Wednesday Season 2's Most Shocking Death Scene Will Send Fans Reeling

This post contains major spoilers for "Wednesday" season 2.

Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) might've returned to Nevermore Academy with the belief that she has this place figured out, but fate has other plans for our gloomy, deadpan protagonist. This comes after season 1 teased a mysterious stalker (who seems to be the one committing murders in season 2), setting Wednesday on the path of pursuing a fresh, macabre mystery.

However, this is partially revealed to be a fake-out, as the stalker in question is Agnes DeMille (Evie Templeton), a fellow Outcast student and Wednesday super-fan with nifty invisibility powers and a creepy obsession with proving herself useful. But while Agnes' misguided intentions are (mostly) benign, the individual who's committing the murders in season 2 is still out there, leading Wednesday to deduce the presence of a second, deadlier Avian stalker.

In episode 4, titled "If These Woes Could Talk," all hell breaks loose. Before these events, Wednesday sees a vision depicting the death of her roommate Enid (Emma Myers), which is why she spends most of her time tracking down the Avian stalker, who appears to be targeting specific people to hide some unsavory information. The tragic death of former town sheriff Donovan Galpin (Jamie McShane) reveals this truth: Willow Hill is the secret base for a horrific experimental program targeted at Outcasts and was previously led by Nevermore alumni Augustus Stonehearst, with his daughter Judi (Heather Matarazzo) having taken over operations now. Judi is also revealed to be the patient zero for these experiments, where the goal has always been to steal the Outcasts' abilities and fuse them with Normie DNA to trigger a mutation.

While Wednesday confronts Judi, Willow Hill descends into utter chaos. Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) induces a total power shutdown, causing every patient (including a resuscitated zombie, plus Tyler/The Hyde) and the trapped Outcasts to wreak bloody havoc in the hospital halls. Tyler's (Hunter Doohan) presence spells doom for two people in particular: his master, Ms. Thornhill (Christina Ricci), and Wednesday herself. These events then culminate in a shocking death that concludes the episode on a tense cliffhanger. Let's dig into it.

Ricci, who brought the iconic role of Wednesday Addams to life in 1991's "The Addams Family" and its sequel, "Addams Family Values," appeared in "Wednesday" season 1 as the (seemingly) well-meaning professor Ms. Thornhill. However, by the end of the season, Thornhill has resurrected the villainous Joseph Crackstone (William Houston) and was revealed to be the one who had unlocked The Hyde within Tyler, whom she had been controlling/manipulating ever since Wednesday first set foot in Nevermore. The season 1 finale saw both Thornhill and Tyler sent off to different correctional facilities, but season 2 reunites the pair in Willow Hill, courtesy of Dr. Fairburn (Thandiwe Newton), who asks for Thornhill's help with rehabilitating Tyler. As expected, Tyler goes rogue, but in a truly shocking turn of events, he transforms and kills his master, whom he blames for his tragic predicament.

Thornhill's death feels especially shocking; her return in season 2 suggested she might play a larger role in the developing events, but that possibility has now been snuffed out with her brutal demise. Moreover, Ricci's presence in "Wednesday" has always been a delight, and her turn as Tyler's complex, emotionally manipulative faux-mother figure is perhaps the most compelling aspect of the first season.

Tyler's motivations, however, are understandable, as he feels used by Thornhill and doesn't need her to guide his monstrous fury anymore (or so he thinks). After cruelly discarding her, he moves on to target Wednesday, throwing her out of a high window with great force. The last we see of the Addams' gloomy daughter is her lying bloody and unconscious, with her ominous-sounding voiceover being reason enough to believe that she might be dead for real.

But this is Wednesday Addams we are talking about, and the fact that she acknowledges that facing death made her realize that she is out of her depth is proof that she will find a way to survive. Besides, with Tyler on the loose and Enid's life still being in danger, it makes sense for Wednesday to push through the uncertain circumstances that currently surround her. A sneak peek at the final four episodes of season 2 indicate she falls into a coma after her fall, which is both a relief and a concern because the clock is still ticking, and it's ticking fast.

The first part of "Wednesday" is streaming on Netflix, with the second part slated to premiere on September 3, 2025.