By Sam Rimland
Wednesday is a reimagining of Wednesday Addams’ life from the popular movie, The Addams Family. It was an absolute hit when it came out on Netflix in late November. It has become one of the streaming platform’s top 3 most watched shows. The buzz even spread onto TikTok where Wednesday took advantage of modern virility, gaining massive exposure. One should expect nothing less from Tim Burton, as he directed another amazing work.
The story follows Wednesday as she attends the fantastical ‘Nevermore Academy’, her mother’s alma mater. Upon her arrival, news of mysterious murders and a freaky monster roaming around the area spreads. Lucky for Wednesday, she has a new group of friends to help her solve this mystery. Her roommate, Enid Sinclair, is the sparkly and flamboyant person needed to counteract Wednesday’s dark and ominous aura.
There is a hint of romance within the story, as there are multiple boys pining after Wednesday. This is a slight twist on the classic stoic and emotionless Wednesday. She allows herself to be vulnerable, revealing unexplored sides of her character. This is a refreshing change of pace from the original Wednesday, who solely gained pleasure from the pain of others. It’s a cliche trope for a girl to have to choose between two guys, but Wednesday’s character did not make me feel like it was predictable and boring, like other shows.
Another difference in this show from the original Addams Family is the newly imagined relationship that Wednesday has with her family. I particularly like how the show explores her relationship with her uncle, Fester. Their relationship resembles more of a tight friendship than it does uncle and niece. We also get a glimpse into Wednesday’s dynamic with her immediate family, which just reinforced what the audience knew already. She loves to hurt her brother, and she has a complex relationship with her parents as she appreciates them but finds them overbearing.
This show is filled with a plethora of positives, but as with anything there are some aspects that could be improved. I personally only had one thing that I could not get over about the show, which was that the monster looked like something straight out of Plants Vs. Zombies. The monster was hyped up throughout the show as a terrifying and daunting character; however, when the monster was finally revealed I was underwhelmed.
Overall, I would recommend this show as it certainly was entertaining. The targeted audience is teenagers, but people of all ages would enjoy this show. The cast is strong, with Jenna Ortega being a highlight. It seems as though the whole world has developed a crush on Ortega, as she gained a lot of popularity for her spectacular portrayal of Wednesday. The plot twist at the end and the falling action with an introduction to even more characters were great additions. I felt that the ending was slightly rushed, and the plot seemed a little out of nowhere towards the end; however, the story is solid, and definitely a worthwhile series to watch.
