I have always had a love for films, specifically thriller shows. I love the suspense, the drama, the unanswered questions. It gives me a sense of mystery that day-to-day life could not provide. Shows like You, The Yellowjackets, and Stranger Things have always caught my eye and my attention. so when they announced a spin off of The Addams family was a coming-of-age show about Wednesday Addams, it was at the top of my watchlist.
Wednesday Addams comes from an incredibly unique and odd family. The mother, Morticia, is a witch. The father, Gomez, is a corrupted business owner. The brother, Pugsley, is a submissive guinea pig for Wednesday to experiment on. The uncle, Fester, had many identities and committed many crimes. And lastly, but not least, Thing, the well and alive right hand of a deceased man.
This family was wealthy and supportive. The movies always portrayed the parents as loving and nurturing towards themselves and their family but despite their love, Wednesday Addams always had a mean streak. Wednesday Addams is a girl of many talents and interests, specifically in music and literature. She was deeply passionate about the cello and loved Edgar Allan Poe poetry, her favorite being “The Raven.” She was quite witty and coldhearted and had very sadistic ways of dealing with conflict. She saw everyone as a target or a means to an end and was very persistent in getting what she wants.
Wednesday was a film idea that sparked in September 2021 and released the first season on November 23, 2022, starring Hunter Doohan and famous actress Jenna Ortega. The film, directed by Tim Burton, had an estimated production cost of $60 million, accumulated 252.1 million views nationwide, and has an 80% rating.
The show starts out with Wednesday walking into her junior high to find her brother, Pugsley, stuffed in the locker by the swim team. To avenge Pugsley she goes to their practice and dumps piranhas into the pool, causing significant injury to one boy. This ultimately causes her to be expelled and sent to her mother’s former high school, Nevermore. Nevermore is a school full of peculiar children with supernatural abilities, and although Wednesday dreaded the idea of being casted away to another school instead of banished to her room for eternity, her parents thought the plan was a profound way for her to find new friends and discover her true potential. Wednesday had a psychic power of her own that she did not much understand, but her mother knew the consequences if gone unruled, and Nevermore was sought to be the perfect outlet to control her ability.
On the first day she is roommates with Enid, an obnoxiously flamboyant werewolf with severe boy drama. She is exceedingly kind to Wednesday and tries to be inclusive to befriend her but Wednesday, nonetheless, gives her the dismissive cold shoulder and constantly reminds her that she, herself, is a lone wolf. Despite her efforts, Enid is determined and soon wins her over in a subtle way. Their friendship is very passive but strong in the sense of protection and loyalty. While trying to avoid making new friends, Wednesday became a magnet to new enemies. In the eye of opportunity, she decides to attend a fencing class and go against the best fencer. That person was a light eyed, dark complexion girl named Bianca. She was a siren and the “Queen B,” as you would say, being the top pick for most athletic competitions. During this duel, Wednesday arrogantly demands an ultimatum of military challenge; no masks, and winner draws first blood. Bianca takes on the challenge and is rewarded as the winner, causing Wednesday to not only feel defeated and crushed of her ego, but to wreak havoc on Bianca’s reputation.
As the show went on, Bianca and Wednesday had to put their differences aside and come together to defeat something even greater than them, and Enid became Alpha, making her a lone wolf. These two characters changed Wednesday’s entire trajectory of friendship and rivalry because it showed her what it meant to be an outcast. Wednesday discovered many things throughout this coming-of-age show, but learning to be true to herself and finding her pack was her final mission. She learned the value of human connection and allowed herself to unmask her vulnerability and admit to needing help every now and again. Wednesday’s journey also taught her how to avoid the isolated nature of the cynic and embrace her independence and true individuality instead of letting it be the reason for her demise.
Wednesday can be found on Netflix.
Zaire Simpson
