It turns out that Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) was right to leave Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White) on ‘read’ after he gifted her a cell phone at the end of season one.
Better yet, during season two of Tim Burton’s Wednesday, we see her throw the phone into a boiling pot before returning to Nevermore Academy, only to find that Xavier had been transferred to another supernatural school. It’s an abrupt end to a significant character from season one—but intentionally so, on the production team’s behalf.
Co-showrunner Alfred Gough told TVLine, “We have seen the last of him,” and clarified that Xavier is “at a boarding school we mentioned in Season 1, Reichenbach, which is like the European version of Nevermore.” Although firm that the character would not be returning or recast, Gough did not address the allegations that arose surrounding Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier. A series of accusations of sexual assault emerged surrounding White in 2023, which he denied in a since-deleted Instagram post. Netflix confirmed last year that White would not appear in Wednesday‘s second season.
Jenna Ortega previously shared with Vanity Fair that “[Wednesday] being in a love triangle made no sense.” and added, in regard to White leaving, that it’s “a weird redirect, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost.” And lost it was, almost immediately in the second season—with a final art piece warning Wednesday about the crow on the headstone, Thorpe was written out of the Netflix show. Actor Hunter Doohan remains as Wednesday’s sole twisted suitor, Tyler the Hyde, who plays a darker role in part one of season two.
While Xavier’s absence was felt at the start of the new season, as we wrote in our review, the chance to renew the show’s focus around Wednesday and her friends in a more meaningful way served the show for the better. That in turn drove the point that her love triangle from season one was unnecessary, rendering Xavier’s role in the narrative pointless, really—even before you dug into the accusations surrounding White.
Part One of Wednesday season two is now streaming on Netflix.
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