Netflix Swapped Out Jenna Ortega – The Twist That Flipped Wednesday Upside Down
Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2 has been ambitious, flashy, and occasionally overstuffed. There are moments of grandeur, creepy supernatural stakes, and gothic style. But also, narrative threads that don’t quite connect, subplots that seem to wander, and character arcs that sometimes feel neglected. Among all that chaos, there is one classic gimmick that truly elevated the show: the body swapping between Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) and Enid (Emma Myers). While other parts of the season misfired, this twist worked — not just as a novelty, but as a moment of profound character work. It is the bright spot that made Season 2 feel worth the watch.
Jenna Ortega & Emma Myers: A Switch That Demands Skill
What made the body swap so compelling is how deeply it forced both Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers to embody characters that are almost the polar opposite of themselves. Ortega’s Wednesday is defined by her stoicism, her measured voice, her stillness, her gothic silence. Enid is buoyant, colorful, expressive—a burst of warmth in Wednesday’s cold world. These are not small differences. For Jenna Ortega to become Enid, she had to shift every fiber of her performance: posture, vocal tone, cadence, physicality. She smiles more, she moves more energetically, she has to simulate Enid’s warmth—a warmth that makes her own version of Wednesday look like a shadow.
On the flip side, Emma Myers stepping into Wednesday’s skin has to be still, almost eerie. Her gaze colder, her voice more clipped, her manner more reserved. The challenge is huge: make the audience believe this child of sunshine is trapped in a world of gothic darkness, even while wearing bright colors or behaving like herself knowing she is someone else. Myers doesn’t revolt against this responsibility; she leans into the stillness. Her Wednesday‑as‑Enid moments are almost painful in their restraint. The swap becomes a mirror not just of comedy, but of emotional contrast.
Episode 6: The Body Swap That Reframes Their Relationship
The focal point for this twist is the episode titled “Woe Thyself” in Season 2, Part 2. It’s here where Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers swap identities—magically, through a ritual gone wrong. That premise alone could have felt gimmicky. But thanks to the acting, it becomes something else: a lens into both characters’ inner lives.
We see Wednesday forced to live Enid’s optimism, Enid’s social interactions, Enid’s warmth. And Enid forced to carry Wednesday’s burdens: her suppressed fears, her stoicism, her inability to connect emotionally in ways Enid takes for granted. In the swap, they learn something about each other. Wednesday sees strength in Enid she may have dismissed; Enid experiences what it’s like to be silenced, powerful, and burdened in Wednesday’s silence. And for viewers, it is satisfying to see Jenna Ortega letting some color seep into Wednesday’s world via Enid’s body, while Emma Myers holds the cold together in Wednesday’s skin.
Why This Gimmick Worked When Others Felt Hollow
There are many reasons body swap stories often fail. Without strong character contrast, the twist is just superficial. Without physicality and attention to mannerism, the swap looks lazy or derivative. And without emotional stakes, it’s just a funny episode with no lasting impact. Wednesday Season 2 overcomes all those pitfalls in its swap.
First, the character contrast is already deeply established. Enid and Wednesday have been opposing foils since Season 1. Because the show knows who these characters are, the swap has meaningful terrain to explore. This gives Jenna Ortega space to show just how much of herself she has built Wednesday to be—and how much of her still gets peeled back in moments of vulnerability.
Second, the physical detail is spot on. Ortega studies Enid’s walk, gestures, facial expressions; Myers suppresses her own usual gestures in favor of Wednesday’s stillness. Reviews have pointed out how uncanny this becomes—how viewers feel disoriented but impressed by the precision. It’s not caricature; it’s believable mimicry.
Third, there are emotional stakes. The show makes the risk real: if Wednesday and Enid can’t switch back, there are dangers. There’s pressure, consequences. And beyond that, the inner lives of these characters are laid bare. Relationships deepen. Friendships are tested. Identity becomes not just a costume but a burden and a revelation.
Jenna Ortega’s Performance: A Highlight Too Often Underestimated
Whatever criticisms people have of Wednesday Season 2—too many plots, pacing issues, visual excess—Jenna Ortega is constantly praised. She remains the anchor of the show. This body swap twist gives her an opportunity to show range. Her comedic timing, her ability to shift from deadpan to expressive, from detachment to emotional pulse, is all on display.
Even when the writing falters or scenes feel overblown, Jenna Ortega grounds them. During the swap episode, when she tries to move like Enid, when she laughs awkwardly, when she struggles with social niceties—those moments feel earned because she respects both characters. She doesn’t mock Enid. She doesn’t undermine Wednesday. She treats each moment as if both characters are getting something out of the swap. That’s why fans are calling this her best performance of the season.
Fan and Critical Response: Sting of Praise
Viewers have flooded social media with praise for Jenna Ortega for how well she handled this “Freaky Friday”‑style swap. Many fans said they got emotional whiplash—in a good way—watching Ortega and Myers play off each other so well. Critics also noted the body swap was one of the few parts of Wednesday Season 2 that felt clean, intentional, and deeply tied to character development. Where many episodes brought spectacle without focus, this twist brought both spectacle and focus.
The Other Side: What Season 2 Struggled With
Even as the body swap episode stands out, it also serves as evidence of what the rest of the season needed more of. Wednesday Season 2 is often noted in reviews as being overstuffed—too many subplot lines, too many shifts in tone, too many characters who don’t get fully fleshed out. Some scenes feel like filler; some conflicts are introduced but not resolved. When Jenna Ortega delivers a powerful moment, it sometimes isn’t matched with writing strong enough to support it.
There have also been discussions among fans about production choices—costumes, pacing, how supernatural elements are handled. But consistent praise lands on Jenna Ortega for sticking to her character’s core even amid all these excesses.
Why This Gimmick Matters More Than Just a Laugh
It’s tempting to see body swap as just a comedy trope—something silly, light, throwaway. But in Wednesday Season 2, it becomes so much more. It’s a tool for empathy. It’s character study. It’s also risk: risking that fans will reject seeing Wednesday smiling or bubbly; risking that Enid playing Wednesday might feel like impersonation. But because Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers commit fully, the risk becomes reward.
This moment reminds us what Wednesday was missing in several episodes: emotional clarity, character dynamics, stakes. It resets focus back on what matters—the relationships, the themes of identity and belonging, the courage in vulnerability.
Final Thoughts: This Twist Saved More Than Just an Episode
At the end of the day, Wednesday Season 2 could have slid into forgettable territory. But thanks to Jenna Ortega’s performance, especially in the body_swap episode with Emma Myers, the season has a moment that will be remembered. Not because everything else was perfect, but because this one turning point proves what the show can be when its characters are allowed to breathe, when actors are trusted with risk, and when the bizarre becomes the raw stage of emotional work.
For fans of Jenna Ortega, this is her shining moment. For viewers disappointed by plot holes or uneven pacing, this twist is reassurance that talent and story potential remain. And though Wednesday Season 2 has its flaws, the body swap sequence with Jenna Ortega isn’t one of them—it is one of the best things the show does this season. It saved the back half of Wednesday from being a complete wash.
