Horror and dark humor walk hand in hand if placed correctly. Netflix’s latest horror story offering, “Wednesday,” is a testament to that. This Jenna Ortega starrer is a delightful watch for those who missed the quirky and macabre Addams family. “Wednesday” primarily focuses on Wednesday Addams as she gets enrolled at Nevermore and begins a journey of her own. The series has a good balance of horror, comedy, gore, and even certain slice-of-life elements. Tim Burton, who also serves as the executive producer of the show has directed the first four episodes. Even in the moments that would ideally be scary, there exists a blend of comedy that makes it light enough for the light-hearted. If you’re looking for something spooky yet entertaining for the weekend, then consider your plans sorted with “Wednesday.”
Spoilers Ahead
‘Wednesday’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Netflix Show?
“Wednesday” is a spin-off story based on Wednesday Addams from the fictional Addams family. Addams’s family is a satirical representation of 20th-century American families. This fictional family has risen to a status of a classic cult following amongst the masses. Wednesday is the daughter of Morticia and Gomez, and the sister to Pugsley. She is enrolled at Nevermore after a series of expulsions from other schools for her erratic and violent behavior. Her arrival at Nevermore coincides with freak murders happening in the town of Jericho. The law and the public suspect that it could be a wild bear who was killing innocent humans; however, the Sheriff of the town suspects otherwise. He suspects there is a monster at loose. A series of events follow that make Wednesday curious about the murders. She sets off on an investigation of her own. In that process, she befriends Tyler Galpin, the Sheriff’s son. There is a spark between the two, but Wednesday chooses to ignore it and carry on with no attachments to anyone.
Wednesday is treated like an outcast in the school of outcasts for her anti-social behavior and devilish tendencies. Initially, she does not make any friends there except for her roommate Enid Sinclair, a werewolf. Wednesday is aloof and is almost always on her own, but eventually, she comes to trust those around her and seeks help when needed. The mystery that Wednesday wants to solve is connected to her ancestor Goody Addams and the town’s history as well. The murders happening in the woods of Jericho have a deep connection to her, and she has her mind set on unraveling them.
A Closer Look At The Bunch Of Outcasts And Normies Of Jericho
Actress Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday Addams, who is an anti-social gothic teenager who is fascinated with torture, death, and gory violence. She has been expelled from many schools because of her anti-social and harmful behavior. Her parents, Morticia and Gomez, take her to Nevermore, the school where they study and meet each other. Wednesday resents her parents for enrolling her there and has her mind set on rebelling once again. Wednesday’s arrival at Nevermore stirs up quite an attention. She is sharing her dorm with Enid, a werewolf who is all sunshine and rainbows. She is the colored rainbow to Wednesday’s black-and-white slate. She has problems with her mother because of her late blooming as a werewolf. She also feels bad about her problem, but she tries to hide it behind her happy self. Then we have Xavier, the son of a famous psychic, but he is always being compared to his father and has lived in his shadow. He wants to make a name and space for himself, but his equation with his father is not allowing him to do that. The students at Nevermore are called outcasts for they have special abilities and can sometimes also resort to violence. The other humans are called normies, for they are normal human individuals like any other. The outcasts have a hierarchy between them at the school, and it is quite stringent as well. For those who are aware of Harry Potter, Nevermore would feel like the gothic and wicked counterpart to Hogwarts.
Catherine Zeta-Jones graces the screen as Morticia Addams. She exudes the devilish charm akin to the character and does so with grace. Then there is Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, who plays his part well. The endearments that he uses for his wife or children are quite interesting to hear. Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams is an interesting addition. He is quite reserved and ‘normal’ as compared to his family. He is shown mostly keeping quiet, and his appearance also changes slightly with black hair instead of blonde color. Gomez’s brother Fester also makes a guest appearance in the show, but not much is told about him. He again is only a plot point to help his niece Wednesday in her adventure.
Who Is The Hyde? What Does The Hyde Represent?
Hyde is a monster that is unleashed when a human goes through a traumatic event. In “Wednesday,” Tyler Galpin is the Hyde. His identity is revealed when Wednesday kisses him and has a psychic vision of who Hyde actually is. That is when all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The monster is aptly named after Hyde from ‘Jekyll and Hyde.’ All his life, Tyler Galpin was living a dual life. He used to pretend to be a normie, but it was only when he met Miss Thornhill, was his real identity was revealed. One can also surmise that Tyler must be suffering from a personality disorder. Nevermore’s founder was also searching about what actually makes one a Hyde, but he passed away before he could reach a concrete conclusion. Hyde is the outcast of the outcast for their violent and fatal tendencies, and hence Tyler never felt at peace with himself. He, too, is seeking psychiatric help after his mother passed away. His relationship with his father is strained, and he is always locking horns with his father at the slightest provocation. His turning into Hyde at Miss Thornhill’s commands feels like his attempt to make peace with himself and the monster within.
What Is Miss Thornhill, AKA Laurel Gates’ Agenda? Who Is She?
Miss Thornhill is actually Laurel Gates, Ansel Gates’ sister, who was believed to have died after drowning. The Gates’ family faced a tragedy several years ago when Morticia and Gomez were students at Nevermore. Laurel is presumed to be dead, but she survives and takes up a new identity. She comes from a long line of people who have wanted an ‘ethnic cleanse’ of society. In the olden times, people with psychic abilities or abilities different than what was considered ‘normal’ were burned at stake. Laurel Gates comes from the ancestry of Joseph Crackstone, the person who founded the town of Jericho and also the one who killed Wednesday Addams’ ancestor Goody Addams. Laurel Gates takes over Tyler’s control and makes him kill people when he is in Hyde form. She collected organs from the dead and resurrected Joseph Crackstone to get rid of all the outcasts at Nevermore. She followed the agenda that people with supernatural abilities must be eradicated from society. That is why she has been working her way into Nevermore.
‘Wednesday’ Season 1: Ending Explained – Will There Be A Season 2? Who Sends The Message To Wednesday?
The way “Wednesday” season one has ended leaves good scope for a sequel. There are a few loose ends in the show that can be picked up to complete the story.
In the last episode, we see that Tyler’s identity as Hyde is revealed. His father is dejected to find that his son has become the monster he was afraid he would become. Tyler gets the ability from his late mother. She was an outcast – a Hyde – who studied at Nevermore with Wednesday’s mother, Morticia. Emma finally transforms herself into a werewolf and attacks Tyler, who is already in his Hyde form. Both of them are injured, but they survive. Later, Tyler, aka Hyde, is shown being taken away to a facility, but he unleashes Hyde within, and the scene cuts to screams coming out of the van. This hints at Tyler escaping captivity and being out in the wild again. There is considerable growth in the characters on a personal level. Wednesday shows emotions when Thing is injured. She doesn’t show it explicitly, but she cares for Enid as well. This leaves room for exploration in the sequel. Wednesday is someone who has never shown emotions and disregarded others’ feelings as well, but as the show progresses, we see that she warms up to Enid, her roommate, and also learns to trust others a little. Her friendship with Bianca also gives her something to work upon.
If we look at the supporting cast, Xavier, Bianca, and Enid’s stories with their families have a good potential for an episode or two. Their equations with their respective families are quite rocky, and except for Tyler, both Enid and Bianca have had some confrontations with their families. There also remains the question of who the next principal of will be Nevermore now that Miss Weems is dead. Other than Miss Weems and Miss Thornhill, no other school staff was mentioned either. Neither were the students shown attending any classes except those of Miss Thornhill. The supernatural abilities of the students at Nevermore are yet another thing that goes largely unseen. The main division of the students into four groups and the annual competition held at Nevermore only serve as passing references to add a little support to Wednesday’s adventures. There is truly ample scope for an episode or two showing how students spend their time at Nevermore.
In the final episode, we also see that as Wednesday is leaving to go home from Nevermore, she receives a few photos on her phone and a threatening message as well. This person’s identity is a complete mystery and marks the arrival of Wednesday’s new nemesis should she return to Nevermore again. Tyler’s escape and Wednesday’s new nemesis are two strong points to start a sequel story. If Netflix sticks to the eight-episode series, there’s quite a promise of a good and indulgent sequel.
See more: ‘Wednesday’ Episode 4: Recap And Ending, Explained – What Happened To Eugene?
