All woes lead to Willow Hill in Wednesday’s midseason finale. Great guest stars aid Wednesday in solving the mystery behind the murdered outcast patients, ending on a lethal cliffhanger for the latter half of the season.
It’s a family affair as Grandmama Hester Frump and Uncle Fester come to assist the eldest Addams family offspring. Hester helps Wednesday discover someone faked the outcasts’ deaths, leading them to a former Nevermore professor and current Willow Hill patient, Augustus Stonehurst. Fester volunteers to infiltrate the asylum — his favorite pastime — to question Gus about a daughter named Lois and her connection to the murders.
Meanwhile, Wednesday plots her big heist, but not before the avarian stalker attacks Nevermore, barely killing Thing. Once safety is restored on campus, Wednesday recruits Agnes and Enid to break Fester out after his cover is blown by a visiting Marilyn Thornhill.
After sneaking into the facility, Wednesday and Uncle Fester discover Lois isn’t a person, but an acronym for a secret experiment: Long-term Outcast Integration Study. They find the presumed dead outcast patients locked in a hidden prison. Here, Wednesday reveals her deadly stalker is none other than Willow Hill’s activity director. She is Stonehurst’s daughter, continuing his work of extracting outcast powers for use by normies.
A simple showdown with the crow master goes awry when all patients are freed, including Tyler and the human-eating Slurp. In the frantic hysteria, Tyler murders Marilyn and attacks Wednesday before escaping the asylum’s property. The episode closes with Wednesday lying bloodied, surrounded by law enforcement.
A thrilling episode and the best of the four closes the second season’s first half. All that’s great in this series — the family dynamic, deadpan humor, and growing mystery — are all on full display. Fred Armisen brings comedic joy as Uncle Fester. And Joanna Lumley as Morticia’s mother is perfect casting. Her and Zeta-Jones’ scenes were excellently written.
With the second half coming Wednesday, anticipation is at an all-time woe.
Rating: 8.5/10