missed you. As Wednesday recovers, leaving the hospital and returning to Nevermore, she’s still haunted by the spirit of her ex-principal. Christie’s reprisal of the role was a breath of fresh air, and her witty one liners were a much welcome addition to every scene she was in. Yet it wasn’t just Christie with a noteworthy performance, with the entire cast — and Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta Jones in particular — delivering great performances in the season’s final act.

Ra-ra, ah-ah-ah. Speaking of stellar performances, the second half of the season saw the much anticipated appearance of global megastar Lady Gaga as Rosaline Rotwood, a legendary “raven” and former professor who Wednesday enlists to aid her in restoring her psychic abilities. Following directions provided by her grandmother, Wednesday summons Rotwood, who offers to reinstate her powers, albeit at a costly price.

To put it simply, the latter half of the season was fun. From a Freaky Friday-esque subplot involving Enid and Wednesday, the morbid Addams family moments that were missing from the first half, great dialogue, and a lion’s share of snark and wit, Wednesday proved that the first few episodes may have just been a bump along the road, proving most watchers — and our initial review — wrong.

The season quickly sheds its flaws and offers an engaging, binge-worthy experience that isn’t convoluted. If you’ve watched the first half and felt disappointed, we’d urge you to sit back down for the final act — and promise you’ll walk away feeling differently.

WHERE TO WATCH– You can stream the full season on Netflix, and catch the trailer for the second half of the season on YouTube (runtime: 1:58).

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