Wednesday Addams (the stunning Jenna Ortega) doesn’t have a comfortable place in this world. He is not interested in this. In the first minutes of the series that bears his name, the character makes it clear that he prefers loneliness. At least in the middle of the normal world, in which her exquisite and macabre figure stands out and frightens.
The new Netflix series that makes Wednesday Addams the center of an individual story is moving fast. In the first ten minutes, he provides enough context for his main figure. It’s also understandable that Jenna Ortega, considered the current queen of the horror genre, has found a role for her. Wednesday it’s much more than a new millennium version of a classic comic book and movie character. it’s actually a curious mix between the macabre and the heroic. Especially since it ties into the idea that this evil and genius teenager wants to create his own way of looking at the world.
In fact, most of the first episode Wednesday It is a journey through the reality perspective of its central character. Wednesday, who considers the murder a “petty miscarriage of justice”, is a rarity even in his only family. Her mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta Jones) tries unsuccessfully to understand her. Her father, Gomez (Luis Guzmán), offers loving support. But the environment does not need consolation, much less understanding. “I need space,” he makes clear. Which means letting this pale, silent girl build her own version of good and evil. And for the series to build a script for an atypical character.
With its unique gothic vibe and elegant production, this is Tim Burton’s long-awaited return to production. His influence is notorious, which also gives the Netflix series a unique personality. Not only in how the narrative relies on the visual to support a denser premise, but in the specific use of the visual. Wednesday Addams has a whole world, a meticulous, enigmatic and elaborate reconstruction of how he interprets reality. At the same time, the production is full of mocking humor, the rooms are divided between colorful spaces and gloomy chiaroscuro. Even Jenna Ortega’s “Wednesday” bears Burton’s stamp.with his stern face and large deep eyes filled with rare malice.
Wednesday, that weird girl who only wears black
It’s not something simple. Wednesday It comes at a time when stories of weird girls in search of purpose and self-discovery abound. But in the case of a member of the Addams Family, the premise must also compete with the character’s unique heritage. So Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s screenplay makes the right choice: to explore the environment outside the core of the family. This is no longer a nuance to the whole Addams eccentricity as a whole, but a reflection of a unique character.
The plot plays with the idea of marginalization, but on a much more inventive level than its seemingly simple premise promises. Not only does it immediately become clear that this teenager with the killer instinct and writing talent is a multi-layered intellectual and moral figure. And what is destined to become an anti-heroine.
Perhaps the most obvious of Wednesday it is the fact of using an already iconic character to carry on a dialogue about the unusual. The character who starts his multi-screen tour at Nancy Reagan’s school (a real statement of intent) is a rather ironic symbol. Gloomy, dressed in her usual black attire, she rebels against optimism with methodical ease. The character does not need or expect to be accepted. She wants—should—be rejected. Which turns her relationship with others into a small battle of increasingly interesting witty dialogues.
The environment is aware of its intelligence, the great distance separating it from any other person. The show highlights this in his first big scene, in which he throws piranhas into a pool full of jocks beating his brother. Wednesday, who considers “emotions a weakness”, outlines one of the few smiles he will show on the program as water bubbles and screams of fear are heard. “You have to prove the point of the weirdo,” the character reasons out loud.
Phantom Schoolgirl Wednesday Addams
Of course, Wednesday’s particular view of revenge has consequences. Dropped out of Nancy Reagan High School, she ends up at Nevermore, her mother’s old school. A venerable institution that brings up all sorts of critters, including, of course, Wednesday, accused of murder. Perhaps one of the low points of the series is the attempt to find a space in which the character can express all of their unique personality.
Nevermore has more than obvious similarities with many other unusual institutions for children and teenagers. From classic Hogwarts to Alfea from the saga Winx, passing the School of Good and Evil The perception of a place where very young monsters can learn about their uniqueness outside the outside world becomes repetitive. AT WednesdayIt’s even boring, with its spacious rooms, duels between students and the usual hierarchy of school corridors. Wednesday Addams, a strange personality already analyzed in everyday layers, does not need a new high school to shine.
But without a doubt, this is the way the show tries to establish an exclusive space for the character, even outside the realm of his family. Unlike Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 and 1993 version, Wednesday wants to be alone this time. Cold, aloof, multi-talented, and also a very young version of the gifted detective, the character goes beyond the obvious. The argument decides to create an intellectual and emotional setting that allows Ortega to delve into the role and walk away from any comparison. The actress not only achieves this, but Wednesday Addams is perhaps the most curious look at a character gravitating towards the stereotype of the last decade.
A new story for an unmistakable character
Of course, the audacity to rewrite Wednesday Addams involves some changes. The family is no longer the center of the character’s life, nor is their relationship between them. So much so that Morticia and Gomez are characters on the periphery.
Of course, the magnificent presence of Catherine Zeta-Jones gives the head of the family an exceptional dignity. But Luis Guzmán’s Gomez seems dull and out of place. The couple is far from the brilliant chemistry and complicity of Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston. However, in both there is a special tenderness. Especially, this new Morticia is much more of a witch than a domestic workerwhich gives you a fresh perspective on your personality.
In fact, several of the most interesting moments in the series involve Morticia’s almost inevitable presence. Both in the first episode and in the small details that flash in his old school. Obviously, the character has also taken on a new meaning that has a direct impact on the various elements around him. Especially in his relations with Wednesday.
The teenager looks at his mother from afar, pouting and furious. As if these are different points of the same idea, both of them are trying unsuccessfully to understand each other. The item is perhaps one of the most significant in the series. After all, the Addams love affair, odd as it was, has always been one of the essential features of their story.
But the environment of the new generation is a set of small contradictions, and Jenna Ortega takes the heroine through a deep dimension of her identity. It’s not just the black clothes, her newfound psychic powers, or her incredible intelligence. The medium keeps its distance even from classmates, but it is much denser and brighter than one might think. The script eschews stereotypes—curiously crafted for the character and by him—and transforms Wednesday in the novel one looks at a certain kind of intellectual force.
Wednesday, from brilliant teen to heroine
As a production Wednesday she is more interested in exploring her character’s life from different perspectives. This is one way to create a unique space where you don’t need your family to be of interest. Something that grows as the series progresses, and the sinister teen shows off his abilities – intellectual and supernatural – to the fullest.
Little by little, Wednesday Addams ceases to be an essential variation of the iconic character and takes his place. So much so that for its season finale – an extraordinary capacity for fun – this is one of its high points. Allergic to color but with a great eye for quirks, this girl doesn’t want to be a hero, but she’s driven by her instinct. He wants nothing but loneliness. Although in the new world to be discovered, I may end up changing my mind very soon. Perhaps the most visceral and brilliant take on a character so popular for its rarity that the series has to offer.
