After a much-awaited and eagerly anticipated cameo in Netflix’s hit series Wednesday, season 2, Lady Gaga‘s fans were woefully disappointed with the brevity of her screen time. The Joker: Folie à Deux actress became associated with the macabre series when Wednesday’s (Jenna Ortega) iconic dance sequence in Season 1, Episode 4, titled “Woe What a Night,” went viral on TikTok after users paired the scene with Lady Gaga’s song, “Bloody Mary.” When news that Mother Monster herself was joining the cast ensemble for a highly anticipated second season, the internet was set ablaze (Wednesday would approve). Season 2 was split into two parts, a trend that Netflix is currently embracing, and following her absence in part one, Gaga’s cameo is finally available to consume in the last four episodes of the two-part season. However, fans were infuriated with the length of her cameo, and they are justified.
Taking on the role of Rosaline Rotwood, a famed Nevermore teacher, Gaga crosses paths with Wednesday as she seeks her help to restore her psychic abilities as a fellow raven. The particulars of her role were kept under lock and key, so naturally, the consensus was to expect a B-storyline just for her character. So when the last four episodes of the season premiered on September 3, the fans were livid to learn that the pop star’s presence was less than two minutes long. For a character that’s regarded as legendary, it’s criminal that she was given so little time to explore her. While her role is a key component to helping Wednesday regain her psychic power, expanding it would’ve been beneficial to the storyline to have given the character more exposition.
Who Does Lady Gaga Portray in ‘Wednesday’ Season 2?
Netflix
After months of tantalizing teasing, Lady Gaga appears in Season 2, Episode 6, titled “Woe Thyself,” as the phenomenon Rosaline Rotwood, a deceased but legendary Nevermore teacher and a fellow Raven. Wednesday seeks the guidance of her grandmother, Hester Frump (Joanna Lumley), in restoring her psychic powers after she lost them in part 1 of Season 2. Hester suggests she visit Rosaline’s grave to connect with her spirit by reciting a spell and asking for her assistance in regaining her ability. Rosaline shows up, looking eerily mystical in an all-white gown with platinum hair. She reproaches Wednesday for entering her grave uninvited and reads her some harsh truths about her character prior to offering any guidance.
Before temporarily restoring her powers, Rosaline must test Wednesday’s tenacity. She has Wednesday hold her hand over a burning candle for as long as she can. However, if she removes it too early, then she will have to pay a high price for her temporarily restored power. Much to Wednesday’s dismay, Enid (Emma Myers) interrupts the ritual, causing her to remove her hand early, which means now her power comes at a terrible cost: they pull a Freaky Friday but with a ghoulish twist. The interruption also causes the connection to Rosaline to break, and viewers don’t see Gaga until later in the episode when she reappears as an apparition on a statue to Wednesday, who’s occupying Enid’s body at this point. Rosaline warns Wednesday that they have until dawn to switch back, or they’ll both die, adding more morbidity to the tale.
How Long Is Lady Gaga’s Cameo in ‘Wednesday’?
Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams with Thing on her shoulder in Netflix’s Wednesday
Netflix
Gaga’s acting prowess is utilized for just one minute and 42 seconds in Wednesday Season 2. As someone who embodies the spirit of an Outcast and has delivered grisly performances as a vampiric countess in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015-2016), the showrunners missed the opportunity to utilize her talent to its fullest extent. This doesn’t detract from her performance, as she’s Lady Gaga, an Oscar-nominated actress, at the end of the day. However, the general opinion is that there should have been more of her included in the season, especially after the streaming platform hyped up her role.
She joined Ortega, Myers, and Gwendoline Christie, who reprised her role as Principal Larissa Weems, at the Wednesday red carpet premiere, and she performed an eight-minute medley during Netflix’s TUDUM fan event. She’s even released a new single, “The Dead Dance,” to accompany part 2 of Season 2, which was also used in Season 2, Episode 7 titled “Woe Me the Money” during another iconic dance sequence featuring Enid and Agnes DeMille (Evie Templeton), Wednesday’s fangirl. Despite the limited screentime, Gaga still delivered a phenomenal appearance, and from a fan’s perspective, it makes sense to greedily want more from her, so, of course, the brevity is considered blasphemous.
What Has the Fan Response Been to the Brief Cameo?
Warner Bros.
The disbelief and outrage over Lady Gaga’s momentary yet memorable contribution found its way to social media platforms after the Season 2 Part 2 premiere. One user on X wrote, “Ok, while I love Gaga, she’s severely underused in Wednesday. Disappointed, but I’m only on episode 7–we’ll see what happens in the finale.” Another user added, “Can you believe they hyped Lady Gaga’s role in Wednesday only for her to have 2 minutes of screen time, including that horrendous CGI scene?” The reaction was split, with other fans expressing their satisfaction with just seeing Lady Gaga back in a horror series. “Seeing Lady Gaga in Wednesday is just what I needed,” an X post reads.
When it comes to Lady Gaga, people will always demand more. Why? Because she knows how to lose herself in the eccentric and unorthodox. By the end of the season, Wednesday has her psychic abilities back and, with the help of Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), sets out to find and save Enid from the Alpha curse that threatens to permanently keep her in a werewolf state. Viewers will have to wait until Season 3 to see what other ghastly twists and turns await, and maybe, we’ll see Lady Gaga return.
Release Date
November 23, 2022
Network
Netflix
Writers
April Blair
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Wednesday Addams / Goody Addams
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