WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Wednesday season 2!Wednesday season 2 won’t be able to keep its clever title tradition after the emotional season 1 ending. Every episode of Wednesday season 1 features the word “woe” in its title, which connects to the inspiration behind Wednesday Addams’ name. Morticia explains that Wednesday was named after the nursery rhyme Monday’s Child. More specifically, her name is derived from the line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe,” which also serves as Wednesday season 1, episode 1’s title. The subsequent episodes substitute the word “woe” in common phrases or titles from pop culture, such as “Woe What a Night” or “Quid Pro Woe.”
Considering the tradition of placing “woe” in Wednesday season 1’s titles is based on the misery and troubles associated with the character, it’s no longer fitting for Wednesday season 2. At the end of Wednesday season 1, the title character was no longer defined by sorrow, having finally embraced her positive emotions and happier friendships with others. While woe served as the theme for Wednesday season 1, particularly in regard to the trouble that followed Wednesday Addams around Nevermore Academy, her emotional growth means that season 2 requires a different underlying tone associated with the new mystery.
What Wednesday’s Nursery Rhyme Inspiration Really Means
Wednesday Addams’ name inspiration was incredibly fitting for Wednesday season 1’s murder mystery. In the old poem, the line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe” was meant to suggest that children born on a Wednesday would be subject to misery, bad luck, and trouble, which does apply to Wednesday Addams’ characterization when she’s first introduced – despite the fact that she was born on Friday the 13th. Considering Wednesday’s arrival at Nevermore Academy signals a murder spree and misfortune in Jericho, which she is partially blamed for, the gloomy Wednesday truly lives up to her namesake at the start of the show.
However, Wednesday was the only one who was able to stop Laurel Gates’ sinister plans, proving she was the foreseen savior rather than the one who brought back luck to Nevermore. This similarly connects back to Morticia Addams’ more positive outlook on life, indicating she never believed that Wednesday was destined to bring woe to the world despite her namesake. The interpretation of “woe” can also be applied to bearing heavy responsibilities with emotional empathy, which is more fitting for Wednesday’s season 1 character arc. The Addams Family is notable for subverting expectations of the title macabre figures, so it makes sense that the rarely-smiling Wednesday ultimately suits a more optimistic definition of “woe.”
How Wednesday Season 2 Can Keep Its Title Trend
Instead of using “woe” in every episode title for Wednesday season 2, the next installment can use a new gothic theme that applies to the conflict at hand. Since Wednesday season 1 makes plenty of references to Edgar Allen Poe, season 2 could use the names of his poems and stories for episode title inspirations. Season 2 could also use words associated with The Addams Family theme song for episode titles, thus still incorporating the iconic tune without actually including it on Wednesday's soundtrack. As the characters develop and the tone of the series changes, each season of Wednesday should utilize a different word that connects the episode titles and theme of the story.