Image via Netflix
Netflix’s recently released Wednesday is a modern take on the classic Addams’s Family. The eight-episode series released not too long ago and has already hit some pretty great numbers on Rotten Tomatoes. Although critics didn’t really praise it the way audiences did, I’m sure you’re probably wondering if the critics or the audience are right. And in this case, is Wednesday worth watching? Or should you just skip it?
What is Netflix’s Wednesday About?
Netflix‘s original series Wednesday is about Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), a morbid and confident 16-year-old girl who gets herself into quite a bit of trouble. She’s pretty emotionless, determined, and has a lot of ambitions at her age already. She wants to be an author, but many editors have turned down her manuscripts for being too creepy.
The show starts us off with Wednesday at a typical American high school, which doesn’t bode well for the young goth because she’s subject to intense bullying. Her brother, Pugsley, is also the brunt of a lot of bullying too.
Pugsley is beat up by some jocks and stuffed into a locker, so Wednesday does what any sane person would do: Drop piranhas in the pool where the jocks are practicing.
Okay, that’s definitely not what any sane person would do, but Wednesday is not just any person.
As a consequence for her actions, Wednesday is obviously expelled and is being sent by her parents to a private school called Nevermore. This school is meant for monsters, outcasts, and ‘freaks’ who don’t fit well into regular society. There’s no explanation given as to why there are werewolves and vampires and gorgons, but it’s just an accepted part of society apparently.
Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams had gone there along with her father, Gomez Addams. Wednesday doesn’t want to go to Nevermore because she doesn’t want to live in the shadow of her mother.
With some adventure and interesting happenings, and a murder mystery, Wednesday quickly finds herself very intrigued and wants to stay at Nevermore.
The Characters Are Fantastic
Wednesday really brought a cast of great characters along. Enid is Wednesday’s bubbly, colorful roommate who enjoys pop music and just enjoys having a lot of fun. She’s probably one of my favorite characters in a TV show. She just has a great personality that’s seldom mimicked by other characters.
Alongside Enid is Thing, which is a walking hand that is part of the Addams family. It’s apparently a mystery as to how Thing became a thing, but he’s one of the best parts of the show. He’s helpful, funny, and even though he doesn’t talk, he likes to make his opinions known very much.
There’s Xavier, who’s the mysterious art guy; Tyler, the good guy from the small town coffee shop; Ajax, the gorgon who Enid likes a little too much; Bianca, the Siren who’s the self-appointed school queen bee. Eugene, who’s a bit of an outcast but really likes bees; the sheriff, who just wants to solve a case really badly; Dr. Valerie Kinbott, the therapist; Marilyn Thornhill, the school florist; Principal Weems, and so many other characters.
Each character plays their role perfectly and I never felt like they weren’t being genuine. It was great how the roles were executed and how the character arcs were played out. Although this show is about Wednesday — who was phenomenal — the other characters did a great job adding more depth to the show.
The Plot of Wednesday Keeps You Guessing The Whole Time
One of the strengths about Netflix’s Wednesday that makes it worth watching in full is the plot. The story develops very nicely and puts you straight into the action without wasting too much time. There’s never a dull episode because each one presents a new curveball that makes you guess every time.
The main conflict in Wednesday is a strange monster in the woods that’s killing people and ripping them apart. It’s pretty gruesome (though most of the gore in the show is exaggerated, so it’s not very scary at all), and there’s a reason why everybody seems to be on-edge.
The entire time, you’re trying to figure out if the monster is someone at Nevermore, if it’s even someone at all, and what’s going on in this strange town. You also keep wondering what the connection is between Nevermore and the small town nearby called Jericho. Everybody in Jericho seems to be weird too, despite calling themselves ‘normies’ to differentiate.
As a part of the plot as well, there’s a lot of real human stories involved. Although these characters are mythical creatures, their lives have depth and interesting tales to them. Not one character is alike, and I think that adds to the magic of Wednesday as a show.
Watch Or Skip Wednesday?
Watch it 100%! This show was absolutely brilliant and absolutely fantastic. There was no shortage of excitement, twists, and interesting tales to be told in Netflix’s Wednesday. I actually managed to binge it all in nearly one night, sans two episodes I needed to finish the next day.
It’s really a brilliant show. Not many out there can achieve the magic and excellence that Wednesday brought to the table. It was a stunning reworking of the original Addams Family we all know and love. I was afraid that Netflix would screw up this classic, but they didn’t at all!
Yes, go ahead and give this one a watch. Enjoy it, because you’re about to go on a pretty wild ride with Wednesday!
Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
