What Would Wednesday Do?

Confession: I wasn’t entirely sure if I would watch the new Netflix show Wednesday because I was completely devoted to Christina Ricci’s perfect portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film, The Addams Family, and the 1993 film, Addams Family Values. There’s also just so little time to watch everything that comes out! But I was definitely intrigued by the new iteration because Tim Burton was directing the series and for the first time a Latina would wear Wednesday’s iconic pigtails and sullen demeanor. Fortunately, the show came out around Thanksgiving break and I had the time to binge. I’d seen Jenna Ortega in Jane the Virgin and You, but let me tell you, I wasn’t prepared for the performance she delivers portraying the Wednesday Addams of the 21st century. I also wasn’t aware that Christina Ricca would be in it, so I got even more excited for the series to unfold. What I was thrilled with the most was the depiction of a young woman who was taught to be strong and independent by her father. She is so sure of herself because of the kooky and loving family she comes from–common traits of Latino families.

I love that in Wednesday we get to know a teenage version of Wednesday Addams living in a Harry Potter-esque world as the show places her in a boarding school—Nevermore Academy— for outcasts and mythological creatures like Hogwarts is for witches and wizards. In the fifth episode, “You Reap What You Woe,” we learn on Parents’ Weekend where Wednesday gets her sense of self. She tells her father, who’s behind bars for a crime he allegedly committed when he attended Nevermore, “You are the reason I understand how imperative it is that I never lose sight of myself.” She credits her father for teaching her how to navigate herself in a world full of treachery and prejudice. This is the complete opposite of what her sunny and optimistic roommate Enid Sinclair, a werewolf who hasn’t wolfed out yet, gets from her family. Enid’s mother constantly patronizes her for not being like the rest of her werewolf family while Wednesday’s parents never judge her for how she is, what she thinks, or what comes out of her sharp mouth; they love her nonetheless. It’s this security that Wednesday’s family envelopes her in that shapes her character. For a spooky family, the Addams’ family can really teach a thing or two about parenting. 

I was always drawn to the character of Wednesday because of her quip one-liners and obliviousness to how others viewed her—I wish I could’ve been like that growing up. Now with this new portrayal of Wednesday I’m absolutely obsessed: she’s a writer who dedicates one hour every day to her craft; she’s written three novels about a teen girl detective, Viper De La Muerte, who she describes to her therapist as smart, perceptive, and chronically misunderstood; she thinks Hell is other people; considers Mary Shelley a literary hero and nemesis because she wrote Frankenstein at 19 and wants to beat Shelley’s literary debut (I can relate to this obsession!); and her family has an altar for Dia de los Muertos in their living room. Wednesday’s also innately good; her greatest fear is that she’ll be responsible for something terrible, which is the crux of the mystery she needs to solve at Nevermore. What’s not to love about her?

“Wednesday disobeys the adult figures in her life from Principal Weems to Sheriff Galpin because it’s so crucial to her to follow her instincts. ”

Of course, she has flaws, which the show resolves beautifully by its end and had me in tears. Wednesday’s greatest setback, as pointed out by her mom, is that she gets in her own way. She doesn’t trust people, would rather save herself than have friends, and is notoriously not a hugger. Her personality is described as Toxic on more than one occasion. Because of her darker view of the world, Wednesday’s psychic visions make her a Raven. Her Mexican ancestor, Goody Addams, reveals to her that the path of a Raven is a solitary one. I think we can all relate to feeling socially awkward, stubborn, and set in our ways. I know I do. I would definitely be a Raven, which is why I relate to Wednesday so much. I learned from Wednesday though that we need to accept when someone wants to help us or be our friend because the consequence of pushing people away is to end up alone. Even though Wednesday’s described as a solo lobo by her Uncle Fester, she doesn’t save the school on her own. By the end, after dodging death, she finally accepts a hug from Enid and returns the loving gesture. Wednesday isn’t the only one who learns a lesson. Enid, along with the rest of us, learns from Wednesday, too.

Wednesday has a great sense of justice, which I love so much. It’s the reason the murders happening in Jericho, the local town, affect her so much. She wants to save the innocent humans that are being ravaged by a mysterious creature. She also has a disdain for the nearby amusement park, Pilgrim World, because it celebrates American colonialism. One of the many things I love about the show is the references to Edgar Allen Poe, Nevermore’s most famous alumni; they even have a bronze statue for him. In the Poe Cup, the school’s tournament that’s part canoe race, part foot chase with no rules, Wednesday helps Enid beat Queen Bee, Bianca Barclay, by teaching Enid that they need to beat Bianca at her own game. If Bianca can cheat, so can they. Enid’s werewolf claws come out and she sabotages another team’s canoe. It’s all fair when there aren’t any rules. I recently watched Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio on Netflix. One of the themes in del Toro’s film is disobedience. When Geppetto tells the puppet that he can’t go to church, Pinocchio yells defiantly, “I will go to church!” In discussing this theme in his movie del Toro said, “To be disobedient is to be a thinking person.” I wholeheartedly concur. Wednesday disobeys the adult figures in her life from Principal Weems to Sheriff Galpin because it’s so crucial to her to follow her instincts. That’s what makes her a great character. That’s how we should be. Think for yourself and listen to your gut. If you need encouragement just ask yourself, “What Would Wednesday Do?”