In Wednesday Season 2, Morticia gets reduced to a punchline, but she deserves better

Wednesday Season 2 gave us hopes that we would see more of the Addams family, which was exciting because Season 1 mostly kept them in the background. Though we did see more of them compared to the first season, but some fans hoped this time we would get to see more of Morticia. But she feels watered down in the latest season. The iconic gothic matriarch we know her to be was somewhere missing still.

In this season, we get to know that Morticia writes smut in her spare time. She has always been passionate and sensual. So it would make sense for her to explore that side of herself through writing. The problem is how the show handles it. Her writing is treated like a secret and a guilty pleasure. She hides it from her own family. This is not the confident Morticia fans knew.

Wednesday Season 2 takes even more missteps with Morticia’s character arc. It does not give her the space to be the strong and magnetic figure she has always been. The season sidelines her into being a misunderstood mother. Her relationship with Wednesday is rife with tension. It feels rather shallow even when they reach some sort of truce. So we get a Morticia who does not get the respect she deserves. And that is disappointing for a character as legendary as hers.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinions. Readers' discretion is advised.

Wednesday Season 2: The problem with Morticia’s portrayal

Making Morticia a secret smut writer might have still worked if it had been used to showcase her creativity and independence. But Wednesday Season 2 depicts it as something embarrassing. It is something she cannot openly share with Gomez or anyone else. This is not the Morticia we know.

In the original Addams family stories and adaptations, Morticia is bold and unashamed of who she is. Her love for Gomez is openly playful and full of dark romance. The show misses the point of her character by suddenly making her hide a side of herself.

Another problem is the way the family reacts to Morticia’s writing in Wednesday Season 2. Hester is her mother. She mocks her manuscript. It could have been something empowering but nothing of that sort is shown. It feels like the show uses Morticia’s writing mostly as a punchline. This makes the whole thing feel unauthentic.

Beyond the smut thing, Morticia is pushed aside in other ways. Her relationship with Wednesday is one of the most promising dynamics in Season 1. That is not given enough depth in Wednesday Season 2. Their conflict is resolved too quickly and there's not much emotional payoff either. Morticia then becomes a background character in her own daughter’s story, when she should have been written as a counterpoint (a complex one) to Wednesday’s stubbornness.

This also reflects a bigger problem in Wednesday Season 2. The Addams family legacy has always been about embracing the strange, the dark, and the different without being sorry or ashamed about it. Gomez and Morticia were known for a passionate and equal partnership. Seeing Morticia being reduced to hiding her passions and being mocked for her hobbies is frustrating. Some fans wanted to see a Morticia that lived up to her reputation. But it seems like the show had other plans.

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