Season 1 of ‘Wednesday’ Is Kooky and Down Right Spooky
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Wednesday was released on November 23, 2022 on Netflix. The series follows Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she navigates managing her new psychic abilities, solving the mystery that rattled her parents decades before, and thwarting a killing spree all at Nevermore Academy. I finished watching the show and I want to share my thoughts with all of you. Let’s get started.
I knew from the teaser trailers that this show was going to be good just from seeing those little snippets of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday.
I was impressed by every aspect of the show. The acting, cinematography, writing, production design, visual effects, costumes, hair, and makeup.
I want to talk about the performances because this alone makes the show worthy of a watch.
Jenna Ortega knocked it out of the park as Wednesday Addams. The casting director knew what they were doing here. She embodies this role so well. She brought so much depth and dimension to Wednesday. The humor was spot-on. She hit those one-liners every single time. It just felt like Ortega was portraying a more dramatic version of herself. She’s described herself as having dark humor which freaked out Wednesday alum, Christina Ricci, when they were filming. This is a breakout role for her. I’m 100% sure of it.
I loved Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams. She was born to portray this role. Her facial expressions and mannerisms were spot on. I enjoyed Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams. He had the right amount of humor and added depth to the character. I’m glad we got a backstory for these two characters on how they met and fell in love.
Gwendoline Christie was brilliant as Principal Larissa Weems. Christine brought class and layers to the character. She was born to play these kinds of roles. I do wish we got to learn more about her backstory as a student and how she became principal.
Emma Myers brought so much light and life to Enid Sinclair. I adore Enid so much. I especially love the contrasting personalities when it comes to her and Wednesday.
When I heard that Christina Ricci was cast in the show, I got so excited. Seeing her back in this world brought back so much nostalgia for me. I loved her as Wednesday in the 1990s series of films. Marilyn Thornhill is a character that should’ve only been portrayed by Ricci.
Regardless of Xavier Thorpe’s magical abilities, I could relate to him because he’s an outsider and he’s pretty introverted. I loved him so much, especially towards the end.
Hunter Doohan’s Tyler Galpin is one of those characters you want to trust but can’t. Doohan made it hard for me to hate Tyler (until I got closer to the end) because of his sincerity in the beginning.
Joy Sunday’s Bianca Barclay is a character who you dislike or hate in the beginning but realize that she’s going through a lot more than meets the eye. I do wish we got to see more of Bianca’s backstory when it comes to her mom and the other sirens that were in her life.
The last character I want to mention is Eugene Otinger. Moosa Mostafa’s portrayal of him was so innocent and kind. I fell in love with him instantly.
The writing is actually amazing in this. The critics that are likening this show to CW dramas have no idea what they’re talking about because the acting alone is what sets it a part from CW shows. CW shows tend have cringey writing and horrible performances. This show is not a CW show. It’s a comedy horror show that’s written in a way where you get hooked in from the very first episode.
The cinematography was mesmerizing. Cinematography is an important aspect in any film or TV show I watch because it can make or break whatever I’m watching. The style fit the show really well.
The hair, makeup, and costumes were stunning. You can tell how much care and effort went into the creation of these characters. The sets were so detailed and intricate. The production designers did a wonderful job.
I liked that there were different storylines but the main one was finding out who or what is killing people in Jericho. I liked that the story wrapped up for the most part at the end but I won’t tell you who the killer is because then what’s the point of watching it then?
I have one thing that I didn’t love but I can’t share it with you because I don’t want to spoil anything. If you watched the entire season and are curious to know what that thing is, DM me on Instagram.
Netflix has officially renewed Wednesday for a second season as of early January 2023. I’m surprised they didn’t renew it for multiple seasons honestly.
The first season topped Stranger Things 4 at over 341 million hours viewed during its debut week.
I’m curious to see where the writers are going to go story-wise.
Wednesday is exclusively streaming on Netflix.
Creators: Alfred Gough, Miles Tellar
Cast: Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Christina Ricci, Gwendoline Christie, Hunter Doohan
Producers: Alfred Gough, Miles Tellar, Tim Burton