This article contains spoilers for the Netflix series Wednesday (2022-).
The Addams Family have been a pop culture staple since their inception in 1938 by American cartoonist, Charles Addams. What began as unrelated single-panel cartoons about a macabre, gothic, and dark aristocratic family, soon turned into multiple movies and television shows that showcased this beloved, albeit bizarre, group of people that value and care for each other above all else.
I’ve always been a big fan of anything that involves the Addams Family, but the version that I grew up with and still admire is the iconic portrayal in the The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993) that starred some big names with Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams, Anjelica Huston as Morticia, the amazing Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, the late Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, along with Jimmy Workman as Pugslet Addams. The impact of these two films on pop culture and on media as a whole was significant and has stayed with fans for a very long time. The bigger names helped bring the family back into the limelight in a darkly comedic way that is considered the best portrayal of the family to date, despite other adaptations since then.
Now, in 2022, we have another iteration of the Addams Family: Wednesday. Through Netflix, we’ve been given another taste of the iconic family, but with a major focus on the only daughter in the family, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). We follow her as she’s transferred to a Nevermore, a boarding school fit for outsiders much like herself, home for fantastical hybrids that include werewolves, vampires, sirens, and many more. We watch as she navigates issues with her mother, new friends, new romances, all while trying to solve an increasingly complex mystery, one that she can’t and won’t walk away from—no matter how many strikes she gets on her record for the trouble she causes.
Going into the show, the trailers had set this up to be a wild ride from start to finish. With Tim Burton at the helm as the director of the show, it was inevitable that there’d be some crazy happenings. It absolutely did not disappoint and the show is definitely one of my favourites for a multitude of reasons. So, let’s get into those reasons, review the show as a whole, and theorize on where we can go in future seasons.
First, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday was a genius decision; right from episode 1, she embodies everything about the character. She masterfully pays homage to previous iterations of the character, throwing in mannerisms and references to both the ‘90s version and the ‘60s version of Wednesday. But, Ortega’s newer, fresher look into the character also dives more into the original comic strip version of Wednesday, which tended to have a balance between the disturbing, dark, violent nature and a softness splashed in here and there. With this combination, the teenage version of Wednesday contains many more intricate layers than previous versions and allows for some amazing development and growth throughout the season. Underneath the front, Wednesday is capable of her own brand of affection and warmth, even if it’s only a tiny spark hidden within her blackened heart.
Although many people disliked this aspect of the character due to the iconic nature of a completely stoic Wednesday, I actually really enjoyed this. Ortega’s performance enhanced these new aspects to the character, and through new friendships and interactions, we get to see two different sides of Wednesday that were pretty well-balanced throughout the season. As Ortega has said herself in interviews, you can have the one side of Wednesday that everyone knows and loves, but in a dramatic show like this, there should still be shifts and changes to that character as time goes on. I agree with her, and the writing, directing, and acting for the character showcased those little sparks within her that proved she actually did end up caring about the people around her, albeit only a few of them. Although Wednesday does use these people to get what she wants, and I believe she always will, those shifts in her were entertaining to watch and a joy to see in terms of a new, more complicated version of the character we’ve come to know from past media.
The relationship that I thoroughly enjoyed watching was between Wednesday and her roommate, Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers). A bubbly, over-the-top, ray of sunshine character meets the dark, seemingly uncaring, hardened character—what’s not to like about a dynamic like that? It brought some good laughs, but it also brought out those sparks of softness within Wednesday that she rarely has with anyone else. Although their journey is difficult and rocky as a result of Wednesday’s attitude and blatant disgust with everything Enid does, Enid is by her side for the majority of the season and tries to support her and be her friend. Through the ups and downs, we get to see a tiny sliver of warmth start to take hold inside of Wednesday the more time she spends with Enid, despite her repulsion to all the hugs Enid tries to give her. The avoidance of the hugs becomes a bit of a running gag in the show, but also shows Enid’s patience and understanding of Wednesday’s boundaries and ultimately comes to accept that “not hugging is their thing” (quote from Enid herself).
However, this plays into a major moment in the season finale that had me, and many other fans, screaming for joy. Described as the emotional climax of the entire season by the head writers of the show, after a harrowing encounter with some big baddies, Enid runs to Wednesday and is finally allowed to give her a hug. It’s a major milestone in Wednesday’s character, and cements their relationship as something special within the show and for Wednesday herself, as we see her actively hug Enid back and close her eyes to just simply be in that moment.
Another fascinating dynamic is actually between Wednesday and her mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). A lot of the conflict stems from secrets Wednesday's family has kept from her for many years, and Wednesday’s adamant and determined goal of separating herself, her goals, and her personality from her mother’s influence, despite the similarities that they have. It’s an interesting direction to take, as we’ve always seen them and the rest of the Addams family as rock solid and tight-knit, essentially ride or die with each other. I think this addition adds to the conflict within Wednesday’s life and the overall drama of the show, and I believe a show about a teenage Wednesday has the freedom to explore how she would react to being compared to her mother constantly like she is at Nevermore. It definitely leads to some strained, wonderfully acted scenes between Wednesday and Morticia, and culminates in both of them coming to understand one another a bit more, which was also a lovely journey to experience.
A couple of other characters managed to sneak their way into Wednesday’s life in one way or another. Her wholesome friendship with Eugene (Moosa Mostafa)—the lovable, dorky, albeit reckless, beekeeping student at Nevermore—is significant to Wednesday and her journey, as it allows the audience to see a protective streak within her. She genuinely seems to care about Eugene’s wellbeing, and his impact on her is interesting to see, possibly acting as a stand-in little brother figure while she’s at Nevermore. Of course, her interactions with Bianca (Joy Sunday), a siren who is the top student at Nevermore, are super fun to watch and provides an intriguing look into what happens when Wednesday has someone that’s her match in a competitive sense; portraying moments here and there where we see Wednesday’s limits tested in the things she’s confident in, such as fencing.
These people make a mark on Wednesday’s life in different ways, and that’s only some of the characters that have a stake in Wednesday’s journey. Overall, they each play a hand in the transformation that she goes through, and by the end of the season—no matter how much Wednesday pretends to hate it—she has a group of people that she can count on.
To move on to more general things about the show that were done very well, I thought the central mystery about Nevermore was intriguing and provided twists and turns that had new questions popping up after every episode. Although there were obvious red herrings, it didn’t detract too much from the main mystery that the show was centered around. I was still shocked by the reveals, and the plot twists were ones that you could go back to the start of the season and pick out the hints here and there. The environments and settings were beautiful, with amazing cinematography. One of my favourite backdrops is found in Wednesday and Enid’s shared dorm room, where their window has been torn down the middle by Wednesday herself; one side with bright colours to symbolize Enid, and the other black, grey, and muted to symbolize Wednesday. The window can be seen as a visual representation of how different Wednesday and Enid are, but also how connected and integral they are to each other when they finally meet in the middle.
There are moments within the show where logic goes completely out the window, such as a moment in the last episode that involves some bees and a gun (that’s all I’ll say!). However, Ortega said it best when she expressed that looking at a show surrounding a family like the Addams family from a logical perspective takes away from the campy, fun, nonsensical happenings that bring charm and entertainment to the viewing experience. I do believe one specific death within the show (yes, people die) was unnecessary and didn’t add too much within the final moments, and that the final episode was a bit too jammed together with the sequence of events. But despite those pitfalls, overall, Wednesday provided me and the general audience with some amazing TV that revitalized the love that we have for Wednesday Addams and the rest of her family.
At the start of the show, we see a Wednesday Addams that’s hellbent on escaping Nevermore and remaining the stoic loner that she believes she wants to be. But by the end of her journey, we see so much more to her. Although she’s still the same dark, disturbing, kooky and spooky Wednesday Addams that stays true to herself and doesn’t apologize for her quirks, we get to see a potential for future seasons to delve into the hidden feelings within Wednesday. She may not care about how others view her in a general sense, but now we know that the few friends she made at Nevermore do mean something to her in some capacity.
I look forward to whatever new mysteries Wednesday tackles in future seasons, and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to see more of this emotionally complex and complicated version of her sooner rather than later.