Episode Grade: (8.7/10)
After seemingly solving the mysteries surrounding the identities of the monster and Laurel Gates, Wednesday makes a massive discovery that shakes things up heading into the finale.
Plot (44/50)
The penultimate episode of the season saw the show’s main storylines converge nicely. It all started with Wednesday’s discovery (with the assistance of Uncle Fester) that the monster is a Hyde that is being controlled by a master, presumably Laurel Gates. To complicate matters, it’s unclear if the person is conscious of their actions when they transform in the Hyde. Despite that intriguing development, Wednesday concluded that Dr. Kinbott was Laurel Gates and Xavier was the Hyde after spotting the two meeting in secret. Dr. Kinbott denied Wednesday’s accusations but was killed by the monster before she could be questioned further. In an effort to stop the killings, Wednesday framed Xavier, and he was subsequently arrested. However, at the end of the episode, she had a vision of Tyler as the monster after the two shared a kiss. And just like that, we have the identity of the monster. This is consistent with what happened in episode four, when it looked like Wednesday bumped into Tyler at the dance right before she had a vision of the attack on Eugene. That should’ve been the giveaway, but props to the director and the writers for the barrage of misdirections. They managed to make all the possibilities seem too obvious to the point that the various theories were actually back on level terms. With that said, as the episode progressed and Wednesday became more and more confident of her theory, it became clear that she’s missing something. This was a well-executed episode that incorporated the fantasy element nicely. Having Wednesday get things so wrong is commendable, but it does present the question of whether Wednesday can track back after making such a grave mistake. Given she’s on her last chance, there has to be a really good reason for the likes of Weems and the sheriff to trust her again. Heading into the finale, we still don’t know who Laurel is. Thornhill seems like the only remaining possibility, but I guess we’ll figure that out soon enough.
Character Development (12/15)
This was a whirlwind episode for Wednesday that saw her show more emotion than she’s shown in the previous six episodes. She was genuinely happy to see Uncle Fester. She was also trusting of him where she felt comfortable asking him for help several times throughout the episode. Her distress at the prospect of Thing’s death was incredibly significant not just because it was the first time we see her cry, but because it was the first time we see her afraid. Sure, she missed Enid (who was welcomed back by Wednesday upon her return), but I don’t think she ever believed that Enid would actually stop being her friend. With Thing though, she was faced with the undeniable possibility that she might lose something that she cares about, and that terrified her. Finally, we saw her open up with Tyler as she went on a date with him and later shared a kiss. Of course, with Tyler being the monster, Wednesday’s emotions will once again be put to the test in the season finale.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- Correlation isn’t causation; just because a theory is logical doesn’t mean it’s correct.
- Sometimes you finally take a risk after holding back for so long on the fear of getting hurt and you get hurt anyways, does that mean you shouldn’t take any risks?
- How is accountability split between people in power and those they have power over?
Acting (14/15)
Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) was absolutely phenomenal in this episode. This was a superstar performance from start to finish, and for once, she had support. Gwendoline Christie (Weems) had her best performance of the season by far, and Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester) played his role perfectly.
Cinematography (13/15)
- Nice shot of everyone dressed in black carrying black umbrellas against the contrasting white building to the right (0:13)
- Solid monologue and song at the beginning of the episode to set the tone at the mayor’s funeral
- Wednesday listens to a rendition of “Gnossienne No. 1” by Erik Satie as she types in what is a continuation of great soundtrack selection
- Another profile shot of Wednesday and Enid facing eachother with the color contrast in focus (8:07)
- Cool shot highlighting the size difference between Weems and Wednesday as they sat next to each other at the hospital (35:39)