Almost exactly two years ago, I saw the viral news surrounding a new show that was released on Netflix known as “Wednesday.” The moment I saw it I was intrigued by its concept and watched every episode the day it aired. As someone who has watched previous Tim Burton movies like “Beetlejuice” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” I was not surprised that this show was beyond fantastic from the twisting plotline, the relationships between characters and most notably, Wednesday Addams’ (Jenna Ortega) self-choreographed dance to 1981 song “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how the show paid homage to the original “The Addams Family” while still having its own meaning for the storyline. The show focuses on, as the title suggests, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she gets expelled from school before transferring to a new school of her parents’ choice, Nevermore Academy. While not entirely joyful about the situation, the unenthusiastic teenager finds “friends” (or companions, however you wish to describe the relationship) such as her new roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) and Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White), among others.
Something I especially enjoy about this television show is the dynamic between the characters. For example, Wednesday, an emo and stoic character, is particularly sarcastic toward her brother Pugsley Addams (Isaac Ordonez) but you can see how much she cares about him. I love this because while she avoids showing emotion, she expresses in her own way her loyalty to her family. This is also evident when she arrives at Nevermore and meets Enid and her soon-to-be friends. She starts off hating them before showing she is starting to trust and accept them.
If, like me, you attended a private school, you would know the tragedy of uniforms. One thing that is very interesting about this show is its choice of clothing for the Nevermore uniform. All students are required to wear blue and black striped uniforms except for Wednesday, who has an all-black uniform. Strong fashion choices are consistent throughout “Wednesday” even outside of school. While Wednesday sticks to her regular all-black, many characters wear a mixture of colors and styles that normally would not work together but emphasizes their character traits.
As I have mentioned before, I am not a dancer at all (again, I have tried). Another highlight is the self-choreographed dance by Jenna Ortega to the Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” during the annual school dance. This is a great moment because it shows dance moves that you wouldn’t normally see in 2022, including stiff arm movements and arm flailing. I really like this because it mixes an older music vibe into a modern show.
The recent announcement of season two of “Wednesday” truly excites me, and I am looking forward to seeing what plot twists and elements they add in the second season.
