Wednesday Season 2 Officially Confirmed the 1 Rule Season 3 Can't Afford to Break

Wednesday may have returned for a second season, but the show was notably missing one key element, especially in the first part. As promised by the show creator and executive producer, the second season opened with a mystery-focused plot and a much darker tone. Wednesday was knee-deep in overusing her psychic ability and protecting others in her life that it put a strain on her friendship with Enid and her relationship with her family. Meanwhile, still experiencing heartbreak from Season 1’s grand reveal, the famous outcast found her path crossed with her old flame.

While the series leveled up the stakes and introduced a more complex conspiracy in Season 2, things didn’t start to get interesting until Part 2. With the return of a crucial component, the show’s viral status was back. Without it, Wednesday is a decent mystery show, but with it, it’s bingeworthy and addictive. Since Season 1, one thing has been at the core of the show’s success, but it does seem that the series struggled with it as part of its identity. Season 2’s finale again left things with an open end, leaving fans worried about one character’s return and the inclusion of this central feature.

Wednesday Season 1 Didn’t Work Without The Love Triangle

Wednesday Season 2
Image by Morena Perez Vitale

Wednesday Season 1 saw the titular character investigating a series of murders, but mainly, it revolved around the love triangle between Wednesday, Tyler and Xavier, which initially seemed unnecessary, but turned out to be the very thing that led to the show’s success. Many fans complained back in Season 1 about Wednesday’s heavy focus on romance. However, the very thing may have worked as a driving force to lure fans back for another season.

Although the love triangle has resulted in some of the most cringey moments in the season, it was the audience magnet that kept driving fans back to the show. Those on Team Xavier rooted for the pair throughout Season 1 after Wednesday have repeatedly doubted and suspected her classmate’s motive. Meanwhile, Team Tyler was joyful to see the first on-screen kiss between the characters, only to find out that Tyler was the murderous Hyde all along. After the big reveal in the Season 1 finale, Xavier and Wednesday seemed to be on the cards, leading many to ache for a second season.

With Xavier not returning because of behind-the-scenes dramas, fans, especially those who were rooting for the pair, were left disappointed and even voiced their concerns about Season 2. Season 2 did find a way to make fans forget about Xavier’s departure, and it was genius. However, it didn’t happen until Season 2 Part 2. because of the love triangle overshadowing the show’s mystery storyline, Tim Burton and Jenna Ortega decided to not feature a love interest in Season 2. However, it didn’t take long before romance found its way back to the show.

Even though not a clear love interest, the will-they-won’t-they tease between Wednesday and Tyler was too obvious not to be noticed in Season 2 Part 2. Season 2 Part 1 kept things more casual between the two, but Tyler’s new tortured look was clearly building to something more. After Season 2 Part 2 arrived on Netflix, the show made it clear about the two’s lingering feelings for each other, which eliminated the need for Xavier. Many Wednesday fans became obsessed with Tyler and Wednesday’s dynamics and resulted in the pair’s key moments going viral on social media. It almost seems that the show can’t really function without a main romance arc (even just the possibility of a spark).

Season 2 Part 1 put the main focus on Wednesday and the various mysteries that deserved her attention. The raven attacks and the stalker arc were interesting, but they simply weren’t enough. The show clearly lacked a key ingredient to make it as addictive as Season 1. As a matter of fact, Wednesday Season 2 Part 2‘s viewership dropped significantly after Part 1’s debut. Part 1 garnered 50 million views in the first five days, and during the second week, the show only conjured another 29.1 million views, which was a 42% decline.

This lasted into Part 2’s debut, which saw a sharp decline from Part 1. Part 2 only debuted to 28.2 million views during the first week. The second week saw the show ending at the No.2 spot on Netflix’s top 10 chart, with 15 million views. Between Season 2, Part 1 and Part 2, the drop was 43%, which means nearly half of the viewers didn’t return to watch the second part when the show came back. Even with the added viewership from the second week since Part 2 came back, the total number was still smaller than Part 1’s debut. It turned out the missing romance arc and its overall darker tone didn’t resonate with the audience as much as expected.

It sounded very unlike Wednesday, but what defined Wednesday Season 1 was the love triangle that made the show very much a teen mystery rather than a focused, high-stakes horror investigation. The plot in Season 2 was still interesting, but making it the sole focus had the opposite effect. A key reason Season 1 worked so well was the various distracting and highly engaging situations that forced Wednesday to be in because of her unique experience as a coming-of-age teen.

A budding love story and heartbreak are almost always the attention-grabber in a coming-of-age story. Seeing Wednesday being thrown into cringey situations is one of the joys watching Wednesday offers. It’s also central to the character arc as she steps out of the home she grew up in and becomes part of Nevermore’s ecosystem. Season 2 tried to age Wednesday up by engaging her complex conspiracy while setting Nevermore up as the next Hogwarts, but even Harry Potter features love interests during the main characters’ late teenage years.

Season 2 Part 2 Proves That Wednesday’s Romance Arc Is Still In The Game

Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) standing in his cell wearing a shock collar and no shirt in Wednesday Season 2.Image via Netflix

Wednesday was in her post-breakup era in Season 2 Part 1, after Tyler turned out to be the murderous Hyde she had been hunting. It made sense that Season 2 Part 1 temporarily paused the Wednesday-related romance so that both fans and the character could reflect and redefine what Season 1’s romance, and it turned out that Wednesday wasn’t ready to move on from the betrayal and her feelings for Tyler. Given Tim Burton’s reputation for creating some of the most darkly fascinating couples on screen, Wednesday has the unique chance to birth another iconic pair.

Even though Season 2 Part 1 didn’t seem to include any romance, Burton actually left plenty of breadcrumbs along the way, hinting at what was going on before Season 2 Part 2’s scenes brought everything to life. Hunter Doohan’s performance in the Willow Hill scenes was phenomenal as he successfully captured every micro-reaction that pointed to the character’s true feelings without spelling everything out loud. Tyler was clearly waiting for Wednesday to visit Willow Hill, and he threatened Enid when Wednesday seemed to lose interest and intended to leave. However, the nuances were hard to catch during a first watch. A rewatch after Season 2 Part 2 put everything into perspective and shed light on all the details fans might’ve missed during the first round.

Season 2 Part 2’s treatment put Tyler back on the list of Wednesday’s strongest love interest, and it also added depth to Part 1. It even made Part 1 a much more interesting watch. Season 2 also made it clear that things weren’t a clean cut between Wednesday and Tyler, which might make the introduction of a new love interest harder for fans to root for. Tim Burton is a genius at creating unique dynamics on-screen. With him at the helm, whether the show will introduce Tyler or someone else in Season 3, the show will be in good hands.

From Edward Scissorhand and Kim to Jack and Sally, Burton has a unique touch, and Wednesday provides another rare chance. It’s simply a waste not to feature a romance arc in Season 3 of the show. While Season 2’s mystery has been fun, Wyler may have been the one thing that saved the show from becoming a try-hard teen mystery. In fact, compared to the chilling murders scattered among Wednesday’s roommate drama and boy troubles, Season 2’s mystery felt a little short because of the lack of contrast. Despite Ortega’s statement about not giving Wednesday a love interest in the past, it seems that the show has no choice but to feature one every season just to make it work.