Abhiroop Das
The second season of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ continues where the story left off, with Wednesday Addams expanding on her psychic powers while taking on new mysteries. Her quest eventually leads her to a familiar name, Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, and we soon learn that Tyler Galpin has been admitted there in light of his actions in the previous season. However, the protagonist soon realizes that the connection between this institution and the ongoing case might be deeper than it appears, and the result is a Pandora’s box waiting to be opened. Additionally, the hospital’s operations shed light on the nuances of medical and psychological care. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Willow Hill is Filmed in a Real College in Dublin, Ireland
Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital is a fictional asylum specializing in the treatment and rehabilitation of outcasts, created by the writing team of ‘Wednesday,’ spearheaded by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. While no direct creative link has been established as of writing, Willow Hill has likely been vaguely inspired by real-life asylums, hospitals, and psychiatric wards. The show marks a clear distinction between outcasts, those with supernatural abilities, and those without, called normies. As such, Willow Hill becomes a complicated juncture between both realms, as the doctors are often normies tasked with caring for phenomena that are often beyond their control. This unique construct likely draws on the history of psychiatric care instead of a single institution.
In an interview with Timeout, the supervising location manager of the second season of ‘Wednesday,’ Maria O’Connor, revealed that Clonliffe College, located on Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 3, Ireland, served as the primary filming location for Willow Hill. Also known as Holy Cross College, the institution was a perfect fit for the show’s aesthetic. O’Connor explains the reason behind this choice, stating, “We took over Clonliffe College, which was an old priest training college in Drumcondra, for about three months (…) Its scale and big gothic corridors worked really well with where they’d shot in the first season.” The college’s iconic vistas are visible in most of the exterior shots, filling the hospital with a sense of grandeur and elegance.
Additionally, it is also possible that some of Willow Hill’s more detailed interior shots were taped with the help of intricate set work. This was primarily handled by Ashford Studios, a production company situated in the Ballyhenry neighborhood of Wicklow County, Ireland. Throughout the show, we get a deep look into many facets of the fictional hospital, ranging from its mess and common rooms, all the way to its high-security care facilities and well-maintained outdoor gardens. Given this, a potential mix of on-site and on-set production serves as the best fit to capture all dimensions of the location, bringing out the oomph necessary to highlight larger plot points to life. As Willow Hill’s importance grows in the narrative, its aesthetic meaning begins to change as well, giving us insight into its inner functioning.
Willow Hill’s Inner Workings Might be Inspired by Real-Life Controversies
Over the course of the story, Willow Hill’s identity undergoes a transformation of its own. From being a distant participant in the narrative, it turns into one of the defining settings. The institution’s complex past and present help Wednesday solve the mysteries at last. However, the one consistent thing across time is the asylum’s unique method of dealing with outcasts. Although it is not often shown, we are told that, on top of psychotherapeutic measures, Willow Hill also uses more advanced and often dangerous methods of treatment, ranging from shock therapy to more abusive practices. Given the nature of this institution, with the majority of the outcasts being abandoned by society, the concept of humanitarian methods of treatment and bodily agency takes center stage.
In real life, there have been a number of cases where hospitals and psychiatric facilities have specialized in hosting patients with unusual mental health disorders. The patients often express themselves with unique modes of expression. However, abuse towards such patients is always a possibility. Many institutions have been a part of such controversy, such as Edenfield Centre, a mental health service located in Prestwich, England. According to a BBC report, the center has seen its fair share of a toxic relationship between patients, doctors, and helpers, with physical, emotional, and mental abuse being recorded at numerous points. While the authorities promised immediate action following this revelation, it still points to the presence of a much larger dilemma in the realm of mental healthcare.
In light of such findings, it is possible that Willow Hill, as depicted in ‘Wednesday’, serves as a composite of the entire spectrum of possible treatments for outcasts. The patients, in turn, can be interpreted to serve as an allegory for people who face oppression from society. In showing both the gentle, caring aspects of treatment, which the Chief Psychiatrist Rachael Fairburn is famous for, and the harrowing treatment endured by Tyler and many others, the show paints a full picture of how misuse of power can affect innocent lives. Additionally, it sheds a sympathetic light on those struggling with internal or external circumstances. This tone extends even to Wednesday, a character known for her cold demeanor, who displays immense sensitivity when faced with a system such as Willow Hill’s.
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