One show in particular has been taking over much of TikTok, Instagram, and Netflix lately. When I first heard seemingly everyone and their mother raving about Tim Burton’s adaptation of the new Addams Family spin off “Wednesday,” I was suspicious. However, I ended up really enjoying the series!
One thing to know about me is that I love the Addams Family. I’m about to expose myself, but I was pretty into theater in high school, and my absolute favorite production I participated in was the Addams Family. I played Morticia, and therefore you could call me mildly obsessed with the Wednesday Addams multiverse.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this show! Something I found interesting were the modern twists the team was able to give an older story. For reference, the show takes place in the modern world, and Wednesday gets expelled from her old high school for a devious trick (which is expected from her). Gomez and Morticia decide to send her to the boarding school they both attended, and she navigates a new social life, finding herself, and also defeating a monster who attacks the neighboring town. It sounds a little corny, but I was honestly on the edge of my seat the whole time. While the show is appropriate for a younger teen audience, I still found it to be engaging.
Some of the film tactics I was interested in were the use of lighting, the costumes, and Wednesday’s characterization. In terms of the lighting, the boarding school Wednesday attends is in a world much like “Harry Potter,” in that most of the students are mythical misfits. The school consists of werewolves, those with Medusa’s powers, and vampires. The school is always viewed with a gloomy, bluish film lens, which I think emphasizes the darkness surrounding the world of outcasts and the dark secrets which encompass the campus. I also have to give a hand to the costume designer of the show, Colleen Atwood who worked with the esteemed Tim Burton to make the show creepy in my favorite way. Each costume fit the character wearing it extremely well and expressed some of their character traits through the style. Wednesday, of course, wears some incredible outfits which have even inspired a gothic wave in the world of fashion due to the show’s viral nature. Finally, I think Wednesday Addams is a badass, specifically in this show. It is extremely refreshing to see a show with a strong female lead who (spoiler alert, watch out!) doesn’t end up on a man’s arm at the end. She is her own person, with a very unique ethos, and she doesn’t care what others think of her. Wednesday is also extremely intelligent. Although she is definitely mischievous, I think Jenna Ortega created an extremely loveable character with her portrayal of Wednesday. Personally, I think Wednesday is a great role model in terms of self acceptance for the younger audience who may be consuming this media.
Nevermore Academy’s blue film lens; image source
Ultimately, I’d highly recommend you watch this show if you haven’t already. There’s even a huge twist at the end, so it is definitely super engaging.
In high school one of my friends did theater and one of the shows I watched him perform in was the Addams Family and I really enjoyed it! I haven’t gotten a chance to watch the show yet but I thought you described it pretty well to an audience that may not have as much insight on the series. I liked how you not only described the plot of the show but also the environment and the theme the directors tried to push such as the gloomy vibe.
I thought Wednesday was great as well — it’s so interesting that an oldish concept that has a cult following can be brought back in new, fresh ways. Another example I think of is Clue from the 80s and now Knives Out and Glass Onion, who follow the camp-y traditions and murder mystery of their predecessor.
One thing I would suggest would be to break up your text a little bit more. Adding in some paragraph breaks or images between different thoughts, rather than having only a few long paragraphs, will strengthen the visual appeal of your blog. Great work!
Yesss!! I loved Wednesday! My siblings and I have a big age range (14 to 34), so it is hard to find shows that we all enjoy, but Wednesday did a great job of catering to young teen audiences while still being engaging for older audiences. All of us enjoyed it, and it gave us a show to all talk about to each other. I agree with the show being very refreshing with Wednesday as a lead because many shows for that age range tend to have more one-dimensional female leads (if they have any).
I watched Wednesday too and I loved it! The show definitely portrays Wednesday as a strong, no-nonsense female lead, and that’s reflected through the fact that she doesn’t have a boyfriend at the end of the series (despite interest from a few guys). While it’s refreshing to see boys attracted to an independent, highly intelligent, and even emotionally detached girl, I found it a bit odd. Wednesday doesn’t really pick up on social cues and is generally a cold person, so she can be hard to get along with. But I think you are right in that Burton was able to take someone who is the opposite of amiable and make her lovable. It should definitely be recognized that Wednesday is a force to be reckoned with, but one of my favorite parts of the series is that you can tell that at the end, Wednesday is more willing to express her emotions: to cry, to hug, and to rely on others for support.
I absolutely loved your analysis and review of Wednesday. I have always had a knack and interest for darker and creepier shows that hinge on mystery, so I was naturally a very big fan of Wednesday. I even predicted the twist at the end, so I was pretty proud to say the least. I absolutely loved Ortega’s performance as Wednesday. While the movies from the 90s were not the original filmed adaptation of the Addams Family, there is no doubt that Christina Ricci’s Wednesday from the movies is the most recognizable. Ricci’s performance as Wednesday was so incredible that it is near impossible to imagine another person portraying the role, but I felt that Ortega really held her own. However, I am glad that Tim Burton brought Ricci back as a series regular as a sort of nod to her iconic work. P.S. I was also a theatre kid back home, and I am so jealous that you got to play Morticia! I have yet to do The Addams Family, but I hope to also play Morticia one day! Great post overall!