Wednesday Review
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Released on November 23rd, Wednesday quickly skyrocketed to #1 in television shows throughout the world. Based on The Addams Family, an iconic cartoon by Charles Addams that has since been the basis for several TV shows and movies, Wednesday focuses on the eldest daughter in the family, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). After sending piranhas to attack her brother’s bully, Wednesday is forced to attend Nevermore Academy, having been expelled from too many schools already.
Unlike the other schools she has attended, Nevermore Academy is a boarding school for “outcasts” like herself. From werewolves to sirens to vampires, Nevermore Academy is a place where Wednesday can be with those “like her”. Despite not having any physical powers other than the occasional psychic vision, Wednesday is a clear outcast even within Nevermore Academy; her black clothes, sharp brain, and chilling personality differentiate her further.
Although being noticeably different, Wednesday quickly becomes an audience favorite with her unique and alluring personality. From finding “social media to be a soul sucking void of meaningless affirmation” to her viral dance at the Rave’N, Wednesday is a foil to not only her fellow classmates at Nevermore, but also to the Tiktok-obsessed teens in the modern world today. Although not explicitly stated throughout the show, a memorable message throughout the show is to not let anyone define you. Several characters such as Bianca and Enid, who are also students at Nevermore, struggle to fit into the societal norms that have confined them in. What they truly envy is the freedom that Wednesday has; she doesn’t let anyone dictate what she can or cannot do. At the all-white themed Rave’N, she showed up in a stunning black dress. Instead of fearing the feeling of pain and death, she gets excited by the thrill. Tim Burton’s Wednesday allows the audience to realize that being unique isn’t a weakness; it is a strength. It was ultimately Wednesday, the “outcast”, that was able to save Nevermore from the main villain of the show, Joseph Crackstone.
Despite enjoying the unique tone of the show, there were a few aspects that didn’t make sense. A lot of these discontinuities occurred around the several murders that were plotted by Ms. Thornhill and Tyler, characters that turned out to be “villians” later on in the show. Firstly, if Ms. Thornhill didn’t show up to any of the murders previously, why did she suddenly decide to show up at the attempted murder of Eugene and risk getting seen? Furthermore, even if Eugene did see that Ms. Thornhill’s boots were red, how did Wednesday immediately guess correctly that Ms. Thornhill was the master? Is Ms. Thornhill the only person that had red shoes in the entire town? Not only this, how would Wednesday and Ms. Weems have known about Ms. Thornhill and Tyler’s entire plan when they confronted Ms. Thornhill if he wasn’t the one to tell them? These are just some of the clues that I felt were not as developed as they could’ve been. Finally (although this might be controversial), I really wished that Tyler was the one that ended up with Wednesday. I thought it made more sense to make Wednesday an independent woman, but I liked how Tyler, a “normie” (before the Hyde reveal), fell in love with an “outcast”, someone that even other outcasts were wary of. I liked that their love was able to transcend their perceived differences. Despite how he was portrayed, Tyler wasn’t the villain in this story; the true villain was Ms. Thornhill (Laurel Gates), who manipulated Tyler into doing her bidding. After how Wednesday ended, it seems likely that Xavier is the true male lead in the series. However, I still hope that Tyler is able to make a comeback (somehow) after his downfall in the first season, or that the producers will recognize that Wednesday doesn’t need a man to accomplish her goals.
Overall, I enjoyed watching Wednesday. Even though some plot points could be cleared up, Wednesday contains important themes for teenagers: the importance of perseverance and leadership, as well as standing up for oneself, are all seen within Wednesday’s character. Although Wednesday might not be everyone’s ideal image of themselves, she has many traits that people can emulate in the real world. I hope that if a second season is announced, Tim Burton and the other creators of Wednesday will stay true to Wednesday’s character, and continue the originality of the plot that often gets lost in sequels.
BY VIVIAN LIN