Wednesday Season 2 Retcons the Biggest Season 1 Cliffhanger

The first season of Wednesday concluded with a violent cliffhanger. Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan), the barista revealed to be a monstrous Hyde, was last seen restrained in an armored transport vehicle. The final shot of the season focuses on his face as he begins to transform, his features contorting as the sounds of roaring and a struggle are heard from within the truck. A Hyde, as the series established, is a creature of pure rage awakened and controlled by a master through chemical and psychological conditioning. Therefore, the scene implied an imminent escape and a vengeful monster being unleashed. However, Wednesday Season 2 retcons this cliffhanger, revealing that Tyler had a fate unlike what was implied at the end of Season 1.

Warning: Spoilers below for Wednesday Season 2, Part 1

Season 2 of Wednesday introduces Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, a facility specializing in psychiatric support for troubled Outcasts. Tyler is its most dangerous patient, confined to a maximum-security cell originally designed to hold a schizophrenic werewolf. To neutralize his immense power, he is kept in constant chains and wears a collar that can deliver debilitating electric shocks remotely, all while under the ceaseless surveillance of guards and cameras. Despite these measures, the hospital’s chief psychiatrist, Dr. Fairburn (Thandiwe Newton), admits to making no progress in his rehabilitation. It is for this reason that she grants Wednesday’s (Jenna Ortega) request to visit him, hoping a confrontation might provoke a therapeutic breakthrough.

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Wednesday visits Tyler in hopes of extracting information from him regarding the murder of former Sheriff Galvin (Jamie McShane). When Tyler provides no useful answer, Wednesday taunts him, leading to a Hyde transformation that the guards must interrupt with electroshocks. While Wednesday leaves the cell, Tyler is seething with a focused hatred for Wednesday and reminds her of the scars his fight with Enid (Emma Myers) left on his body. He makes a chilling promise that he will escape, kill Enid to avenge his wounds, and then finally kill Wednesday. 

Seeing that the visit only intensified Tyler’s violent tendencies, Dr. Fairburn makes a desperate decision. She arranges for Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci) to be transferred from prison to Willow Hill, theorizing that the proximity between the Hyde and his former master could help unlock the mysteries of his mind. This choice ultimately creates the exact conditions needed to unleash the Hyde.

How Does Tyler Escape in Wednesday Season 2?

While investigating Galvin’s murder, Wednesday enlists the help of her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) to infiltrate Willow Hill. Their search leads them to discover that LOIS, a name connected to the case, is not a person but an acronym for the Long-Term Outcast Integration Study. This secret lab operating beneath Willow Hill has held Outcasts prisoner for years, using them as test subjects in cruel experiments meant to replicate their powers for Normies. The project was started by a former Nevermore Normie science teacher, Augustus Stonehurst, who successfully turned his daughter, Judi (Heather Matarazzo), into an Avian capable of controlling birds. Augustus shattered his own mind trying to give himself telekinesis, so now Judi runs the entire operation while posing as the administrator of Willow Hill.

After discovering the LOIS lab and unmasking Judi, Wednesday and Fester overload the institution’s electrical grid to create a diversion for their escape. This power surge opens every cell door in the facility, freeing all the prisoners and forcing Judi to flee. The resulting chaos provides Marilyn Thornhill the perfect opportunity to sneak into Tyler’s cell and release him from his chains. Her plan backfires catastrophically, as Tyler holds a deep-seated grudge against her for using him as a pawn. Once free, he transforms into Hyde and brutally kills his former master. 

In the pandemonium, Tyler confronts Wednesday, violently throwing her against a window and leaving her bleeding on the sidewalk. He is forced to retreat before finishing the job as police arrive with significant firepower, but he has escaped. He is now free, has seriously injured Wednesday, and is in a position to follow through on his promise to kill Enid, meaning Wednesday’s investigation may have sealed her roommate’s fate.

Wednesday Season 2, Part 1 is now available on Netflix,  with Part 2 scheduled for September 3, 2025.

What do you think Tyler will do with his newfound freedom in Part 2? Share your theories in the comments!