“Wednesday” - Season 1 Review

Story posted November 30, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Carly Dell’Oso

In the newly released Netflix series, “Wednesday,” audiences get to enjoy a well known fictional family, The Addams Family, brought to life in the present day.

Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday Addams, and her stoic yet charming persona pulls viewers in for the entirety of season one. Directed by Tim Burton, this newly released series offers comedic horror, differing heavily from the usual Netflix original romantic comedies.

The series begins with Wednesday Addams being expelled from her current school for releasing piranhas into a pool of boys who had bullied her brother, Pugsley Addams.

Not knowing where else to send Wednesday, her parents decide to send her to their alma mater, Nevermore Academy. This school is filled with social outcasts like Wednesday, including werewolves, vampires, sirens and even psychics.

As the series progresses, Wednesday continuously has visions of grim occurrences that have already happened, or are about to happen. After receiving a vision of her classmate Rowan being killed by an unknown monster, Wednesday follows him into the woods to try to save him from his inevitable death.

Instead of listening to Wednesday, Rowan tries to kill her because he thought that it was his destiny to do so. Rowan had found a drawing from his late mother that showed Wednesday next to Nevermore Academy, completely up in flames. Suddenly, the monster that Wednesday saw in her vision came out of nowhere and killed Rowan in front of Wednesday.

As the season progresses, Wednesday searches for answers to the mysterious happenings of Nevermore Academy. Who is this monster that is killing members of the school? Is the picture from Rowan’s mother an actual possibility? Is Wednesday’s father actually guilty of the murder he was accused of years ago?

With the help of Wednesday's classmates at Nevermore Academy, her random yet truthful visions, and Thing, a human hand left by her father that assists her in all of her endeavors, Wednesday is able to gather vital information about the school. Is the information that Wednesday collects enough to save the school, her friends and most importantly, herself? Making the audience wait until the bitter end, season one answers all of the viewers unanswered questions.

One aspect of the season that definitely stands out is the prominent character development of most characters. When Wednesday first arrives at Nevermore Academy, she is emotionless and serious. Wednesday only cared about advancing herself by searching for the answers to her unresolved questions.

As the season progresses, Wednesday lets her guard down slightly and viewers see a softer side of her. She is extremely caring, and she would do anything to protect her friends, family and people that she cares about most.

Audiences can see Wednesday’s roommate, Enid, develop as well. At the beginning of the season, Enid was a complete pushover and never stood up for herself. By the end of the season, Enid develops into a strong and independent young werewolf, who chases what she wants.

In addition to character development, season one offers outstanding costuming. To fit Wednesday’s iconic black and white image, she was dressed in a wide variety of black and white outfits, fit for every occasion. Even her school uniform was black and white pinstripes, while everyone else at Nevermore Academy was dressed in navy blue and black pinstripes.

Wednesday’s entire family only wore black and white as well. Her mother, Morticia is only ever seen in a long elegant black dress, accompanied by her signature long, sleek black hair. Wednesday’s father, Gomez is dressed in a black suit with thin whitepinstripes, and her brother Pugsley is seen wearing a black and white striped shirt with black pants. The Addams family has an iconic image from previous publications of the fictional family, and this new series did not disappoint audiences in that aspect.

Wednesday is very different from what most viewers are used to seeing being released by Netflix. The combination of horror and comedy is done perfectly, keeping viewers engaged for all 8 episodes. The character development, costuming and acting within this series are all very solid, creating for an entertaining and noteworthy series.

If you are a fan of The Addams Family, or you are just looking for a short season to binge watch this weekend, “Wednesday” is definitely for you!

Rating: 4/5

Carly Dell’Oso is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email ced5690@psu.edu.