The second season of the supernatural hit series has pushed the boundaries of dark humor and gore, but few sequences capture the essence of Wednesday Addams as perfectly as the driving instructor subplot in the episode titled "The Devil You Woe." This particular narrative thread serves as a pivot point where high-speed comedy meets the season's escalating body count, reminding viewers that in the world of Nevermore Academy, even a mundane driving lesson can end in a literal brain-feeding frenzy.

The Great Hijack: Wednesday at the Wheel

In the second episode of the new season, Wednesday finds herself in a desperate race against time. Her psychic abilities are malfunctioning—manifesting as "black tears" of exhaustion—and she is convinced that Tyler Galpin remains the key to the "Avian" murders terrorizing Jericho. To reach Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, she needs transportation that doesn't involve her parents' watchful eyes or the school's restrictive security.

Enter Enid Sinclair’s Driver’s Ed consent form. In a move that highlights her manipulative brilliance, Wednesday intercepts the form and assumes Enid’s identity for the afternoon lesson. The unsuspecting victim of this ruse is Gabe Packard, a normie driving instructor who likely expected a nervous teenager struggling with parallel parking, not a macabre prodigy with a background in high-stakes evasion.

The interaction between Wednesday and Gabe Packard is a masterclass in clashing archetypes. When Gabe asks about her previous experience, Wednesday’s deadpan admission of being a "getaway driver for Uncle Fester" is played for laughs, yet it underscores the fundamental disconnect between the Addams family’s reality and the outside world. The tension peaks when Wednesday ignores every safety protocol, treating the quiet roads of Jericho like a demolition derby.

The technical highlight of this scene is Wednesday’s proactive sabotage. Realizing that the instructor-side pedals allow Gabe to override her movements, she surreptitiously cuts the wires. This isn't just a reckless stunt; it’s a calculated move to ensure total autonomy. By the time Gabe realizes he has lost control of the vehicle, Wednesday is already hurtling toward Willow Hill, leaving him effectively a passenger in his own nightmare. This sequence pays a brilliant homage to the "Adult Wednesday Addams" web series, where a similar driving lesson became a viral sensation, now elevated with the high production values and narrative weight of the Netflix series.

The Tragic Fate of Gabe Packard

While the driving lesson itself is filled with the show’s signature dry wit, the aftermath takes a sharp turn into horror. Gabe Packard’s role in the series is tragically brief. After being literally taken for a ride and abandoned by Wednesday at the gates of the psychiatric facility, he attempts to recover his composure and his vehicle. However, the narrative structure of Season 2 excels at colliding disparate subplots.

Simultaneously, Pugsley Addams has been harboring a secret of his own: a resurrected zombie he affectionately named "Slurp." Originally a student buried under the Skull Tree, Slurp is a creature of pure, unadulterated hunger. When the zombie escapes the confines of Eugene’s bee shed on a rainy night, Gabe Packard becomes the unfortunate target of opportunity.

The death of the driving instructor is one of the more visceral moments of the early season. Unlike the "Avian" murders, which are calculated and symbolic (eyes pecked out by crows), Gabe’s demise at the hands of Slurp is messy and primal. The show doesn't shy away from the reality of a zombie encounter; Gabe is killed because he no longer has "any worries on his mind, because he no longer has a mind at all." This pun-laden confirmation of his death marks the first of several normie casualties caused by Pugsley’s "pet," setting a precedent for the chaos that ensues at Camp Jericho later in the season.

Analyzing the "Slurp" Variable

The introduction of Slurp as a secondary antagonist (or perhaps a chaotic neutral force) adds a layer of unpredictability to the plot. Pugsley and Eugene’s attempt to "domesticate" a zombie is a classic Addams trope, but the consequences are far more dire than in previous iterations of the franchise. Slurp’s escape and the subsequent murder of Gabe Packard serve a specific narrative purpose: they heighten the stakes for the Addams siblings.

Wednesday is investigating a sophisticated conspiracy involving the Stonehurst family and the "Lois" project, while Pugsley is inadvertently creating a localized disaster. The driving instructor’s death bridges these two worlds. It proves that while Wednesday is focused on the "big picture" of the Avian killer, the sheer presence of the Addams family at Nevermore attracts and creates death in various forms.

Furthermore, the evolution of Slurp suggests that the driving instructor’s death wasn't just a random act of violence. Later episodes hint that as Slurp consumes brains—specifically academic or professional ones—he begins to regain fragments of his own consciousness and speech. Gabe Packard’s "normie" brain may have been the catalyst for Slurp’s transition from a mindless husk to the articulate, vengeful entity he becomes by the time he reaches Willow Hill in the mid-season finale.

The Normie-Outcast Divide in Season 2

The driving instructor subplot also functions as a commentary on the fragile relationship between Jericho and Nevermore. Gabe Packard represents the everyday person caught in the crossfire of supernatural politics. His death, along with others like the Phoenix Cadet Master Ron Krueger, fuels the anti-outcast sentiment that Principal Dort and Sheriff Santiago struggle to contain.

In Season 1, the conflict was largely centered on the Hyde and the historical grudge of Joseph Crackstone. Season 2 shifts the focus to institutional corruption and the scientific exploitation of outcasts. By involving a driving instructor—a symbol of the mundane, law-abiding world—in a horrific zombie attack, the show emphasizes that no one is safe. The barrier between the "spooky" academy and the "normal" town has completely disintegrated.

Wednesday’s treatment of Gabe also reflects her character arc in this second year. She is arguably more ruthless. In the first season, she sought justice for the marginalized; here, she is willing to traumatize and indirectly cause the death of a bystander just to get an interview with her ex-boyfriend/nemesis, Tyler. This shift suggests a darker path for Wednesday, one where her obsession with the truth overrides any lingering sense of moral responsibility toward those she deems uninteresting.

Narrative Echoes and Production Trivia

For long-time fans of the Addams Family lore, the driving instructor scene is a nostalgic nod. The concept of Wednesday Addams in a car has always been a source of comedy, primarily because the Addamses value chaos over order, and driving is the ultimate act of social order.

The production of this scene reportedly involved extensive stunt work on the narrow roads outside the filming locations. The chemistry between Jenna Ortega and the actor playing Gabe (Brad Gage) was essential for the timing of the jokes. The contrast between his frantic attempts to regain control and her serene, unblinking focus creates a rhythmic tension that defines the episode's first half.

Moreover, the choice of the episode title, "The Devil You Woe," hints at the complicated relationships Wednesday is navigating. She is choosing to deal with the "devil she knows" (Tyler) by using a driving lesson as a vehicle—both literally and figuratively—to enter the lions' den of Willow Hill. The irony that she leaves the driving instructor to be killed by a different "devil" (Slurp) reinforces the episode's theme of unforeseen consequences.

Why This Subplot Matters for the Rest of the Season

While some might view the driving instructor’s death as a minor plot point, it is the thread that ties Pugsley’s arc to the main mystery. The investigation into the Avian (revealed to be Judi Stonehurst) eventually leads everyone back to Willow Hill. The fact that Slurp is also drawn there—perhaps seeking the very people who experimented on him before his first death—creates a collision course for the season finale.

If Wednesday hadn't hijacked that driving lesson, Gabe Packard might still be alive, but Wednesday would never have confronted Tyler in time to learn about the disappearance of Dr. Bradbury and the truth about Sheriff Galpin's investigation. It is a grim trade-off, and one that Wednesday seems perfectly comfortable making.

As the season progresses, the memory of the "driving lesson gone wrong" serves as a reminder of the show's core appeal: it is a world where the whimsical and the macabre are indistinguishable. The driving instructor wasn't just a victim of a zombie; he was a victim of the Addams family’s gravitational pull toward disaster.

Conclusion: The Lingering Impact of Episode 2

Wednesday Season 2 has successfully avoided the "sophomore slump" by leaning into a more complex, multi-layered mystery. The driving instructor subplot in episode 2 stands out as a highlight because it perfectly balances character development, dark humor, and plot progression. It gave fans the "Wednesday behind the wheel" moment they had been waiting for while simultaneously raising the stakes through the brutal introduction of Slurp’s lethality.

As we look back at the season, Gabe Packard’s brief but memorable tenure as Wednesday’s instructor remains a testament to the show’s ability to turn the mundane into the monstrous. It wasn't just a driving lesson; it was a declaration that in Season 2, the rules of the road—and the rules of survival—have been completely rewritten.