While the whole world was enthusiastically discussing the secret of the success of the dark princess Wednesday Addams, the king of dark, Tim Burton, was preparing a new portion of gloomily attractive aesthetics for fans. That's what the second season...

The first half of the second season follows the carefully trodden path of the first: we again have the ironically sociopathic Wednesday (Jenna Ortega), her (still) caricatured family members, the sketchily outlined setting of Nevermore Academy, and an intriguing setup for a detective storyline. No sooner does Wednesday cross the school threshold than she finds herself in the spotlight of a) a future enemy and antagonist; b) girls who are fanatical about Wednesday's unsociability. The protagonist's communication problems are handled skillfully and touchingly, the series' atmosphere is familiar and comfortable—it seems the recipe for success has been played out.

But in reality, the fan-loving viewer finds themselves trapped in a whirlwind of endlessly introduced characters and a plot loop in which these very characters march. With enthusiasm, we watch as Wednesday, in a coat styled after Sherlock Holmes, solves puzzles, and together with her, we jump from one mystery to another. And these mysteries are rather clumsily built around the main character: Tyler (Hunter Doohan)—the romantic interest & antagonist of the first season—in this season represents a weak plot screw that moves only because it must bring the main villain closer to Wednesday; the heroine's younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) starts school and, out of a desperate desire to make a friend, brings a dead man back to life—again, so that in the finale, Wednesday meets him.

Friend Enid (Emma Myers), mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones)—despite their storylines being decently developed, in the end they too serve to highlight the depth of Wednesday's character. This is not necessarily bad, but the series gradually begins to close in on the main character, while having the opportunity to develop other characters introduced into the story. As a result, we get a string of secondary characters (and even the charming Principal-Steve Buscemi is not entirely convincing, fading in the shadow of Wednesday).

At the same time, the series is visually luxurious: stylish contrasting outfits, a play on stylizing historical eras, and simply a delightful animated insert in the spirit of the best works. After the departure of the handsome Percy White from the series, fans get a new crush in the form of Owen Painter, the beloved carnival dance of Wednesday is complemented by a new one (I won't be surprised if it goes viral). In the second season, there are indeed enough bright, dense, and stable elements to support the foundation of the first season.

Roman Kovalev

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It is especially pleasant to note the attention the creators paid to rather everyday issues: adolescence, mother-daughter confrontation, the importance of dialogue in the family. It is no coincidence that the resolution of these issues will directly affect Wednesday's success in her investigations. I really hope these themes will be raised in the series further.

The series 'Wednesday' has undoubtedly received a worthy continuation—once again Burton paid tribute to Edgar Allan Poe and all the founding fathers of the director's favorite genre. Now all that remains for us is to follow the new wave of fascination with dark aesthetics and wait for the third season.