Directed by Tim Burton, the series “Wednesday” once again takes us back to the morbid and bizarrely entertaining world of the Addams family. Though the series might have aimed at providing only entertainment to its audience, it somehow gave us something more than that by creating characters that had some amount of emotional depth. The character of Tyler Galpin was one such enigma, with extremely contrasting personalities residing within him. So, let’s see what it took to transform a normal-looking boy into a creature that was dreaded by almost all of Jericho.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Laurel Transform Tyler Into The Hyde Monster?
Wednesday met Tyler for the very first time when she was trying to run away from Nevermore Academy and, by chance, found herself in a coffee shop asking for a quad. Principal Larissa Weems had taken her for her counseling session at Dr. Valarie Kinbott’s clinic, and finding the opportunity, Wednesday had climbed down using the pipe and escaped from the scene. Tyler seemed like an under confident and shy teenager who had a lot going on inside his mind. He spoke less, but he observed everything. Wednesday repaired his coffee machine, and Tyler was surprised to see that she knew how to do that. Wednesday told him that she wanted to decapitate her dolls more efficiently, which is why she had one of those machines at home, too. Tyler realized that he was probably dealing with the uncanniest of all of the outcasts he had met till then. Tyler’s father, Donovan Galpin, considered Nevermore nothing less than an abomination. He had a prejudice against Wednesday’s whole family, especially her father, Gomez Addams. He considered him responsible for the murder of Garrett Gates, even though his guilt hadn’t been proven by the authorities. When he saw that his son was hanging out with Wednesday, he was not very pleased and told him to steer clear of her.
Tyler was intrigued and interested in Wednesday from the very first day they met. He tried his best to woo her, but he couldn’t find a way around Wednesday’s curt mannerisms. Though Wednesday wasn’t the kind of girl who would have any sort of feelings, she did have a soft spot for Tyler. Tyler knew more about the town of Jericho and its history as compared to Wednesday, who had recently moved there. He told her that the original pilgrim meeting house was in the Cobham Woods, and by going there, Wednesday learned about Joseph Crackstone and the atrocities he had inflicted on the outcasts through her psychic visions. The Hyde monster attacked Wednesday in the pilgrim meeting place, and she had a near escape. She followed the trail, and by seeing the footprints that Hyde had left on the wet mud, she realized that after a point, the big paws changed into human-like feet. It struck her that the Hyde monster was, in fact, a human, and it was quite possible that he was roaming freely in disguise. She met Xaviers, who was surprisingly present in the vicinity when the monster attacked. Wednesday doubted his intentions, but the lead was so cold that she also didn’t think much about it after that day. Tyler became a bit jealous over the time of his nemesis, Xavier, who was also showing equal interest in Wednesday. She had asked Xavier to be her partner in Rave’N, not because she wanted to, but because she was caught in a compromising situation, and she just wanted to turn the conversation around. But it didn’t matter what the motive was; Tyler just saw that Wednesday didn’t care to ask him and was going with another guy to one of the most happening nights of Nevermore Academy. Xavier got to know that asking him for the Rave’N was just a coverup from Wednesday’s end, and so he refused to be her partner. “Thing” wanted to set up Wednesday with Tyler, as he wanted her to go to the Rave’N. So, he, without informing Wednesday, asked Tyler to be her date. The tension could be felt in the air when Xavier came with Bianca, and Tyler came with Wednesday to the Rave’N night.
Over a period of time, Wednesday had become pretty sure about the fact that Xavier was the Hyde Monster, and she believed Dr. Valerie Kinbott to be Laurel Gates, the one who was controlling Xavier. Unable to find any sort of incriminating evidence, Wednesday planted it on her own, and Sheriff Galpin gladly took Xavier into police custody. We say that, because deep down, he knew that Xavier was innocent, but he had an ulterior motive in putting the blame on him. Wednesday thought that she had caught the murderer and his master, but she was deceived. In the eighth episode, she shared an intimate moment with Tyler, totally oblivious to what she was going to witness after that. As soon as she touched Tyler, she got one of her psychic visions, and she realized that Tyler was the Hyde Monster, and she was wrong in getting Xavier arrested. Together with the members of the Nightshade Society, Wednesday took matters into her own hands. She confined Tyler and was eager to take out every piece of information, even if it required taking harsh measures. But Bianca and others turned on her and informed Principal Weems about it. Sheriff Galpin came to rescue his son, and the Hyde Monster was once again set free. In the police station, Tyler, finding an opportunity, almost threatened Wednesday and told her that she had no clue what was coming.
Francois, Tyler’s mother, was also a Hyde, and the traits had been genetically transferred to him. But still, his savagery had to be unlocked by someone, and that’s where Marilyn Thornhill, a.k.a. Laurel Gates came into the picture. Laurel’s father, Ansel Gates, kept tabs on all the outcasts, and through him, she got to know that Tyler had similar traits to her mother. That side of him, hidden somewhere inside his subconscious, was brought to the surface by a plant-derived chemical that was used by Laurel. Tyler had been in a very fragile state of mind after his mother passed away. The sheriff probably knew about this, which is why he was hoping that he could protect his son from the world. Laurel manipulated him and told him that his mother was also a Hyde. Tyler was not a murderous monster from the beginning. He resisted his impulses. He told Laurel that he couldn’t be a part of the plan. But Laurel tied him in a cave for days and injected him with chemicals until he became her slave.
The character of Tyler reminded us of the famous gothic novel, “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Nobody could have ever imagined that Tyler was capable of such things if they had seen him serving coffee and talking to his customers in the coffee shop where he used to work. But just like Mr. Hyde, he did things that even he couldn’t have imagined in his sane mind that he was capable of doing. His personality oozed goodness and innocence on the outside, but there was a devilish fervor hidden somewhere inside him. When he was tied in a cave, he experienced a conflict just like Dr. Jekyll, where he constantly tried to crush his evil impulses. If, for the time being, we kept the supernatural aspects aside, we would have believed that Tyler had created an alter ego that was in stark contrast with his own real personality. Apart from the chemicals, the grief of losing a parent and the void that his father was unable to fill somehow aided in his transformation. Tyler had reached a stage where he had started deriving sadistic pleasure from killing people. He experienced an unrestrained power that he had over others, and the fear that he saw in the eyes of his victim made him even more greedy for blood. Tyler was brainwashed so effectively that he couldn’t see anything else apart from what Laurel said and told him to do.
Is Tyler Galpin, aka The Hyde Monster, Dead Or Alive? Will He Return In ‘Wednesday’ Season 2?
Towards the end of the series, we saw that Enid took the form of a werewolf and entered into deadly combat with Tyler. It was the first time Enid transformed completely, and she fought with all her might. She severely injured Tyler, and looking at him lying in the corner, we believed that he had died a painful death. But clearly, it was not so. Tyler was alive, and we later saw that he was being transported in a high-security van to someplace, probably where they could hold a beast of such unparalleled strength. Tyler was just a pawn being controlled by Laurel Gates, but he has the potential to become the greatest adversary of Wednesday. We say that because Tyler knew her well; he knew her strengths and weaknesses. He knew exactly where to hit, and that’s one thing that will make him even more lethal in the upcoming seasons. Though in the absence of a sinister master pulling his strings, it would be up to Tyler on which side he wants to be on. Probably he becomes Wednesday’s biggest rival, or maybe he lets his rational side prevail and control his inner demons, which would probably add extra depth to his character. The way the series has shown him, you can’t help but feel that he was a victim of adverse circumstances who was forced to choose the wrong path. Though he became a personification of evil in the end, we hope that there is still some goodness left inside him and that the chemicals that Laurel gave him didn’t rot his core beyond repair. We believe that we are going to see Tyler once again in season 2. It would be interesting to see what role Tyler plays in the upcoming season and if he becomes an ally of Wednesday or a hurdle in her path
