Wednesday

(Happy 200th post!) Wednesday is easily my favourite show of the year. If you haven’t watched it yet, this  is a comedy-horror series directed by Tim Burton following Wednesday Addams of the Addams family. She transfers to Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts like her, which at first she is very opposed to. Until she starts to unravel the mystery of her parent’s history at the school, its administration, and the murders happening in town. Here she meets Enid, her soon to be best friend, her rival Bianca, and Xavier.


I love the casting of this show. When I saw Jenna Ortega was playing Wednesday Addams I knew it was going to be good. She is amazing in this role and I don’t think there is anyone else in Hollywood right now that I could see playing this part other than her. She is currently up for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the character and I am definitely rooting for her. All of the other characters in this show are so compelling and fun. I liked that Wednesday was always the smartest in the room, and she is not afraid of literally anything. I find Enid really fun to watch especially because she is the complete opposite of Wednesday, which creates an interesting dynamic. Even a lot of the more background characters are really interesting, and I want a season 2 just to hopefully see more of them. 


I know people have mixed feelings about the whole love triangle part of the show, and honestly I do too. At the end of the day though, I think they went about it the right way. They use it to show how she has grown as a person since coming to Nevermore Academy and how she is more empathetic and open to showing emotion. As she grows, she starts to have more feelings, so it makes sense with the story as a way to express this change in her coldness. We also see this in her friendship with Enid when Wednesday agrees to wear the “snood” that Enid made for her. But I understand why people don’t like this change to the character, given it is definitely part of who Wednesday Addams is. That she is independent, doesn’t need anyone else and does things her own way. Throughout the series she still continues to be independent and do things in her own way, so that is why I don’t think the love triangle takes away from her as a character and is not just thrown in for no reason. Not only is it used to show character growth, but its also used as a comedic element in the show because of how little attention she gives Xavier (played by Percy Hynes… Canadian!) and Tyler (Hunter Doohan).


I love the story, and its layers of mystery. Some of it, ya I figured out right away, but I was still surprised by the twist at the end. It definitely makes things more interesting since you don't see it coming. The set design and the costumes are really cool too. Nevermore Academy kind of reminds me of Monster High from when I was growing up, so it felt like a hint of nostalgia. I also liked how they made Wednesday her own unique school uniform, it helps her stand out and feel more like Wednesday. I like how they use her character’s aesthetic, which is that everything must be black, in contrast with Enid’s aesthetic which is very bright and colourful.


What I find really interesting about this show is actually its impact in the music industry. The dance scene, which is my favourite scene in the entire show, uses this song “Goo Goo Muck” by the Cramps, originally released in 1981. The song has seen a ridiculous increase in popularity since the show aired, similar to the success of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” in Stranger Things. The song has over twenty-two-million streams on Spotify, and I think this is a perfect example of the importance of licensing music in TV and film. What’s even more interesting is what happened on Tik Tok. After the show's release, Tik Tok creators made edits and versions of the dance scene to a sped up version of “Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga. A song that was definitely not one of her most popular songs. Now with over one-hundred-and-twenty-six million streams and millions of views and shares on Tik Tok, it's now one of her more popular songs in her repertoire. So a song that was not even a part of the show, is receiving the same/similar popularity to one that was actually licensed for the show. It goes to show how powerful the platform is and the impact it can have in a variety of industries.


To wrap things up, this is a great series and I highly recommend it to anyone, anywhere, all the time. It is so much fun and I was obsessed with it when it first came out. I really hope there will be a season 2 and that Netflix doesn’t cancel yet another one of the shows I like. I love this show, and I think there is something in it for everybody. Even if you haven't seen Addams family and have no idea who Wednesday Addams is, I would still definitely give the show a watch.