Why Did I Decide to Watch Wednesday?
“Wednesday Addams is not the girl of your dreams. She’s the stuff of your nightmares.” — Bianca.
My first exposure to Wednesday was an emotional YouTube Shorts Reel of the series’ last scene with “Dandelion” by Ruth B. playing in the background. I wasn’t hooked enough to look up the show, but then Jenna Ortega’s colourless, mistress-of-death demeanour kept popping here and there due to the algorithm.
My selection of TV Shows is highly regulated. It takes me longer to finalize what I watch than actually watching it; after all, why should I sacrifice a large portion of my lifespan and dedicate it to someone’s riddled-up thoughts manifested into a crude visual representation meant to fill corporate coffers? But a few shows are different, they are pure substance, and Wednesday comes close (I am not forgetting the fact that it’s a Netflix production).
Wednesday, Tim Burton’s latest chilling entry on Netflix, succeeds in ticking the checklists of an enjoyable, casual experience.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s a perfect blend of macabre humour mixed with an interesting mystery driving the plot. It paces itself decently enough.
- It takes place in a high school/academic institution but avoids fixating on the complexities of American teenage lives. A plus point.
- The show doesn’t attempt to force down liberal values although it contains frequent allusions to it.
- An enjoyable watch for the casual viewer.
Caveat: The show ‘Wednesday’ is in italics while the character ‘Wednesday’ is in normal font.
Thoughts about the Show
Skeptical of the post-modern values being propagated in streaming shows and the sex-addled lineups available for even children to watch on these platforms, I wasn’t too sure about Wednesday.
It was refreshing to see a 2023 Young Adult show stray away from the mainstream high school drama, complex and illicit relationship triangles, and petty teenage plots to finally dive into a world that offers the perfect blend of mystery, funny, spooky, and fantasy, much reminiscent of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter with Nevermore paralleling Hogwarts as an academic institution for outcasts.
“Nevermore is like no other boarding school. It’s a magical place.” -Gomez
I was never an aficionado for the darker inclinations of the human mind. Wednesday provided me a way to reconcile my dislike for it by combining fantastical world-building and silly (and occasionally terrifying) humor.
Watching Wednesday hack away at her typewriter with her grotesque narrations helped me keep my procrastination aside and write up this piece.
While the mystery that accompanies the typical prophesized child trope didn’t intrigue me much, I was curious to see how a colourless and mortified Wednesday was going to be turned into a celebrated hero at the end.
“I Like Being an Island. A Well-Fortified One Surrounded by Sharks.” -Wednesday
But wait, this was different from the standard hero’s journey; we see Wednesday being extremely capable and proficient at a plethora of skills, albeit for her own self-vested means. I steer away from ‘selfish’ because that character trait is not prominent in her — lack of social conventions is up for debate.
Watching her rebel against authority, not through enraged rants about the patriarchy, obnoxious protests against the government, or obstruction of public peace, but through silent actions simply because she wanted to be an asocial, apathetic shadow resonated with me as someone with a ‘lone wanderer’ complex.
“These are all traits of great writers. And serial killers.” -Wednesday
While it’s hard to believe a skinny little girl like Wednesday can thrash bullies twice her size, something the outcast nature of the show’s world lets the audience look past that. In real life, it might be true, but in the show, her bottomless dark eyes are enough to thwart most dangers.
Its macabre underpinnings weaved equitably with a contrasting, vibrant world allow the viewer to juxtapose the character Wednesday with her surroundings: a mortified, cold mind forced to be within the mold of everyday, jaunty society.
Frequent references to death, allusions to suicide, and homicidal tendencies are downplayed to create a distinct theme of normalcy. While unacceptable mortal sins in real life, they are an everyday affair in the show. But Wednesday limits this to only conversational references; actual scenes where such incidents happen are used as serious plot points to move the story forward.
“Are you mansplaining my power?” -Wednesday
It does use words like ‘mansplaining’ or ‘patriarchy’ in some places to sneak in a liberal agenda, but the cautious and wary viewer can casually enjoy the story at face value without worrying about implicated programming that’s heavily dominating streaming shows and movies right now. Focus on the word ‘cautious’ and ‘wary’.
While committing Wednesday’s anarchist shenanigans seems like a far cry in real life without experiencing a side plate of jail time, one can enjoy the drama as it unfolds watching her commit uninnocent transgressions.
Do I Recommend It?
“Enjoy your solitude, Wednesday.” -Enid.
Wednesday has its flaws, and I would get down into the nitty-gritty intricacies of movie-making if I was a paid cinema critic, which I am not.
After finally working away at your job or business, when you get a free afternoon and you decide to binge Wednesday’s eight episodes, you won’t be extremely regretful nor pleased—you will be entertained, and that’s exactly what a decent show is supposed to do.
The darkness-drenched, intrepid, morbid sleuth of Wednesday will keep you engaged. It’s worth a watch.
-Adil Alam
If you like this piece and want me to write more reviews, drop a hearty clap and let me know your thoughts in the response section. I’d love to engage with you.
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