I’ve been losing sleep over this question ever since the Season 1 finale of Wednesday dropped, and I know I’m not alone. The Tyler situation is probably the most divisive topic in the fandom right now, and honestly? I have thoughts. So let’s dive into whether Tyler Galpin is still alive, what his fate might be, and why this matters way more than just shipping drama.
What We Actually Know (Which Isn’t Much)
Let’s start with the facts. At the end of Season 1, Tyler is revealed as the Hyde who’s been terrorizing Jericho under Laurel Gates’ manipulation. Wednesday gets him to confess (in that heartbreaking coffee shop scene that still haunts me), and then all hell breaks loose. The last time we actually see Tyler, he’s been shot with tranquilizer darts after transforming into his Hyde form, and he’s being loaded into a police van.
Then… nothing. The show doesn’t explicitly tell us what happens to him. We don’t get a “Tyler Galpin was transferred to a secure facility” news report or a scene of him locked up somewhere. He just vanishes from the narrative, which in TV land usually means one of two things: he’s either dead, or he’s coming back in a big way.
And here’s what I think: Tyler is absolutely still alive, and he’s going to be a major problem in Season 2.
Why Killing Tyler Off-Screen Makes No Sense
From a storytelling perspective, killing Tyler off-screen would be a massive waste. This is a character who was built up as Wednesday’s first genuine connection outside her family, someone who made her feel understood (even if it was all manipulation). The show spent eight episodes developing their relationship, making us believe in it, and then pulling the rug out from under us in the most devastating way possible.
You don’t invest that much time in a character just to unceremoniously kill them between seasons. That’s not how good television works, especially not in a show created by the people behind Smallville, who know how to milk a complicated villain relationship for all it’s worth.
Plus, let’s be real. Tyler’s “death” would have been a huge plot point. Wednesday would have had some kind of reaction. We would have seen consequences. The fact that the show is completely silent about his fate tells me they’re keeping their options open because they know exactly what they’re doing with him.
The Hyde Lore Suggests He’s Valuable
Here’s something I keep coming back to: Hydes are rare. Like, incredibly rare. According to the show’s lore, they’re dangerous outcasts who need a master to unlock their abilities. The normie world and the outcast world both fear them. So what happens when you capture one?
I don’t think they’d just execute Tyler. He’s too valuable for study, too important as a specimen. Think about it. The normie authorities would want to understand what he is, how he works, whether there are more like him. And the outcast community? They’d have their own interest in keeping him contained and learning from him.
My theory is that Tyler is being held in some kind of specialized facility, probably heavily sedated or restrained, while various organizations figure out what to do with him. He’s a political hot potato. And that makes him a perfect plot device for Season 2.
The Manipulation Question Changes Everything
Now, here’s where things get complicated, and where I know I’m going to get some hate from the fandom. But we need to talk about the manipulation aspect of Tyler’s actions.
Laurel Gates didn’t just encourage Tyler or suggest he do bad things. She literally unlocked his Hyde through trauma and psychological conditioning, then controlled him. The show makes it pretty clear that Hydes are essentially enslaved to their masters. Tyler says himself that he didn’t want to hurt anyone at first, that she “trained” him.
Does this absolve him of responsibility? Absolutely not. But it does complicate the question of guilt in a way that I think the show is going to explore. Tyler is both victim and perpetrator. He’s both the monster who killed people and the kid who was groomed and manipulated by a psychopath. That moral ambiguity is exactly the kind of thing Wednesday loves to dig into.
If Tyler is alive (and I believe he is), then Season 2 could give us a storyline about deprogramming, recovery, and whether redemption is even possible for someone who’s done what he’s done. That’s infinitely more interesting than just “oh yeah, he died, moving on.”
Wednesday’s Unfinished Business
Let’s talk about Wednesday herself for a second. That girl does not do unfinished business. Everything about her character is about solving mysteries, getting answers, and having closure on her own terms. The Tyler situation is anything but resolved.
Wednesday was betrayed by the first person who made her feel something. She was manipulated, used, and her emotions were weaponized against her. Do we really think she’s just going to shrug that off and never think about Tyler again? No way. She’s going to need answers. She’s going to need to understand exactly how much of it was real and how much was manipulation. And she can’t get those answers if Tyler is dead.
I think Season 2 will force Wednesday to confront Tyler again, probably in a situation where she needs information from him or where he’s somehow key to stopping a bigger threat. The show has set up this incredibly complicated dynamic between them, and killing him off-screen would mean wasting all of that emotional potential.
The Hunter Doohan Factor
Okay, I’m going to put on my pragmatic TV viewer hat for a second. Hunter Doohan is a talented actor who became a breakout star from this show. He has chemistry with Jenna Ortega (even if that chemistry was built on lies and murder, but still). From a production standpoint, why would you get rid of an asset like that?
The entertainment industry is a business, and Wednesday is a massive hit. If they can bring back a popular character in a way that serves the story, they absolutely will. And I think Tyler’s arc has a lot more story to tell.
What Season 2 Might Look Like
Here’s how I imagine this playing out. Tyler is being held in some kind of secure facility, possibly being studied or interrogated. A new threat emerges in Season 2 (because there’s always a new threat), and for some reason, Wednesday needs Tyler’s help. Maybe they need a Hyde to fight something worse. Maybe Tyler has information about Laurel’s plans that died with her. Maybe there’s another master trying to claim him.
Whatever the reason, Wednesday would be forced to face him again, and we’d get to see her navigate that impossible situation. Does she trust anything he says? Can he be rehabilitated? Is the person she connected with even real, or was it all the Hyde talking?
Those are the questions that make for compelling television, and I think the writers know it.
My Final Verdict
Tyler Galpin is alive. I’d bet money on it. He’s in custody somewhere, probably heavily secured, and he’s going to come back to complicate Wednesday’s life in Season 2. The show invested too much in his character, the mythology around Hydes is too interesting to abandon, and Wednesday’s emotional journey requires her to confront him again.
Will he be redeemed? I honestly don’t know. Maybe the show will take the darker route and show us that some things can’t be fixed, some people can’t be saved. Or maybe it’ll surprise us with a more nuanced take on accountability and second chances.
But either way, I’m convinced we haven’t seen the last of Tyler Galpin. And when he comes back, it’s going to be messy, complicated, and absolutely perfect for a character like Wednesday Addams.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rewatch that coffee shop scene one more time and break my own heart all over again.
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