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Ooky.
Wednesday spoilers follow.
Creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, altogether ooky? Check, check, check, check and check. Netflix’s triumphant revival of The Addams Family franchise, from the perspective of eldest child (and best Addams, no further questions) Wednesday has been a huge, Stranger Things-level hit for the streamer. It’s even taken over TikTok, thanks to the amazing dance sequence.
But it’s a long a winding road from the gates of Nevermore Academy to the final scene, and not everyone followed what happened. So allow us to elucidate…
Wednesday Addams’ (Jenna Ortega) time at Nevermore Academy on Netflix’s Wednesday was not at all as she expected. From nearly the moment she set foot at the school, she was quickly swept into the growing mystery surrounding the murders of outcasts and normies in the surrounding area, and later came to the conclusion that only she could stumble upon the truth.
With Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie) and Sheriff Donovan (Jamie McShane) in her way, the race to stop the monster, the little known Hyde, became ever so complicated, only resulting in more death.
After weeks of setbacks and dead ends, the final moments of the seventh episode shake things up for our woeful protagonist. Wednesday arrives at the local coffee shop to meet Tyler (Hunter Doohan), finally ready to act on her growing feelings for him.
The two kiss (which is actually Wednesday’s first kiss, ever) and the physical touch prompts Wednesday to have one of her visions. She sees the Hyde killing Dr Kinbott then turning back into Tyler.
The season finale picks up a few days later after Wednesday rushes out of the coffee shop and leaves Tyler confused. She confronts him, questioning him about how long he has known he was a Hyde and when Dr Kinbott unleashed the monster within him to do her bidding.
Tyler acts innocent, begging Wednesday to see reason, before asking if she confronted him alone. No, she replies, before a group of her new allies — including Bianca (Joy Sunday) — walk out.
Outraged, Tyler demands to leave as the group surrounds him. Bianca uses her siren’s song on him, lulling him into complacency as they chain him up in the shed on campus. However, when Wednesday prepares her tools to torture Tyler into spilling the truth, Bianca and the others are disgusted and go to Principal Weems, who calls Tyler’s father.
The Sheriff stops Wednesday just before she hurts Tyler, taking her into custody and down to the local police station, but Wednesday avoids kidnapping charges. She’s free to go. Considering the amount of trouble she has gotten into at Nevermore though, Weems has officially decided to expel her.
Before they leave the station to go back to Nevermore, Tyler confronts Wednesday alone, and confesses to everything. He is the Hyde and enjoys the kills, nearly tasting the delectable fear from his victims. His feelings for Wednesday were never real, and everything that has transpired has been part of his master’s plan.
Upon her return to Nevermore, Enid (Emma Meyers) tearfully helps her best friend pack her belongings to go home the following day. The two almost hug, but Wednesday’s revulsion from human touch wins out.
When Wednesday discovers that Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) has woken up following his life-threatening experience, she arranges for Weems to bring her to the hospital before the train station. Though Eugene doesn’t remember much about the night of the fire, he does recall a bright light illuminating the red boots of the person who set the cave on fire, officially tying everything together in Wednesday’s mind. She knows who Tyler’s master is.
Instead of going to the train station, Wednesday backtracks to Nevermore to find Ms Thornhill (Christina Ricci) tending to her plants in her bright red boots.
Ms Thornhill reveals herself as the mastermind behind all of the misfortune that has fallen upon Nevermore, and the lost daughter Laurel who has secretly been setting Wednesday up all along.
She is the person who coerced Tyler into becoming the Hyde by preying on the memory of his departed mother, who was actually a Hyde herself and attended Nevermore before falling in love with the Sheriff. When Tyler walks into the room, she attempts to command him to take care of Wednesday, but he doesn’t listen. Could his feelings for Wednesday be real and stronger than the control she has over him?
Alas, Tyler is actually shapeshifter Principal Weems, who just heard Laurel’s full confession. However, before Weems can do anything about it, Laurel injects her with nightshade poison and kills her. Laurel then bashes Wednesday in the head with a shovel and knocks her unconscious.
Laurel takes Wednesday to the crypt of Joseph Crackstone (William Houston), where her plan comes to fruition. Using Goodie Addams’ book of shadows and the jarred pieces of Tyler’s victims, she uses magic to resurrect him. Seeing Wednesday as a threat, he stabs her in the abdomen, leaving her to bleed out in the crypt as he and Laurel make their way to Nevermore to continue Crackstone’s life’s work of eradicating outcasts from the world.
Wednesday lays in the crypt, bleeding out, as she is visited by the spirit of her ancestor Goodie Addams. Goodie tells Wednesday that the way to kill Crackstone is by piercing his black heart and that she can save Wednesday’s life, but there is a cost: Goodie will disappear forever. Thus, Wednesday lives, heading out into the forest to stop Crackstone before he can enact his vengeance.
Unfortunately, Tyler finds her first and transforms. With no hesitation, he lunges at Wednesday to deliver the killing blow, but she is protected by her newly “wolfed out” friend Enid (thanks to the blood moon). She now has the ability and strength to fight Tyler.
Still, it’s not enough as Tyler is completely wild, but Enid isn’t fighting alone. The Sheriff, Tyler’s father, finally accepts what his son has become and shoots him before he can kill Enid. This wounds Tyler and knocks him unconscious, turning him back into a human, while a bloody Enid heads to Nevermore to find Wednesday.
As Crackstone begins his attack on Nevermore, Wednesday arrives to duel him and the prophesied fight finally comes to pass. Like her father, Wednesday’s weapon of choice is a sword, but she’s at a disadvantage given Crackstone’s mystical abilities.
In a moment of distraction, Xavier (Percy Hynes White) comes to help Wednesday and fires an arrow at Crackstone, which he simply turns back around in midair and shoots back at Xavier. Wednesday takes the arrow in the shoulder to protect Xavier, her feelings for him now undeniable, and yells for him to leave the school.
Crackstone nearly kills Wednesday again after shattering her sword, but Bianca offers another distraction by stabbing Crackstone in the back. He knocks her back, giving Wednesday the opportunity to grab a piece of her shattered sword and plunge into his black heart. Crackstone dissolves in a blaze of fire, while Bianca and Wednesday give each other a grateful glance.
Wednesday and the remaining students leave the school, where a bloody Enid finds her best friend and the two share a long, appreciative embrace.
The following morning, after all of the death and destruction, Nevermore is closed for the rest of the semester and the children are sent home… but not without some cliffhangers.
She receives a threatening text message and photos of herself from a stalker on her new cell phone — given to her by Xavier, who is hopeful to keep in touch during their time away — and the promise of more danger if and when she returns.
Overall, Wednesday season finale teases that there is more of this Addam’s story to tell. Wednesday’s friendships with Enid and Bianca have just reached another level, certain to bring a fair amount of growth for the introverted heroine.
Her romance with Xavier is no longer torn by her feelings for Tyler. Plus, the school needs a new Principal, which should certainly shake things up as nobody cared about Nevermore quite like Weems. Also, Tyler and Laurel still pose a threat, especially as Tyler potentially escaped from custody after transforming.
The complete first season of Wednesday is now streaming on Netflix.
Wednesday ending explained – Digital Spy
