Netflix’s Wednesday: A Visually Stunning Teen Drama

Marking itself as the 12th adaptation of the original Addams Family cartoons, Netflix’s Wednesday released on Wednesday, November 23 of 2022, presented the life of the young fictional Addams battling teenagehood whilst enrolled in a school for outcasts. 

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For those who followed the many popular films series centered around this 

fictional family, the reveal of Wednesday, played by Jenna Ortega, as an angsty 16-year-old was a surprise- whether a good or bad one. For me, who’s been a fan of Jenna ever since her Stuck in the Middle Disney days, this was a delight. Most notably, the choices in casting have been majorly praised by viewers with some of the supporting cast members being Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Christina Ricci as Marilyn Thornhill. 

To me, one of the most fruitful aspects of Wednesday would definitely be the sets. The centerpiece of Wednesday and Enid’s dorm room at Nevermore was the circular web of stained glass that shone over many of their scenes. Not only was it striking to see the contrasting monotone half of Wednesday’s side and Enid’s colorful side, but its existence provided the opportunity to film stunning silhouette scenes as the two characters converse. Much of the school itself was shot at a castle in Romania. Other well-built locations that Wednesday spent much of her time at include the Nightshade Library, the cafe in Jericho, and also the mansion that Wednesday returns to as she sleuthed.  

Also relating to the visual aspect of the series, the costume design added all the perfect touches to each character. As I saw it, Wednesday’s appearance in any given scene was flawless. Outside of her inherent design including her signature braids and unblinking eyes, Wednesday’s dark-themed school uniform was perfectly fitting of her character and displayed a proper distinction between her and her peers. Her signature (and notably TikTok famous) dress for the Rave’N dance was absolutely breathtaking, with transparent black tulle sprouting from her shoulders and from under a cinching belt. Additionally, her personal outfits throughout the show never failed to make me pause and admire their detailed choices. I felt similarly about Enid, whose hair had highlights of blue and pink and whose nails were always perfect. On the other hand, characters who I did not feel as enthusiastic about were Wednesday’s two love interests, Xavier and Tyler, who were both brunette white boys that arguably didn’t have too much difference going on with their appearances at first glance. I definitely would have wished for some differentiation when they cast the two characters. 

Another one of my favorite elements of the series is Thing, the ‘handy’ family member as a support to Wednesday during her mystery-solving at Nevermore. The execution of Thing throughout the show was masterful, specifically looking at the amount of character that was perceivable from him. I am not ashamed to admit that my eyes welled with tears as he went through death (and then back to life), especially as Wednesday broke apart as well. 

In terms of story, I liked that I truly was unable to foresee who the killer was. Yes, when Wednesday saw how frameable Xavier was it didn’t seem quite right, but when she pointed all evidence to Kinbott I was fully on board. Tyler revealing himself as the ‘Agatha-All-Along’ was shocking. 

Speaking of Tyler, the series created an episodes-long build-up to this ‘monster in the woods’ that had been committing the murders. However, when the anticipated reveal did happen (much before the monster was known as Tyler, obviously), I think it’s safe to assume that every viewer could not keep a straight face; the CGI-created hyde looked hilarious. Maybe all the budget went into getting Enid’s wolf to look nicer?
Something I enjoy in general is narration, and this show did a great job with it. There were many mixed opinions about Wednesday’s monotony and how Jenna Ortega executed it, but I’m on the side that absolutely loved her delivery. She shone even more in her dynamic with Enid. Weirdly, I did not enjoy how Enid was played towards the beginning of the show (I thought Emma Sayers overplayed her a bit), but I adored her by the series’ end. 

Finally, here are some thoughts from friends who watched the show:

Ryan Slifer

“In my opinion, Wednesday is a really good show with a lot of charming qualities. It puts a unique spin on the high school drama/comedy concept with a really interesting murder mystery plot and, of course, the macabre sense of humor that’s standard with the Addams family. Just about every key character in the show has likable qualities and goes through well-written character development. My personal favorite example of this is the friendship between Wednesday and Enid. Enid is a perfect foil for Wednesday and they both learn and change a lot because of that contrast. I’d say my only real complaint with Wednesday is the kind of silly design for the main monster.”

Shaheen Karimpour

I found it to be a really fun show to watch! The cast was great and I loved all of the characters. I did feel as though the ending was rushed and not as satisfying as I’d hoped it was! I felt as though the lead-up to Crackstone hyped him up to be this menacing all ending villain. He then was taken care of in roughly 10 minutes, also the monster breaking out of the police vehicle kind of dismantled everything. The only real change at the end of the series was getting that one teacher removed.

The only fitting way to end this article would be to say, “I love you, Jenna.”