Spooky? Check. Hilarious? Check. An upgrade on the previous Wednesday Addams? Check. Tim Burton’s comedy horror TV series Wednesday — trending on Netflix Top 10 — is all about teenager Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) doing her thing with a poker face that is thoroughly enjoyable.
The spinoff, based on the 1991 film The Addams Family, shows Wednesday embarking on a mysterious journey in the Nevermore Academy. After being expelled from a ‘normal’ school due to her murder attempts, Wednesday starts finding her place in the school filled with outcasts, which happens to be the same school where her parents had studied. The teenager soon finds herself in the middle of mysterious killings and gains psychic abilities. The TV series is a thrilling ride with a creepy undertone. Here are six reasons why you should be watching Wednesday right now.
Jenna Ortega’s pigtails and poker face are a win
Wednesday Addams became a pop culture phenomenon after Christina Ricci’s portrayal of the character in the 1991 film The Addams Family. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday is a grown-up teenager with darker thoughts and an eeriness to her character.
While it’s unfair to compare the two portrayals, a poker-faced Ortega makes for a unique Wednesday. She is smart, multilingual, a mesmerising cello player and an intelligent detective. Tim Burton has fleshed out the character better; Ortega’s fringed pigtails also setting her apart from Ricci’s Wednesday.
The rest of the Addams
Catherine Zeta-Jones makes for a mischievous Morticia Addams, while Luis Guzmán is a kind Gomez Addams. Wednesday’s brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) doesn’t make much of an appearance but makes for a sweet addition to the spooky family. Her uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) is only seen in one episode but leaves a lasting impact.
Thing is quite something!
One of the most beloved characters of the films as well as the Netflix spinoff remains Thing, the disembodied human hand that follows Wednesday to Nevermore Academy. While Thing is supposed to be a spy for Morticia and Gomez, it soon becomes the Watson to Wednesday’s Sherlock, helping her out with investigations. Thing also becomes friends with most of the Nevermore students, specially Wednesday’s werewolf roomie Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers). Thing and Enid bond while doing mani pedis, throwing Wednesday a surprise birthday party and helping solve the mystery behind the serial killings.
The horror-filled fun plot
Wednesday is a horror show filled with spookiness and laugh-out-loud moments. After Wednesday starts at Nevermore, her plans of running away are thwarted once she comes face to face with a monster that is killing people. Most of the town people including the Sheriff (Jamie McShane) believe that an outcast student from Nevermore is behind the killings. Wednesday meanwhile starts getting visions surrounding the killings and decides to stay behind and solve the mystery. The plot never misses a beat, showing the different sides of Wednesday – a competitive teenager with complicated feelings about love and trying to find her feet among the outcasts.
Wednesday’s friends
While the above subhead might seem like an oxymoron, it is not. Wednesday Addams, known for her isolated image, starts making friends at the Nevermore Academy. We find Wednesday slowly adapting to the outcasts in the school and finding a place among The Nightshades, a secret club in the school.
Two of her friendships stand out – one with Enid and the other with Eugene Otinger (Moosa Mostafa), the founder of a beekeeping club. Wednesday and Enid’s friendship is the literal definition of opposites attract. Enid is all about colours, sunshine and kindness, while Wednesday is the exact opposite. The two become quite close over the course of the series. Eugene, on the other hand, almost becomes like a brother figure to Wednesday. The beekeeping enthusiast is constantly protected by Wednesday, much like she did with her brother Pugsley.
Christina Ricci returns
Christina Ricci found immense fame after her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film. Fans theorised that she might return as Morticia Addams but Ricci makes a unique entry in Tim Burton’s Wednesday. The 42-year-old actress plays the role of a normie teacher, Mrs Marilyn Thornhill. She is the botanical sciences teacher at the school as well as the dorm mom. Mrs Thornhill slowly becomes close to Wednesday and helps her out when needed. She’s one of the more interesting characters in the series and Ricci makes a good addition to the fantasy drama.
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