Wednesday – Netflix Series (2022) spoiler free review
Wednesday Addams is the type of character that possesses so many particular traits that only a few group of actresses would be able to play her right. For many, that actress is Christina Ricci, who played the character in the 90s adaptation of the Addams Family. After that the character had a return to the big screen in 2019 in animated form voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz. But still the popular opinion that no one could ever top Ricci remained. Well that is about to change.
While attending Nevermore Academy, Wednesday Addams attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.
Season 1 synopsis
In October 2020 the series was announced as an unnamed Addams Family project in the hands of Tim Burton. Ortega was cast on May 19, 2021 but until then she was mostly known for her role in the Netflix series You. But since the release of Scream 5 in January of 2022 Ortega has proved more than once that she was the right choice for the role and that was a strong competitor to Ricci’s iconic performance of Wednesday.
Ortega took chello, German, and fencing lessons to prepare for the role. She was even able to achieve Wednesday’s death stare and managed to not blink while the camera was on her. The costumes, that were in charge of the Award Winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, are the cherry on top of this new version of the character. They carry the essence of Wednesday while being more modern than usual, even her school uniform is modified to fit her personality.
The cast also includes Luis Guzmán as Gómez Addams, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Issac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, George Burcea as Lurch, Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester, Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems: The principal of Nevermore Academy, and Christina Ricci as Marilyn Thornhill / Laurel Gates: A teacher at Nevermore Academy who has an interest in plants.
My opinion
Consisting of 8 episodes the series takes us to Nevermore Academy, where Gómez and Morticia felt in love and Wednesday’s new school after being expelled for taking revenge on Pugsley’s bullies. Wednesday has psychic abilities that allow her to see that there’s something wrong in her new home. With the help of her colorful werewolf roommate Enid and her new friends Wednesday will get to the end of it and discover how her parents are related to a murder that occurred 25 years ago.
Jenna Ortega’s performance as Wednesday is fantastic, Emma Myers as Enid is the perfect match for Wednesday’s antisocial personality, and the series takes a slight turn to a more teenager detective series than just being focused on Wednesday’s new life. While the series is outstanding in many areas unfortunately the inconsistency of the plot takes away from how good it is. The music, composed by Danny Elfman, setting, and costumes work perfectly with the cast. It’s the plot holes and inconsistencies what damages an almost perfect series.
Still, if you’re a fan of the Addams Family, Tim Burton, or Jenna Ortega this is a series that you don’t want to miss. All episodes are available now on Netflix.