This weekend, Netflix’s gothic darling Wednesday clawed her way back out of the coffin with the first chapter of her second season. Venturing deeper into the cobwebbed corners of the Addams broom closet, she didn’t just uncover the skeletons—she waltzed with them, embracing a moodier, more horror-laced tone that feels devilishly faithful to the Addams Family’s macabre spirit.

New teachers, new friends—and a pair of scene-stealing icons in Billie Piper and the Grand Dame herself, Joanna Lumley—ensure Wednesday’s return is anything but lonely. With Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) tagging along for the mischief, the season is brimming with fresh faces and familiar chaos, each adding their own flair to Wednesday’s delightfully twisted world.

As a longtime fan of Piper, I was more than a little thrilled to see her name on the new cast list—and even more thrilled to hear her sing again for the first time since her 2000 sophomore album Walk of Life.

Yet for all its ambition, Season 2 occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own dark desires. The storytelling meanders at times, losing focus, and some critics have argued that the series has softened—growing almost cozy in places, as if its sharp edges have been carefully sanded down for wider appeal. Fans, too, have been quick to call out the overuse of beauty filters on Ortega—digital smoothing so heavy it occasionally distracts from her performance.

Still, there’s no denying the show’s pull. Within days of its debut, it dethroned The Hunting Wives (another binge-worthy series) to claim Netflix’s top spot. The split-season release may frustrate impatient viewers, but it leaves us dangling deliciously over the cliff until Part 2 arrives on 3 September.

There’s more Wednesday on the way—so sharpen your knives and stay tuned.