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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Wednesday, read with caution!

On November 23, 2022, Wednesday, the eight-episode spinoff show of the well known Addams Family, started streaming on Netflix. It was directed and produced by Tim Burton and starred Jenna Ortega as Wednesday. The show also had beloved characters such as Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Gomez Addams (Luis Guzman), Pugsley Addams (Isaac Ordonez), Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), and Thing (Victor Dorobantu).

What Was The Show About?

In the show, Wednesday gets in some trouble at her school and ends up getting shipped off to the school her parents attended, Nevermore Academy. This school is located by a small town known as Jericho which has a backstory involving pilgrims. Just before Wednesday had arrived, the town had been dealing with a problem of bodies that were brutally massacred being found in the nearby woods and nobody knows who or what the attacker is. 

As soon as Wednesday arrives at the school she immediately wants to escape. She refuses to be forced to follow her parents and become like them. In only the first while of being there, Wednesday is the victim of attempted murder not once but twice. The second time she ends up being saved by the monster that Wednesday quickly believes is killing people in the woods. This was also when Wednesday learns of a prophecy where she will “destroy the school”. The only problem is that nobody believes Wednesday when she comes forward about her suspicions. So, she takes it upon herself to solve these murders, and she decides to stay at the school. That, and she wants to know how she possibly could tie into the destruction of the school. 

While at the school, Wednesday shares a room with a teen girl, named Enid, who is the exact opposite of herself. For as much as Wednesday is gloomy, Enid is peppy. For as much as Wednesday is black and white, Enid is colorful. Unsurprisingly their personalities clash a lot, but much to Wednesday’s displeasure, Enid persists to be her friend. 

Enid isn’t the only one working hard to accept Wednesday and welcome her. The dorm mom, Ms. Thornhill is also trying to be just as active in Wednesday’s life. She often speaks with Wednesday and tries to earn her approval and liking. Along with these two, Wednesday also meets a young man named Xavier, a young man named Tyler, a boy named Eugene, and several others. All of them end up playing some rather important roles. 

With Wednesday attending Nevermore, there is one more thing she has to do. She had court appointed therapy sessions that she must attend weekly. It’s important to state that Wednesday hates them. Not only does she not trust her therapist, Dr. Kinbott, she also feels it’s not important. Her suspicion of Kinbott ends up playing a large part in the end of the season. 

Another thing that happens pretty early on is Wednesday discovering Thing spying on her. Her parents were suspicious of Wednesday’s intentions so they sent Thing, but he was quickly discovered. This worked to Wednesday’s advantage though because Thing became rather useful. He can be her personal spy and also someone she can safely share her theories with. Thing also makes sure to stay on her side throughout the story even when Wednesday loses all her friends for a time. 

I know I’m pouring a lot of information, but there is one final thing that is important to understand. Wednesday had been having random visions before going to Nevermore, but they continue in more intensity and frequency after she arrives. At one point she is visited by a spirit who looks around her age, who she discovers was her ancestor. Her ancestor, Goody Addams, was mortal enemies with Joseph Crackstone, the pilgrim that founded Jericho. This all ends up being important by the end of the season, but I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot. 

Review

When I started watching the show, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I was not one who grew up watching the Addams Family, and I had limited knowledge on it. All I knew was that they were a family who wasn’t exactly goth, but tended to prefer creepier and darker things. Based on this limited knowledge, I decided to watch the show in hopes that, at the very least, it would be a good story. 

If I’m being honest the first scene was almost enough to make me turn it off. It wasn’t a bad story, but it did have more blood/gore than I expected. However, I gritted my teeth and continued. I’m not sure what it was, but the gore in the first scene probably made me the most uncomfortable, the rest of it didn’t really bother me. The other thing I was worried about was how much swearing would be in the show, but again that ended up not being as big of a problem. 

I found the plot very intriguing and there was enough suspense that I found myself clicking “watch next episode” despite the late hours. My only complaint with the plot was that it seemed a little like a weird fanfiction at some parts. The fact that the protagonist, Wednesday, had two boys that were in love with her despite her standoffish personality was a bit unrealistic, and there were some scenes that gave off magical school classic cliche vibes. Other than that it was rather enjoyable. The ending of the show was a little predictable, but overall the show had enough surprises where it didn’t become boring.

My personal favorite part of the show was the characters. I really liked the dynamic of characters and personalities. My personal favorite characters would probably be Eugene, Thing (obviously), Goody Addams, and Uncle Fester. They definitely made the show more enjoyable (at least for me). 

Another thing I really liked was the foreshadowing. After I watched the show the first time and saw how things played out I went back and rewatched the episodes to see how obvious the foreshadowing was. I was pleasantly surprised how much there was and how obvious it was. It was really well written so that it didn’t wildly stick out, but also wasn’t so subtle once you knew what to look for. 

The rating that I would probably give the show would be 8.5/10. There were some things that made me lower the ranking, but it was overall very enjoyable. Definitely something I might watch again. I know plenty said they didn’t like how some characters were portrayed, but like I said I didn’t have anything to compare it to. 

If you’re interested in angst, mystery, and a sprinkle of comedy this would be a good show for you to at least try. It’s good at keeping you on your toes and always wondering what the next turn will be. They have even announced a second season is in the making, so if you’ve seen the show, keep on the lookout for that.