‘Wednesday’ Needs To Let Go of This Problematic Tyler Storyline in Season 3

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Now that the second part of Wednesday Season 2 has finally released, it’s safe to say the follow-up to Netflix‘s hit series is a worthy sequel in almost every conceivable way. Aside from bringing back Jenna Ortega‘s titular investigator in all her gloomy glory, treating audiences to an iconic Freaky Friday-style body swap, and bringing back the gift to television that is Gwendoline Christie, Wednesday Season 2 does a remarkable job balancing multiple equally fascinating storylines. Between the twisty, stop-motion intrigue surrounding Isaac Night (Owen Painter), Thing’s true identity, and Principal Dort’s (Steve Buscemi) horrific get-rich-quick scheme, Season 2 expands on the grim history of the Addams Family with an even darker finale than Season 1. Yet, even so, there’s still one subplot that is way too uncomfortable to continue through the future of the Tim Burton series.

Tyler’s Hyde Status Only Becomes More Problematic in ‘Wednesday’ Season 2

Ever since he was revealed as Season 1’s murderous Hyde, the role of Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) in the world of Nevermore and Jericho has been deeply uncomfortable. At first glance, this discomfort stems from the fact that Tyler appears to be even sneakier than Wednesday, someone who can effortlessly don the mask of a humble normie barista when he’s not tearing Nevermore students to shreds in the woods. In a deeper sense, however, what makes Tyler’s scenes so difficult to watch is the darker, much more traumatic undertones woven into his Hyde identity. Specifically, in Season 1, it is revealed that there are two possible ways to become a Hyde. First, an individual can unlock their transformation through a traumatic emotional event—such as Tyler’s mother, whose postpartum depression seemingly triggered her monstrous side—or, in Tyler’s case, a Hyde’s darker half can be drawn out and induced chemically by a person who then becomes that person’s master.

When Season 1 makes its big reveal that Christina Ricci‘s Professor Thornhill is the one who tamed (and, by extension, controlled) Tyler’s Hyde, it is clearly implied that Tyler is also a victim in his own right. After all, any grown adult attempting to take advantage of a teenager’s vulnerable emotional state in order to control them for their own gain is undeniably a predator, and Season 2 makes no secret of this disturbed relationship. During her brief stint at Willow Hill in the first half of Season 2, Thornhill (or Laurel Gates) even uses the word “grooming” when referring to what she did to Tyler. With this in mind, and considering the deeply uncomfortable way Thornhill touches Tyler when the two of them are together, there is some implication that the pair’s relationship was sexually exploitative, all of which supports the fact that Tyler’s fraught identity has been consistently weaponized against his own emotional and physical well-being.

The second half of Wednesday Season 2 only makes matters worse with its subplot about what it truly means to be a Hyde. After Tyler’s short-lived revenge against Wednesday is foiled by his recently rescued mother, Francoise (Frances O’ Connor), Wednesday reveals that not only do Hyde transformations inevitably lead to early deaths, but male Hydes also are unable to live without masters at all. Doing so results in a loss of sanity that causes a person to unravel, effectively binding Tyler to the same kinds of predatory relationships that he manages to overcome the moment he kills Thornhill in Willow Hill. For someone who takes pride in his power as a Hyde, this revelation can be interpreted as brutally ironic, but as a teenager who has been nothing but abused throughout Wednesday, the reality of being a Hyde in constant need of a master is also more than deeply tragic.

Tyler’s Abuse Feels Excessive After ‘Wednesday’ Season 2

Hunter Doohan and Jenna Ortega in 'Wednesday' Season 1 — Hunter Doohan and Jenna Ortega in ‘Wednesday’ Season 1

On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with a series depicting predatory behaviors or grooming so long as it is willing to dissect and sensitively explore the dark emotional realities of both tragic circumstances. In Tyler’s case, unfortunately, Wednesday Season 2 piles on the pain with seemingly no reprieve, almost going out of its way to give Tyler the worst possible life of anyone in a subversive world constantly defined by the depraved and the macabre. Not only does Tyler’s mother assume the role of his new master without his permission, but she also quickly proves to be physically abusive the moment he raises his voice to her, dashing Tyler’s awe at their shocking reunion in a soul-crushing reminder that all the mother figures in Tyler’s life fail him.

On top of this disappointment, Tyler is also subjected to the whims of his newly resurrected mad scientist uncle and once again weaponized against Wednesday and Nevermore without ever being given the chance to decide what he wants for himself. (Not to mention subsequently being forced to witness his mother and her brother have a little too close of a sibling relationship.) In a season where side characters like Agnes (Evie Templeton) and Bianca (Joy Sunday) both receive meaningful character arcs and plenty of introspective moments, the abuse Tyler endures deprives one of the series’ main antagonists of the chance for self-reflection, making Tyler’s pain feel less pivotal for Wednesday‘s Season 2 narrative and more needlessly excessive. That said, taking away Tyler’s voice isn’t the only way his suffering in Wednesday Season 2 could confine him.

‘Wednesday’s Master System Is Holding Back Tyler’s Future Redemption

While Tyler’s newly uncovered need for a master does limit his autonomy in Wednesday Season 2, the argument can be made that this development is necessary for the character’s eventual redemption. From the beginning, Tyler has shown signs that there is some good still in him. The speed with which he rescued Wednesday in the series premiere and the natural chemistry between him and his main adversary in Season 1 have already long led fans to believe Tyler wasn’t entirely acting when he grew close to Wednesday. Moreover, while Tyler is unable to go against his mother’s wishes in Season 2, the camera does focus on Tyler’s visible discomfort during scenes like Wednesday’s burial, hinting that the Hyde doesn’t actually agree with his master’s decisions. Given the depth of Thornhill’s prior manipulation, it’s possible that Wednesday was right during her torture of Tyler in Season 1, and only the great pain of Season 2 will unlock Tyler’s desire to think freely in the future.

The only roadblock to this potential evolution is the same reliance on a master. In particular, the suspiciously convenient appearance of Professor Capri (Billie Piper) after the real death of Tyler’s mother and the latest master hints at a new predator in what is rapidly becoming a recognizable pattern. While this older woman of questionable morals promises to free Tyler with a pack-based system of mastery, Season 3 appears to be once again setting Tyler up to rely on a red-haired Nevermore teacher to save him, a dynamic that would, once again, hold back his potential to assert himself independently as a character. After all that he’s endured, Tyler clearly deserves to live a happy, unbothered life as much as any outcast, so if Wednesday really wants to honor his trauma, the already highly anticipated Season 3 needs to drop Tyler’s need for a master and focus instead on the difficult healing that’s required to recover from the world that made his monster.

All episodes of Wednesday Season 2 are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.