Many know Wednesday Addams from her role in the Addams Family, a movie about a strange family with a very catchy theme song. Although the show was new to 2022, Wednesday and her family have been on screen for much longer. 1938 was when the creepy, kooky, family was first printed as a comic strip in newspapers. The 1960s was when the TV series first started, and 1991 when the beloved character was played by Christina Ricci in one of the most popular of its renditions to date.
The eight-episode series has now cast its dark darling in Jenna Ortega, who took the original concept of the family and sent it soaring. Although there have been many renditions of Wednesday, Ortega puts a new spin on a much older story. The new plotline follows the school where Morticia and Gomez Addams met (Nevermore Academy), the very same that Wednesday finds herself at after getting expelled from too many other schools. The older works revolve around the family and its quirks, but Tim Burton’s claws have sunk deep into the meaning of a young woman trying to fit in, even in a school full of people that are just as strange as her.
This story resonates, not only to the people who watched in 1991, but to all the young people in today’s world struggling to fit in. Wednesday is the poster child of trying to find oneself in the midst of personal and outside chaos. Not only is this popular to teens everywhere, but it has also gotten recognition on platforms such as TikTok for the viral dance scene in episode four of the season. All over the world the dance was recreated and played to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”.
As an ode to the old movie, Christina Ricci was brought back as a villain the name of Marilyn Thornhill. Thing, the mysteriously animated hand, is also Wednesday’s faithful companion, keeping an eye on her while at Nevermore. Oriented toward family in the earlier films and TV, this recent version gravitates to the importance of friendship and finding oneself in the midst of disaster. Ortega skillfully gives her take on a teen girl who stands out no matter where she goes.
Given the name from the poem, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe” Ortega took the gothic, brooding girl and transformed her into a stunningly crafty young woman with an ear full of trouble. Introduced by Tim Burton’s macabre genius, the new TV series is refurbished from its glory in the 90s. Known for films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Corpse Bride, Burton is a revolutionary in making dark and weird into something entertaining. As an outsider himself, Burton was up to the task in making a show that would birth a new type of Wednesday Addams in the Twenty-First Century.
Ortega shows through her character that being different is not a bad thing. She takes gothic to a whole new level, immersing herself into the character completely. For her role, Ortega had to learn many skills, including fencing, which is a staple to Gomez Addams in the 1991 film.
Every family is strange in its own way, but the Addams family takes the cake. Most of the famous family are not front and center for a vast majority of the series, but their influence sheds light on the past and the significance it can have in the future. Gomez and Morticia were subject to a murder during their time at the academy, and it has somehow made its appearance in Wednesday’s present-day troubles. As more and more bodies are being found, Wednesday appoints herself as the chief investigator in the matter, using any means necessary to find the truth.
Adding to Wednesday’s already dark persona in the recent adaptation, the plaited princess of darkness is also related to the witch trials of her early ancestors. The sixteen-year-old is hit with visions that depict moments of tragedy before or after something has already happened. It all connects to Goody Addams, an ancestor of the 1600s who was one of the first outcasts. Goody was subject to the witch trials, whose head prosecutor was Joseph Crackstone. Many of her fellow outcasts, including her mother, were murdered by this man in his attempt to rid the world of individuals that were different.
Why does this matter? Ricci’s villainous portrayal is the mystery behind the murders at Nevermore Academy. Her dirty work is done through a high school boy named Tyler, who does not know he’s an outcast himself. He’s a Hyde, a violent monster, much like the alter ego of Henry Jekyll in the original novel. She’s used the murders, and various body parts from them, to bring Crackstone back to life and end the remaining Nevermore students for good. What she does not expect is Wednesday, who figures out everything happening in time to save the school. She kills Crackstone but does not manage to capture Thornhill before she has a chance to escape.
The ending scene of the first season leaves all watchers wondering what will happen next. Tyler, who is now human again, is seen chained in a vehicle, when all of a sudden the Hyde makes his appearance again, opening up speculation for a second season. Although it has been confirmed that another season is in the works, it has not been released when that season will air.
Jenna Ortega has taken Wednesday Addams to new heights, exploring a new pathway for the beloved character. Any viewer can see the development behind this new character, which was never seen away from her family in previous media. Wednesday, as a series, takes a deeper look into the experiences of a young woman who accepts her darkness and even embraces it. It gives all viewers the chance to see the confidence and acceptance Wednesday as a character has. It is important in today’s society because it shows teens everywhere the acceptance of self and the normalcy of feeling like they don’t fit in. Ortega takes Wednesday Addams to a whole new level in this adaptation, and it is safe to say everyone is impatiently awaiting the next chapter in her story.
Sources
Chester-Londt, Levana Jane. “The Addams Family: Best Versions of Wednesday, Ranked.” Game Rant, Game Rant, 3 Dec. 2022, gamerant.com/the-addams-family-best-versions-of-wednesday-ranked/#the-reigning-ricci-1991-1993.
Cullen, Jessica. “The History of Wednesday Addams, the Original Goth Girl.” Stylist.Co.Uk, Stylist, 2021, www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/wednesday-addams-history-appearances/732456.
Escobedo, Lee. “‘the Addams Family’ Adaptations, Ranked.” EW.Com, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2023, ew.com/movies/addams-family-adaptations-ranked/.
Owen, Dan. “An Addams Family History.” Medium, Dans Media Digest, 6 Jan. 2017, dansmediadigest.co.uk/an-addams-family-history-eb270f90a19b.