Warning: Spoilers ahead for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!Lydia and Astrid don’t have the greatest mother-daughter relationship inBeetlejuice 2, but Jenna Ortega’s character has every right to be angry in the sequel. Astrid is the newmember of the Deetz familyintroduced in Tim Burton’s follow-up to the 1988 film. Played by rising star Jenna Ortega, Astrid is a keycharacter inBeetlejuice 2’s castalongside returning characters portrayed by Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. There was no doubt that Ortega could tackle a role in a sequel to such a beloved movie, but there’s been some divisiveness surrounding Astrid and how she cruelly treats her mom.
Despite hope that a sequel would feature Lydia finding some kind of happiness following theoriginalBeetlejuice’s ending, Ryder’s character isn’t doing too well when we meet her again. She lost her husband, she’s dating a man exploiting her, her job is causing more harm to her mental health, and she learns her father has unexpectedly passed away. On top of that, she’s not close to her daughter.Astrid’sWednesday-like characterization was speculated well beforeBeetlejuice 2was released, but there are deeper nuances to the Deetz teen than what’s initially seen on the surface.
Astrid’s Resentment Towards Lydia In Beetlejuice 2 Explained
Astrid Doesn’t Seem To Want Anything To Do With Lydia
Before Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega’sBeetlejuice 2characters even directly interact on-screen, there’s clear evidence that they have a strained relationship. For one, Astrid has “Alleged Mother” listed as Lydia’s contact info in her phone. She also doesn’t even pick up despite Lydia’s continuous attempts to reach her daughter to share the news of Charles' death.Lydia admits several times throughBeetlejuice 2that she and Astrid aren’t very close, and much of that has to do with what happened after the originalBeetlejuiceinvolving Richard.
Astrid’s resentment towards Lydia also stems from her mom not being able to see or communicate with Richard in the afterlife
Following the originalBeetlejuiceending in 1988, Lydia went on to marry a man named Richard. The pair had one daughter, Astrid, who is around 16 years old in the sequel. However, Astrid’s Richard is no longer around following his tragic passing.Beetlejuice 2explains what happened to Richard, revealing he experienced a fatal boating accident after relocating to Brazil. Considering his move to South America occurred after Lydia and Richard’s divorce, Astrid partially blames her mom for what happened to Richard.
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Astrid’s resentment towards her mom also stems fromLydia not being able to see or communicate with Richard’s ghostdespite Lydia’s “strange and unusual” gifts. That said, Lydia still has her supernatural abilities, which are on display in her talk show,Ghost House. The fact that Lydia helps other people communicate with the dead but can’t reach Richard clouded Astrid’s perception of her mother, believing she’s a fraud.
Astrid’s Feelings About Her Family Are Warranted
Ortega’s Character Has A Reason To Be Angry
There’s no question that Astrid treats Lydia harshly at times. In fact, she’s downright nasty with her cruel remarks on a few occasions. That said,much of what Astrid is feeling can be justified, even if the character might not go about releasing her feelings the right way.For one, she never got closure on her dad’s death since she was sent away to boarding school. Being away from her family, whether in New York orBeetlejuice’s primary setting of Winter River, would’ve made processing her grief that much harder if she was sent off by herself.
Tim Burton was adamant about following three generations of women in the Deetz family for his long-awaitedBeetlejuicesequel.
Astrid also doesn’t fully understand her mom’s powers, so she has a right to question Lydia for being unable to communicate with Richard. Without coming in contact with ghosts herself, the youngest member of the Deetz family is understandably confused and upset. Delia and Charles encountered Beetlejuice, Adam, Barbara, and other afterlife elements in the past, but it seems like they never shared their experiences with Astrid to support Lydia’s claims. In fact, it’s difficult to consider any member of Astrid’s family “normal,” so it makes sense why she would have more attitude issues compared to your average teen.
Astrid Is Still An Outsider For Much Of Beetlejuice 2
The Character Never Experienced What The Other Deetzes Have
Astrid might be a new character inBeetlejuice 2, but it’s important to remember that she’s also “new” to everything connected to theBeetlejuicefranchise’s afterlife. Until Astrid discovers Jeremy’s ghost twist inBeetlejuice 2, she doesn’t have first-hand experience with anything paranormal or “strange and unusual” like Lydia. As viewers,it’s easy to criticize Astrid’s behavior or wry demeanor aimed at Lydia, but we also have familiarity with franchise lore. Astrid is essentiallyBeetlejuice 2’s biggest outsider, which is why her visit to the Neitherworld is so critical in the sequel.
Ironically, Astrid turns out to be just like Lydia, discovering her own powers in communicating with the dead following Jeremy revealing himself as a ghost.
Lydia tries to appease her daughter, and there are brief hopes of reconciliation when the pair reminisce over an old photo album. However, until they get a better understanding of what they’ve both been dealing with – Astrid’s lack of closure about Richard’s death and everything that comes with Lydia’s “gifts” – the strained relationship can’t mend. Keeping her distance from Lydia as a non-believer is the easier option for Astrid, especially when she’s already dealing with bullying from her peers due to being Lydia’s daughter. It’s no wonder why Astrid would want to follow in her dad’s footsteps while keeping her head down.
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Ironically, Astrid turns out to be just like Lydia, discovering her own powers in communicating with the dead following Jeremy revealing himself as a ghost.Being able to see Jeremy means Astrid is also “strange and unusual,“which also explains why the character can understand the Handbook for the Recently Deceased so easily. Whereas Lydia had Adam and Barbara to help her understand her gift, Astrid, unfortunately, encounters a former killer as her first real supernatural encounter.
Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Is Not Meant To Be Like The Wednesday Character In Beetlejuice 2
Astrid & Wednesday Addams Are Very Different At The Core
The tendency to compare Astrid to Wednesday Addams is logical. Aside from Tim Burton’s involvement withBeetlejuiceand Netflix’sAddams Familyshow, there are stark similarities between Winona Ryder’s original portrayal of Lydia and Wednesday. Being Lydia’s daughter, there was an expectation for Astrid to be just like Lydia, with Jenna Ortega essentially spinning off from herWednesdaycharacter. Sure,Astrid and Wednesday both might have dark attitudes and outlooks on life, but Wednesday found joy in her demeanor.Astrid’s darkness is in response to her anger at the world and continued grief; she doesn’t get pleasure out of it.
Wednesdayseason 1 is streaming now on Netflix, with season 2 expected to release in 2025. The showrunners forWednesdayalso co-wroteBeetlejuice 2.
Once Astrid experiences the afterlife and reunites with Richard, that segment of the Deetz family gets a chance at some closure. Richard convinces Lydia and Astrid how much they need to resolve their strained relationship, giving them the push they need to repair the family dynamic. That, along with how much Lydia risks rescuing Astrid, is the turning point for both Deetz women in proving how much they need one another. Astrid also repays the favor inBeetlejuice 2’s ending, using her new expertise with the Neitherworld to save Lydia from marrying Beetlejuice. The final sequence involving Lydia and Astrid may have been a dream, but the hope of a close mother-daughter relationship seems probable.
