Netflix's Wednesday series follows the titular character as she tracks a series of murders and attempts to discover who (or what) is responsible. She receives help from a few friends (who manage to introduce themselves into her life) and relatives (some undead, others a little more eccentric). Who better to solve mysterious, supernatural murders than the girl whose favorite pastimes include torturing her brother, writing detective novels, and contemplating homicide?
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What is Wednesday for?
Although Wednesday's journey to find the murderer is the main subject of the series, it is also a coming-of-age story about breaking out of the expectations that have been set for you and becoming your own person in the face of adversity. Wednesday Addams may have a slightly morbid outlook on life, but she always stays true to herself and doesn't let other people's opinions get to her. Aside from the gratuitous violence, she is a good role model.
Netflix's Wednesday also takes the time to comment on the harmfulness of people's prejudices and the dangers of holding grudges. There's also a healthy dose of feminism and forward thinking that has always been synonymous with Wednesday's character.
What works
There are several things in Tim Burton's Wednesday that I absolutely loved and which only added to the overall brilliance of the series:
The sinister soundtrack – This plays throughout the show and perfectly accompanies Wednesday's adventures. It even provides a little extra entertainment, notably at the beginning, when the Addamses are in the car and three birds tap the car windshield in time with the music.
Gomez and Morticia – These two are easily one of the most iconic fictional couples. They adore each other (Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones are brilliant together) and are extremely supportive of their children, offering help when they can and encouraging them to pursue their dreams. Gomez even goes out of her way to bag Pugsley's favorite baits.
Wednesday's deadpan responses – These provide some of the best moments of the series and are particularly entertaining because many of the characters seem unsure whether to believe her or not.
The dynamic between Wednesday and her friends – As the story progresses, Wednesday begins to show that she cares about people in her own way. She defends her brother from bullies, threatens her roommate's date with violence if he breaks her heart, and when she learns that one of her friends is in danger, she runs to help her.
What falls flat
Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that don't work very well about Netflix's Wednesday:
Somewhat disjointed fight scenes – While there aren't many fight scenes in the series, the ones that are there are a bit of a miss in the grand scheme of the series. Some camera angles used make it difficult to follow what's happening and it's relatively easy to spot a fake shot.
A Forced Love Triangle – The love triangle has become a very common theme in many series and has therefore become a rather tired narrative that feels out of place in the grand scheme of the story.
Wednesday was never a character interested in any romance and she did nothing to indicate otherwise as the series unfolded and she interacted with different characters. It seems incredibly pointless when the two guys she's developed some sort of friendship with become jealous of each other when she spends time with one and not the other. At one point, they are both angry with her for leading them on (although in one of them's case, her asking him to a ball was a lie necessary to advance his case).
What saves this story is that Wednesday doesn't really care about the jealousy that develops between the boys, one way or the other.
Listen to our podcast on Netflix's Wednesday series below.
The people who brought the show to life
Jenna Ortega does an excellent job as Wednesday, delivering deadpan lines with an unchanging expression throughout the show, and the rest of the cast does not disappoint. Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones do excellent work as the overly affectionate Gomez and Morticia Addams, and Isaac Ordones' Pugsley is the perfect combination of intelligence and naivety.
The Addams Family is rounded out by George Burcea (who plays the silent and barely expressive butler Lurch), Victor Dorobantu (who plays everyone's favorite dismembered hand, the Thing), and Fred Armisen (who plays the sweet and gentle Uncle Foul. electrified on Wednesday).
Fans of the 1991 and 1993 Addams Family films will immediately spot Christina Ricci, the actress who previously played Wednesday Addams, and may be a little surprised by her role.
Other actors involved in Netflix's Wednesday are Emma Myers (who plays Wednesday's roommate Enid Sinclair), Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Joy Sunday, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome and Jamie McShane.
Several other people were involved in this project, the most notable of which is Tim Burton, who is not only one of the executive producers (alongside Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Gail Berman, Jon Glickman, Andrew Mittman and Kayla Alpert – who only joined the project in August 2021) but also the director of the first four episodes of the series. The last four episodes were directed by Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall.
Gough and Millar wrote four of the eight episodes (and were joined by Matt Lambert for one) while Kayla Alpert and April Blair each wrote two episodes themselves. The score and original theme for the series were entrusted to Danny Elfman, who has worked with Burton before and even lent his voice to several characters in films such as The Nightmares Before Christmas.
Netflix's Wednesday series was produced by several companies, including Glickmania Media and the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the Netflix movie Wednesday. The mystery of the murders kept my attention and I found myself trying to figure out who the killer was from the start. Wednesday has always been my favorite member of the Addams Family, so it's great to see her dry sense of humor and biting sarcasm take center stage.
The bond she formed with some classmates was brilliantly used to show a slightly softer side of her and the contrast she presents with her roommate Enid is hilarious (especially when she befriends with the Thing and gets Wednesday to treat him better (?)).
Overall, I think the series is a brilliant addition to the Addams Family franchise that perfectly explores the whole family's quirkiness to the fullest. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Addams Family and enjoys ever-changing mysteries that will have you changing suspects every 5 seconds.
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Netflix's Wednesday is scheduled to release on November 23, so be sure to check it out.