The new Netflix show “Wednesday” has been a hit since its release on Nov. 23. The strategy behind this series is genius. Being released on a Wednesday was just the beginning of giving the audience what they wanted from this series. While I thought it to be a bit odd that this show was released after Halloween, when it would seem to be a prime time for the Addams family, the audience for this show seems to have only grown from anticipation and excitement of the release.
Jenna Ortega, the actress who plays Wednesday, does a remarkable job with her acting. Her dance scene in episode four “Woe What a Night” has started a massive trend on TikTok with people dancing just like Wednesday. This is my favorite work that Tim Burton has worked on. You can tell that this movie was partially directed by him just because of the style of characters and their mannerisms. This series is worth watching not only for the story line, but also just to appreciate the attention to detail in the acting and costume design.
The series has interesting underlying teachings, such as not needing to change your personality for others as well as not letting the world change who you are in your core.
Wednesday Addams is portrayed partially in a heroic manner and other times in a vengeful one. This adds a lot of dimension to her character because it is so life-like. No one is all hero or villain; we are all a combination of the two. Wednesday also seems to struggle with her personality sometimes because she says she lacks the ability to display and cope with emotions, but you can tell she has so many of them that are boxed in. For example, her relationship with her brother is adorable because they love each other so much, but Wednesday struggles to show her love in a typical manner.
This series does a phenomenal job in bringing to life the characters of the Addams family and modernizing it. From little details such as having Jenna Ortega not blink while playing Wednesday to the amount of time spent deciding what Wednesday’s hairstyle would be, the production crew did not skimp on putting this all together. While the Addams family has never been my favorite Halloween movie or tale, “Wednesday” has revamped my past thoughts on them and has created a new and intriguing outlook on life to have. This series is somehow relatable even though it is about such fantastical ideas, and that is what I think makes it such a hit.