The following contains major spoilers for Wednesday Season 1, now streaming on Netflix.
Though the series remains centered on its titular character at all times, Wednesday embraces a very complicated plot in the eight episodes of its first season. The Addams Family daughter steps away from her clan for the bulk of the drama, navigating the pitfalls of Nevermore boarding school and pursuing a mysterious murderer claiming multiple victims in the nearby woods. She deduces that a monster is responsible, but who it could be and their motives for butchery remain unknown until the final episode.
Season 1, Episode 8, "A Murder of Woes" brings a lot of plot threads together in a very short amount of time. In this case, Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) confronted a killer, saved her family, and kept Nevermore from being destroyed. The Season 1 finale even includes a hook for a second season, should the series be renewed. Here's a breakdown of how Wednesday's season finale turned out.
The Addams Family Is Knee Deep in an Old Mystery
The show's central mystery concerns a monster murdering people in the woods near Nevermore Academy. Wednesday's sleuthing uncovers shocking secrets about both the monster and the various adults surrounding the school. The monster itself turns out to be her would-be boyfriend Tyler, the son of the local sheriff who's actually a shapeshifting creature called a "Hyde." She abducts him and attempts to elicit a confession, which fails and results in Wednesday's expulsion from the school.
The monster connects to another far older mystery concerning both Wednesday's family and the nearby town of Jericho. The town's beloved founder, Joseph Crackstone, was actually a fanatical religious zealot who chained a group of "outsiders" in a barn and set the building on fire. Wednesday's many-times-great-grandmother Goody Addams escaped the carnage and cursed Crackstone's coffin in revenge for his deeds. Only the blood of an Addams can unlock it. A dark prophecy suggests that he and Wednesday will confront each other and destroy Nevermore in the process.
Both Tyler and Crackstone are linked by the culprit: Ms. Thornhill (played by Christina Ricci), the last survivor of a similarly fanatical family driven to murder and suicide by their own rage. Her brother Garrett Gates attempted to poison Nevermore's residents during a school dance, only to be stopped by Gomez and Morticia Addams, who were students at the time. The incident resulted in Garrett's death and led to the suicide of their parents. Thornhill -- whose real name is Laurel Gates -- intends to avenge herself on both the school and the Addamses by resurrecting Crackstone. Tyler was her tool for gathering the various human body parts required for the ceremony. She uses Wednesday's blood to complete her plans, and the reborn Crackstone stabs the girl, believing her to be Goody. He and Laurel depart while Wednesday slowly bleeds out in his tomb.
Wednesday's Sharp Thinking and New Friends Save The Day
Goody's spirit returns to heal Wednesday before she dies, and the young Addams sets out to stop Crackstone from destroying the school. Tyler confronts her in the forest in his Hyde form, but her roommate Enid -- a late-blooming werewolf -- arrives in the nick of time to fight the monster off. Wednesday faces Crackstone as the prophecy foretells, killing him (with a little help from her best frenemy Bianca) and saving Nevermore in the process. She reunites with her friends, and Thornhill is stung by the school's bees before Wednesday kicks her in the head. It's uncertain whether the blow kills her, or simply knocks her unconscious.
In the episode's finale, classes are canceled for the rest of the semester, and the students are sent home. Wednesday receives a cell phone from her friend Xavier, which she checks as Lurch drives her back to the Addams estate. She gets a series of threatening messages from an apparent stalker, whose identity remains unknown. Naturally, she's thrilled, setting up another potential mystery for her to unravel should the series be renewed for a second season.
The first season of Wednesday is streaming in its entirety on Netflix.