Some teens spend their summers working waiting tables; others head off to camp, or on family vacations. Wednesday Addams hunts serial killers. 

The first six minutes of Wednesday Season 2’s premiere episode, “Here We Woe Again,” have arrived early, premiering at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event — and our little storm cloud is back with a vengeance. After mastering her psychic powers, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) has been pursuing an obsession she’s had since childhood: apprehending the Kansas City Scalper, America’s most elusive serial killer. In a flashback sequence, we see 6-year-old Wednesday traumatizing her classmates with a vivid presentation of the cold case’s most gruesome details.

“I think the most fun about this was asking, ‘What would Wednesday do during her summer vacation?’ ” Wednesday co-creator and showrunner Alfred Gough tells Tudum. 

“It had to be something insane and dark,” co-creator and showrunner Miles Millar adds. 

Indeed, when we first reunite with the teen sleuth, she’s in a bit of a predicament, tied up and gagged in a basement surrounded by the creepiest array of dolls imaginable. But that’s nothing compared to the hellscape she navigated to get there. In the footage above, you can see Wednesday overcoming the “harrowing obstacle” that is airport security as she and Thing (Victor Dorobantu) head off on their adventure. Knives? A mace? Nunchucks? A reanimated hand? All fine. But a tube of sunscreen over 3.4 ounces? Unacceptable, young lady!

“We love the idea that all of these weapons weren’t really the problem,” Gough explains. “This is based on London Heathrow Airport's obsession with the size of your carry-on liquids.”

“Wednesday speaks for all of us with the absurdity of modern life,” Millar says.  “And she can call it out.”

Once they touch down in Kansas City, Wednesday and Thing track down their main suspect, a down-on-his-luck pet groomer named Chet played by Haley Joel Osment. “The idea with Chet was he was obsessed with hair,” Gough says. “He is a beauty school dropout who then became a serial killer.”

But when Wednesday tries to tase him, something goes horribly wrong: His touch triggers one of her visions. Only this time, she’s crying black tears. As Millar explains, this is a twist that will echo throughout Season 2. “This season, Wednesday’s psychic visions change. She’s spent her summer vacation mastering her psychic ability, but then something goes wrong, so she returns to Nevermore with her psychic ability glitching. Over the course of the season, it’s a struggle to recover her power.”

Still, when she wakes in a greasy serial killer’s basement lair, Wednesday is nonplussed. Even when Chet approaches her with a tray of knives and presents her with a lookalike doll of her own — “It’s how I remember all my special guests,” he croons — she remains as apathetic as ever. Director and executive producer Tim Burton always knew Ortega could handle the macabre twists and turns of Wednesday. “It’s not easy. There’s got to be somebody who has it in their heart and soul, and that’s what we felt with Jenna,” Burton says. “There was no question about it. That’s who the character is, and she brings so much to it. She’s a real equal part of and partner in this process.” 

Millar agrees that Ortega’s ability to mix subversiveness and stoicism is key to what makes her performance so compelling. “She brings such incredible intelligence, humor, and instinct to the role,” he says. “Wednesday never reacts to situations in an expected way.”

Chet is certainly surprised when, rather than beg for her life, Wednesday deadpans: “Let me show you some of my own handiwork.” Suddenly, Thing bursts out of one of the dolls, and takes him down. During the scuffle, Wednesday calmly unbinds herself, stands, and brandishes a very large, very sharp knife, before she ominously declares: “Now … let’s play dolls.” We are so back. 

What happens to Chet? How will Wednesday deal with her teary psychic problem? To find out, you’ll have to tune in to Wednesday Season 2 when Part 1 premieres on Aug. 6, followed by Part 2 on Sept. 3. 

And for a deeper dive into the sneak peek, watch Gough and Millar break down all the Easter eggs you may have missed.