Wednesday

When it was announced that there was going to be a Netflix series based on Wednesday Addams, the daughter of the popular Charles Addams comic strip family, it no doubt led to some excitement, but it also would’ve been met with a fair share of skepticism. Considering how the appeal of the Addams Family came from the familial unit, actively removing that element might have caused some issues even with the popularity of Wednesday which came from Christina Ricci’s portrayal of the character in the 1991 film. However, when the trailers showcased a dark and twisted yet morbidly humorous tone, showed that Tim Burton would be involved with the project which seems fitting due to his love for twisted yet creative content, and a pretty solid portrayal from newcomer actress, Jenna Ortega, it looked like this show had the right idea and was going to make something special with this series, and it’s safe to say that they did just that. After being expelled from her last school after going a little too far when defending her brother from bullies, Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) is enrolled into Nevermore Academy by her parents, Gomez and Morticia (played by Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones), a school for monstrous outcasts. Even among literal monsters, Wednesday’s cold, emotionless personality makes her distant from the rest of the school including her werewolf roommate, Enid (played by Emma Myers), top girl Bianca (played by Joy Sunday), artist and possible crush Xavier (played by Percy Hynes White) and Principal Weems (played by Gwendoline Christie). Though this school appears to have nothing worth her time, she is quickly wrapped up in a murder mystery when a monster that is killing students (whether monstrous or otherwise) seems to be connected to a prophecy that predicts Wednesday will apparently lead to Nevermore’s destruction. Teaming up with her family’s disembodied hand pet Thing and local coffee barista and other potential crush, Tyler (played by Hunter Doohan), Wednesday uncovers dirty secrets about the town as well as Nevermore, unravels a past murder investigation that involves Tyler’s sheriff father, Donovan (played by Jamie McShane) as well as her parents, and tries to use her new psychic powers to prevent this prophecy from coming to pass. Wednesday was not only a huge success for Netflix, but it become one of their biggest hits on their service period, becoming the third-most watched English-language Netflix series within two weeks of its release.

There’s a lot about this series that doesn’t feel like the typical Addams family set-up, with Wednesday taking centre focus and having a heavier focus on a ”Nancy Drew” kind of murder mystery as opposed to a gothic and macabre family comedy. Thankfully, the series doesn’t feel like it’s held down by lacking that element and instead relishes in its new style and pacing while still containing that delightfully wicked sense of humor that makes it not only unique (how willing it is to be dark, unpleasant, and graphic while still being light and creative is refreshing), but it’s also a return to form in many ways. Tim Burton hasn’t been attached to a project this good in decades and his usual tropes that have been used terribly in his more recent work (watch something like Dark Shadows to prove it) are utilized much better here. He ironically wasn’t directly involved in an Addams Family project until this series (he passed on directing the 1991 film and was only attached to a cancelled stop-motion film) despite the tone and style of content being right up his alley, but his inclusion really helps out in bringing that great unique flair and edge to this world; where all the characters are odd-looking and wonderfully weird, where the production and atmosphere is a great balance between off-putting yet magnetically intriguing, and the monsters and creatures of this world are creative-looking and mean more than just their base expectations. With this said, it’s important to remember that he isn’t the creator of the series (he only directed the first four episodes), as that honor goes to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who were best known for creating the long-running CW series, Smallville. This is definitely a jump in terms of quality and they deserve recognition for that, but sadly that CW-show vibe is clear in certain parts of this series, and come the final episode, it honestly does more harm than good. For the most part, the expected teen-based cliches don’t ruin too much of the series as its usually meshed with the great characters, atmosphere, and writing, but as the show keeps going, it leans more towards one direction, and it starts to suffocate the other. Episodes 1, 3, 4 and 6 are arguably the show’s best work and creates a great balance between character, mood, and its mystery, but the latter stages of the show, especially the final episode, ends thing off a pretty sour note with the replacement directors, James Marshall and Gandja Monteiro, being a bit more mixed in terms of quality. It pulls the rug out for its final reveal, but it’s also strangely rushed, meaning things just sort of happen and get explained without much rhyme or reason, motivations switch from out of nowhere and don’t get proper clarification, and resolutions happens without them really feeling deserved. It’s tragic that it ended the way it did as a whodunit’s ending can impact the experience as a whole looking back, and while that is partially there, the build-up to said point is still engaging, well-executed and the previously listed pros are still quality material.

The characters make for nice new faces to add to the Addams family world, exhibiting a similar kind of odd but memorable energy, but never feel like copies in any way. While the writing is solid for most of them, the acting really helps things out and saves them from being just basic teen archetypes. A lot of talk and hype was centred around Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, and for an actress that is still slowly growing her career, this is a massive boost for her because she is outstanding in this. It’s already a great character to be handed and one that would no doubt be really fun to play, but Ortega’s commitment to perfectly capturing the mannerisms, dialogue, and even movements and expressions of the character is really something to behold. It can act as a fantastic new portrayal of the character the same way that Christina Ricci’s performance was immortalised, and it never feels like she’s stuck in her shadow, and she really stands on her own (Ricci herself is in the show as a side character, so it’s clear she gave full blessing). The level they go to exploring Wednesday in this new environment is fun, fresh, and actually highlights both the positives and negatives of her attitude. On the one hand, the confidence she exudes is very admirable and it’s cool to see a character of her calibre have zero interest in pandering to those who demean her and is just comfortable exists as herself. But on the other hand, seeing her deadpan and uncaring personality being tested when people she actually cares about are in danger is another thing that is put front and centre and made apparent, it’s a nice addition that shows the good and bad of being too single-minded and individualistic, and Ortega does all of this phenomenally without breaking character. While there are certain times during the final episode where she’s written pretty stupid for the sake of the story, the rest of the show really gets the character and create situations that benefit her greatly. The rest of the cast is fantastic too. Gwendoline Christie is very good as Principal Weems; carrying an overly cheery and parental demeanor about herself, while still containing a lot of mystery and even legit intimidation to make her an intriguing role, Enid acts as a wonderful foil to Wednesday and is portrayed beautifully by Emma Myers, with her overly sunny demeanor and chirpy friendly modern, almost ”Nickelodeon sit-com” attitude providing for a good friendship arc between the two of them, Joy Sunday as Bianca is pretty decently handled with a nice tragic backstory that makes her more than just a typical ”mean girl” (even though she also gets a little messy come the final episode),  Luis Guzmán and especially Catherine Zeta-Jones do great at portraying Gomez and Morticia, and while Percy Hynes White and Hunter Doohan are written pretty flat and don’t really exist for much else outside of shipping fuel and/or potential suspects, the acting is fine for both of them. Sadly, the final villain is handled pretty poorly, as despite housing a decent backstory, he surprisingly becomes sidelined by the other surprise villains of the series (who also aren’t very good), removing a lot of his presence and just making him feel like a generic CW threat.

Being an Addams Family-adjacent property means that the production design and atmosphere are going to be important qualities to nail, and the show doesn’t disappoint on that front. Nevermore Academy is home to a lot of fun shots, gothic lighting, plenty of shadowy moments and even interesting architecture to feel different from other schooling locations, but still recognizable enough to feel like it’s a place that would work as a functioning learning facility in a real world. The overall production design by Mark Scruton has a cleanness to it that doesn’t get in the way of the gothic appeal, the cinematography by David Lanzenberg and Stephan Pehrsson shows these locations off in a composed but cinematically appealing manner, and the costume design by Colleen Atwood and Mark Sutherland feels very appropriate to the franchise and really uses the color fantastically whether for vibrancy or just for contrast (seeing Enid and Wednesday next to each other with their attires is pretty fun). The aspect of including a woodland town with a pilgrimage past also brings a rural vibe and even autumn-esque quality to the location, and it’s more traditional appeal and presentation provides a nice contrast from the more fantastical side of Nevermore. The atmosphere is a nice blend between soft and gothic, and harsh and modern, as the fast paced murder-mystery energy fits in nicely with this creative and darkly comedic tone to make for a unique spin on that format and provides for some great moments where the mystery keeps building without giving much away, each character is given backstory and hidden secrets that comes out in the open eventually (even if the end results aren’t great), and it’s also not afraid to just let moments speak for themselves which add a lot of great atmosphere (Wednesday’s Cello performance or her dance sequence are great examples of this). Most of the music overall composed by Chris Bacon and Danny Elfman (another staple in this kind of genre that hasn’t been used effectively in years) is done pretty well here and matches the tone and spirit of the story even if it’s not one of his best or most memorable pieces. Most of the effects work really nicely even when they look a little fake as they still look creative and distinct, and even once and a while there is a solid one that sticks out (Thing looks really good in this).

Wednesday is one of the best things Netflix has had on their service for a long time and this is coming off of a spin-off to a property that hasn’t had a lot of material made about them for a long time (do you remember those horrendous CG animated movies). It feels so refreshing to see something so openly mean, disturbing and dark in the mainstream without having to be neutered in any way, but also to see Burton attached to a project where he in fact improves things rather than takes away from what made the source material good (do you remember that horrible live action Alice in Wonderland). The show’s fumble at the end is a tragedy as a lot of its goodwill feels a little weakened due to how sloppy and rushed it feels, but what works about Wednesday is still fantastic and is not only worth checking out but is worth sticking around for if they continue on. It’s a nice window into the world of the Addams family for those who aren’t aware of the franchise, but it’s also a great new perspective given to the brand that could allow for further changes down the line in the best way possible.