I look forward to Halloween all year long. I’ve always had a soft spot for all things spooky and gothic — plus, there’s candy everywhere and the best movies are on TV, especially “The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values” (the latter is more memorable, in my opinion). The movies also feature the unforgettable Morticia and Gomez Addams, AKA the best TV couple of all time.
If you haven’t seen the original “Addams Family” movies, they follow the family as they navigate amusing situations — particularly with Uncle Fester, who goes missing then marries a gold digger who’s planning on stealing the Addams Family fortune. There are many iconic characters and scenes in “The Addams Family,” from the pure camp of Debbie to the unforgettable school play, and, of course, Wednesday’s monologue at the summer showcase. I could talk about “The Addams Family” all day, but today, I’m here to highlight what’s perhaps most central to the franchise: Gomez and Morticia Addams.
Family-oriented, madly in love, and tailor-made for each other, Gomez and Morticia are truly relationship goals. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they’re pop culture’s healthiest couple. “The Addams Family” franchise goes back decades and covers multiple mediums, and Gomez and Morticia have stayed madly in love through it all. The couple’s chemistry is off the charts, and honestly, pop culture’s creepiest and kookiest couple makes me believe in love more than any rom-com ever has.
First, Gomez and Morticia are wild about each other, even after being married for years and having started a family. They constantly make grand romantic proclamations, and it doesn’t seem like time or kids have dulled their love. Fun fact: they’re the first TV couple implied to have a sex life! Unlike the prudish and matronly TV parents of their time, the Addamses have been living their best lives from the start. Honestly, Gomez and Morticia give me something to look forward to; TV often makes married life out to be miserable, with the “henpecked husband” trope being particularly insidious. But in “The Addams Family,” Gomez knows he’s a lucky man and doesn’t treat Morticia like anything less than the queen she is. Quite frankly, Gomez pretty much restores my faith in men, and I think everyone out there should be taking notes.
Second, Gomez and Morticia are unconditionally supportive parents, which speaks to their power as a duo. Wednesday, Pugsley, and Pubert Addams are pretty iconic in their own right with their antics, clever one-liners, memorable style, and like their parents, their tendency to embrace their inner darkness. Throughout it all, Gomez and Morticia are constantly in the kids’ corner supporting them, even when they aren’t fully on board with their choices (think: “normal” activities like summer camp). As “out there” as the Addams family may be, they’re somehow remarkably functional, relatable, and we can all learn from them. Parents who love and support their kids like Gomez and Morticia must clearly be doing something right in their own relationship.
Finally, I love the couple’s general message of self-acceptance and never having to settle for the status quo. To the Addams family, your unique kooks and habits are just part of what makes you special. Gomez and Morticia love each other exactly as they are, and neither person feels pressured to change for the other. As unconventional as they are, Gomez and Morticia are the perfect matches for one another — and, in my opinion, this is a reminder that there’s really someone out there for everyone. If there’s anything we can learn from the couple, it’s that it doesn’t matter if you and your SO are on the eccentric side. There’s someone out there who thinks you’re perfect exactly as you are, and just look at Gomez and Morticia: even if others find them strange, who cares? They’re happier than the haters, anyway.
If you happen to watch “The Addams Family” or “Addams Family Values” this Halloween, you’ll witness my favorite lesson of all: that embracing your weirdness and projecting love onto the people you care about can get you pretty far in life. Morticia and Gomez Addams are the ideal parents, are passionate with a capital “p,” are perfect soulmates, and, in my opinion, will always be pop culture’s healthiest couple of all time.