Wednesday Season 1 & 2 Spoiler-free Review

Hello, horrorphiles. In this spoiler-free episode, we’ll review Season 1 & 2 of Wednesday on Netflix starring Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman and directed by Tim Burton.

"The series Wednesday follows the Addams Family daughter as she attends Nevermore Academy, a school for supernatural outcasts, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic abilities. Armed with her signature deadpan wit and a morbid curiosity, Wednesday investigates the dark mysteries unfolding at the school." 

This is Dissecting Horror: Examining the anatomy of fear in film, television and literature with Kelsey Zukowski and Steven Aguilera.

We hope you find it in your cold, black, withered hearts to join our Society of Grotesquery and Loathing and keep our podcast suffering onward:

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Photo credit: Slevin Mors

Transcript

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Hello, Horrorphiles. You're listening to Dissecting Horror. Examining the anatomy of fear in film, television and literature. In this spoiler free review, we dissect seasons one and two of Wednesday. I am filmmaker Steven Aguilera. I'm writer and performer Kelsey Zukowski in our society of grotesquerie and loathing, if you will. I will, and we hope you will subscribe for more, won't you? The series Wednesday follows the Addams Family daughter as she attends Nevermore Academy, a school for supernatural outcasts, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic abilities. Armed with her signature deadpan wit and a morbid curiosity, Wednesday investigates the dark mysteries unfolding at the school, according to Google. Yes, all I did was Google that. Wednesday captures so many of my favorite story tropes coming of age, dark academia, and found family and packages them into a intricately weaved murder mystery with an enchantingly Gothic setting full of supernatural and personal exploration, with biting commentary and an all around celebration of all things wonderfully woeful. Wednesday achieves what few spinoffs and continuations of heavily beloved, iconic characters manage to by finding the balance of honoring its roots and forging its own path. It perfectly nails the balance of morbid, clever comedy and pitch black sensibilities, as one would expect from the Addams families irreverent and cunningly cruel daughter, making it equally fun, tongue in cheek and grimly bleak in the same breath. Among this, it still manages to be serious enough in moments to support deeper story and nuanced character development. even growth from one of the most untouchable yet oddly lovable goth girls to date and Wednesday Addams. There are just enough challenges and heart here to not feel forced, but still offers something new and fitting for a Wednesday coming of age story with reluctant yet undeniable bonds among the blooming supernatural power and murder mystery plots that surround. Produced by Tim Burton, I'm inclined to say, Burton, there's an annoying thing that the youth of today do where they drop the TS like, Tim, I can't help. No, no, in the last name, Tim Burton. Like, I went to the mountain or I can't have gluten. I just want to slap silly anybody who does that. So I'm I'm going to enunciate the T's just to prove how old I am. Produced by Tim Burton. With four episodes of each season also directed by him, one immediately predicts, with interest a sense of this show's energy and tone, complete with signature stop motion sequences and theme by Danny Elfman. And to set the tone for today's podcast, the uncanny resemblance my co-host here has to. Wednesday led me to wonder if, in true Kelsey zu Kowski fashion, she would show up today dressed as her. Despite being an audio only recording. No, not really, the shirt is there, Themed shirts if if you just did the braids. Yeah, I've done her a few times. The funny thing, I feel like more my normal day, like, especially if I'm like, business casual. It's it's 100% like Wednesday Addams inspired. If she had a corporate job. Jenna Ortega really nails Wednesday, managing to not only film massive razor blade line shoes honoring what the character always was, while still managing to add her own spirit to it. I think the most impressive moments are when she shows this underlying, ever so subtle satisfaction, or even nearly foreign to her happiness, without breaking her signature cold, menacing, distasteful glare. Among the moments of reluctant yet ever present growth. It goes without saying that the success of this or any series hinges on casting just the right lead. Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday is iconic. the humor of her dark, dispassionate performance must, in my mind anyway, be one of the most challenging things for an actor to pull off. If nothing else, one must resist any temptation to comically emote while trusting that the circumstances written will carry the hilarity forward. According to Google, my favorite search engine, the word deadpan originated in the 19 tens, likely within the early film industry, as a word formed from dead, meaning impassive or expressionless and pan, which was slang for the face. The phrase deadpan described an actor who maintained an expressionless, emotionless facial appearance, even when delivering a joke or performing a tricky maneuver. I think the key to pulling off a compelling yet understated performance such as this has much to do with casting, as really any role, of course, is but an actor with a fascinating look which aligns perfectly with that character can override any need for active dazzle. Examples include Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster, Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name, and, of course, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. Ortega two more than fulfills this requirement. Emma myers really shines as Wednesdays most unlikely other half in Enid. She brings forth an infectious energy that offers the perfect polar opposite to Ortega's Wednesday, while showing great strength of character and resiliency. It was wonderful to see Myers and Ortega have a fun challenge this season and break away from the characters they've mastered so well, and a rather memorable body swap moment. Myers perfectly captured the signature, unmovable death stare and inquisitive fierce energy of Ortega, who in turn radiated Myers peppy, vibrant persona and dramatic reactions, both also showing the complexity and rawness of their innermost truths that are unspoken among them, and a touching key moment. Beauty means nothing without something ugly to compare against. Something is only heavy when compared to something lighter. Generally speaking, the differences between any two things give each other their value. Here, Enid, the colorful and exuberant roommate and an admitted bestie of Wednesday, offers a sharp contrast to Wednesdays bleak, brooding demeanor, emphasizing and amplifying each of their light and dark personalities. Evie Templeton. Is Agnes an obsessive follower turned ally was the standout for new cast members this season. she had an enigmatic presence, beautifully showcasing her eccentricities and creepy girl aura to showcasing heart and substance that offered depth and a worthy addition to Wednesday's selective tribe. and the biggest eyes I've literally ever seen in my life. Actually, I think her eyes are probably normal, but the rest of her face is like really small, so it makes her eyes look bigger. So you can tell Tim Burton's like, yeah, this is what I draw on my depictions after. Catherine Zeta Jones could not be better cast as Morticia, Wednesday's mother, with Luis Guzman as her father, Gomez Addams. There's a little dangling above the A in his last name, Guzman, which I fear makes me somehow mispronounce it. But that is the one thing I did fail to Google, and I am sorry. who's Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 1990s Addams Family films, appears here as Marilyn Thornhill in both seasons. My mother's name is Marilyn. You don't see too many Marilyn's these days. there's something especially humorous to me about the character thing, which is essentially a living, severed hand. being able to think, see, and hear while absent of sensory organs. My merriment of this also extends off screen to it even having its own IMDb credit. Yet this palm and five fingers manages a layered, fully fleshed out character with as much range of nuanced emotional expression and familial bonding as any other performance in the series. Kelsey. Which Wednesday. Of all the portrayals do you prefer? Lisa Loring from the 1960s series Christina Ricci or Jenna Ortega? Tough questions I don't know, I, I really appreciate them all in their own right. I've. I grew up with Christina Ricci most as Wednesday, so there's a part of me who also always associate her most. I think Jenna Ortega's done an amazing job and really bringing like honoring what Wednesday always was and capturing that, but still adding her own, her own kind of personality to it. And I think also just the show with like the nature of you can dig deeper into these characters and more nuances and complexities within that that they didn't always have, at least in the, in the movies. You know, we got like a sense of, you know, who the characters were, but it was more, more the focus was this kind of abnormal or different view from the rest of society, an offbeat family and how they viewed things differently with more of a kind of quirky, dysfunctional family comedy focus? I think, I guess up my gut. I still have to say Christina Ricci, just because, like, there's a I don't know, it's deeply in rooted for like, her. She's Wednesday to me. First Have you seen any other, of the movies or iterations of The Addams Family over the years? There's like there was like the two animated, ones. More recently, I saw those, of course, the, the two Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and I've seen, like kind of bits and pieces of the original, but never, like in its entirety. Yeah, I've never seen the original series. for the longest time, I've always had this show confused with, The Munsters. That's fair. They're pretty similar as far as, like, that kind of like same family dynamic dynamic of a very, you know, goth different from the rest of, of kind of society. And that's the contrast of that and how they, they see things in this different morbid light. So it's a pretty similar, similar vibe. And that's one I've never seen literally any content of movies or television or anything else. Oh wow. That's kind of surprising. Yeah. of classic horror and yeah, saying that out loud, it it sounds even weird to me. I will say Catherine Zeta-Jones did grow on me a bit within the second season. I liked her, didn't have like, any issues with her portrayal as Morticia in the first season, but I think she just didn't have enough material of substance to, like, really kind of dig into the characters season one. So I was like, okay, I can accept it, I can go with it. But I wasn't like, oh my God, she's a great Morticia. But, with the second season, her having been more present, having some deeper storylines, different, different layers and being able to show more, more kind of, heart and moments. I feel like she did kind of like win me over a little bit more. And then. Yeah. Christina Ricci being in the series at all was just like a wonderful homage, I think, to the the Wednesday that I knew and loved and, I love that they gave her a really substantial, interesting character with, with, depth, because it could have been fun. She was just like, oh, she's kind of like a little cameo just to have her show up. But, yeah, actually a very, a very interesting, layered character that went some interesting direction. So yeah, that was really cool. I suppose she could have been cast as Morticia. Maybe she's not tall. She's only like five one. I think Morticia is more, tall and elegant, that sort of character. And it wasn't until the second season that I really thought, Zeta-Jones excelled there were a couple of shots where I go, wow, she really looks like Morticia in this shot. Maybe they tweaked her hair or did something different, or it was just more of the setting that she was in. But, there wasn't as much material for her in the first one, and they really expanded upon her and her general family more in season two, which, I think worked well. And it kind of, lends itself more to that whole, family theme. Billie Piper gave a great performance as the new music teacher with seemingly good intentions, but perhaps many secrets of her own among the outcasts world. It was so odd hearing her without a British accent, for I believe the first time I look forward to hopefully getting deeper into her story next season. Steve Buscemi, Christopher Lloyd and Heather mutter raised over additional standouts in new roles this season, as well. A real treat for me. Among the new second season cast was Joanna Lumley playing Wednesday. Is Grandmamma famous for another of my favorite shows? Absolutely Fabulous. And she was just that here to be sure. This Wednesday series does not lean into the high volume of twisted gags. the degree to which the 90s Addams Family films did and I would say, does not aspire to be so forthrightly comedic, but settles for its own balance of lightheartedness with morbid mystery, detective adventure. If I had ever read any books that were young adults, not that I've ever read any books at all. I'm sure they would be consistent with this sort of content snatcher image. You read some books? That's true. I should say growing up. Yeah. yeah. But yeah, you're converting me slowly and painfully. With a setting like Nevermore quite clearly honoring Edgar Allan Poe, it's not surprising how the show is steeped and references to Poe and his mastery, and not only his writing, but his dark sensibilities a writer as well. Wednesday clearly draws inspiration from. Well, this was even more evident and constant in season one. Season two still continues this tradition of drawing parallels whenever possible, including several references to the Tell-Tale heart, such as in The Clockwork Heart story featuring Tim Burton's signature stop motion animation style deeply rooted in classic horror flair, and The Telltale Cafe being a regular stop for the students as in season one. While ravens were always deeply present in the show, there's a higher focus this season as well, both with Wednesdays mythical nature and literal flocks of ravens swarming our Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Of course, a certain kidnap scenario nearly turns into the pit and the pendulum, and offers a twisted, fun, high stakes mystery. Along this line. There are many classic horror novel parallels, including Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Invisible Man. Google, which is super awesome, Informs me that Canta Casino Castle, a neo Romanian fortress in Boustany, Romania, Served as the exterior of Nevermore Academy. Filming for the second season then shifted entirely to Ireland, where Charles Ville Castle in County Offaly was used for some exterior and corridor scenes. Nevermore, a not so thinly veiled discount. Hogwarts captures notes of Harry Potter magic with an American Edgar Allan Poe mystique. Speaking of Harry Potter, Chelsea knowing that Wednesday is superior to Harry Potter in every way, how does it make you feel to have this preferable Netflix show so utterly outshine one of your, if not most beloved childhood franchises? Tell me how you really feel about Harry Potter. for the record, I tease my co-host with no real regard for the superiority of Wednesday over Harry Potter. I merely enjoy taunting Kelsey because this entertains me. So don't come at me. That was your immediate reaction. Even let three years ago when you were watching the first season, Oh, you could focus on this is so much better than Harry Potter. And I'm like, I love it. Two yes, you've made it clear how you view Wednesday as far superior as a fantastical academia story to one of my all time personal favorite stories. Well, I'm not ready to go that far to claim it. The better overall story, I will say as much as I will forever long to have my soul at Hogwarts and life or death nevermore fits my gothic bibliophile fantasy even more. Ravens are a definite spirit animal of mine, and ravens being deeply embedded in the castle like majestic sanctuary with hidden literary and mystical locked underground chambers among a library of classic books. And I'm a dose of fireplace with heart rage eliciting the flames is beyond my dream. List of abodes to exist in absolute peak dark academia setting, even more so being built for the strange and misunderstood. On that note, I know we both share a love of Gothic grandeur, so I imagine Nevermore Academy being the setting was a huge part of your deep adoration for the show. It was. It lacked a certain realistic quality because I think the exteriors were mostly CG generated, especially in the second season, because they didn't have that same location again. So I don't know. I feel like Harry Potter was a real place right? There was, it's still there, and it's look the same for God knows how many centuries. And you can really feel that, aged ness, if that's the word. And and this one, it felt like that here and there, but it felt more synthetic or greenscreen or something. So I didn't quite embody that sense of, inhabitation that I wanted to, to feel for it. And there was some, I think the was like the hallway or the stairway had all these pictures in the wall, which that okay, that's kind of like Harry Potter. They're sort of ripping that off here. And there. And I feel more reminded of Harry Potter in that regard. But in a perfect world, that setting, in theory, would be my cup of tea. And as much as I hated going to school, I think I would have loved going to school. There. Yeah, it's also a very gothic castle, like so I mean, it's hard to to go wrong, but yeah, I understand, what you're saying, cause it also seems like it's somewhat like the mystery and allure and history of some of these locations that intrigues you. According to this website I know called Google, the Addams Family originated in 1938 as a series of one panel unnamed cartoons in The New Yorker created by cartoonist Charles Addams. The characters, a macabre inversion of the traditional American family, were inspired by Addams Adams's own personality and, for Morticia, possibly his first wife. The unnamed family gained popularity, and the characters were eventually named and further developed for a 1960s television series, cementing their legacy. In popular culture. The family as a whole originally had no specific ethnicity, but over the course of many TV and film adaptations, casting choices led to the perception of the family being Latino. This began with the 1964 television series, with the father first being given the name of Gomez. The last name of Addams with two DS is actually English in origin. In 1838. Monday's Child was first published with several other traditional and well-loved poems not having a known poet. The popular nursery rhyme helps children remember the seven days of the week and tells a child's character or future based on their day of birth. From there, the word woe means great sorrow, grief, or misery. This word is included in every episode title of the Wednesday show, including Here We Go Again, If You don't Woe Me by now and Woe Me the money which I absolutely love, I love kind of any any commonality. But like off in off b pop culture meets I guess sort of pun adjacent. Yeah, well, I expected it and I thought it was it was supposed to be kind of close to Poe, like it was some sort of connection. Oh yeah, I didn't understand the connection at all until I was googling this. Thank you Google. With all that in mind, Wednesday Addams is named after the third line of that Monday's child poem, which reads, quote, Wednesday's child is full of woe, unquote, which is also the name of the show's first episode. Creator Charles Addams was struggling to name Wednesday's character for the 1964 television series when his friend, the poet Joan Blake, suggested the name, saying it fit the character's gloomy demeanor. As a side note, I was looking at this word Wednesday and realized how we all say it so differently from its spelling. We say Wednesday, when it should be wed in this day by the way, is that but fittingly sounded like very like classic common Dracula like Transylvanian accent. I was actually considering, pronouncing it that way, the entire podcast, but that would annoy even me very quickly, I'm sure. But yeah, I mean, if we all. So I actually pronounce it Wednesday, I don't I don't think the show would have the same sort of feel. You can you can imagine, look out Wednesday. It would just. And there was a, an episode we did a while ago where I had a similar thing where, I realized February was February. Yeah. And I don't get how, we just, don't even notice that it's so different. In fact, I was doing, when I was writing this in Microsoft Word. I had it read it back to me. And it doesn't say when this day or February where it says it actually how we do it, which is wrong. So interesting. somehow we're still right. I feel like I thought about it most like when I was much younger and like, learning how to spell things. I'm like, really? That's how you spell that? Okay. Yeah, but it's something that we it's not like we come upon the word Wednesday only like once every couple of years, like literally every week the word comes up. Yet we still don't notice that we're saying it. So we're we're omitting a complete syllable and several letters. it's like a societal norm thing. Like someone just decided, no, that's, that's we're going to say it this way. And everyone went with it. Yeah. And maybe they do say it differently in, in England or someplace or Australia. One of those weirdo places. But, somehow we're right Prior to the season's release, Jenna Ortega teased viewers to expect more horror and action packed turns honoring the bolder aspects of Wednesday and less romance. Season two immediately satisfies that as we are brought into her Wednesday, spent her summer vacation honing her dark inner eye, and tracking the one that got away. Which of course, was not a romantic interest, but an elusive, brutal serial killer who murdered girls and collected them as trophies. season two opens with Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense portraying a child serial killer, a topic I thought bordering on risky for a comedy being such a disturbing subject. I'm not sure if I missed something, but I saw that episode twice and expected this plot point to come up again later as to what the consequences were of that segment, but it never did. Beyond a brief mention to the purpose of it makes sense to you beyond just, setting up that she's, more a detective type, and that's sort of her, dark entertainment source. Yeah, I guess, yeah. You that's like a fair critique of it, of, like, this wasn't really important. And it could have just been. I mean, I mean, I guess who knows? For all we know, maybe season three, it comes up, but no, it didn't seem like integral to the story or bigger connective stories of the season. I think it was probably just, I don't know, I guess fun, morbid. I want to say, almost like an illustration of, like, you know, in comparison, I guess how to your average teenage girl might be spending her summer. Her idea of a fun time is between, you know, digging more into her dark spiritual power, but also hunting down this serial killer that's been in the back of her mind. I guess because she was honing her power more. She had more of an ability to track him. So, hey, you know, which shows the vision of her, of her being, you know, I'm going to say obsessing, but being interested in this, killer from, from a very young age. So maybe it was just always the back of her mind of, oh, I'd love to come face to face with this layer of darkness one day. And she's like, oh, you know what? I could do that. Now let's test out my power. That was the other reason I thought they might have done it was to set up that she has these powers, or remind us from the first season that those powers exist. But later, her mother references this, serial killer as if, something to the effect of, you didn't learn your lesson from that serial killer. stint that you went on that went badly that she should have learned from. like, what is she talking about? It sounded like she captured the serial killer and everything went perfectly. So I was a bit confused. And I didn't know if you had something more of a takeaway that you had. I think I just was like, oh, that was fun. Then I moved on. But I guess, because they're these different, forums of seer Wednesday, being the Raven and Morticia being the dove, basically, Morticia is only seeing, visions of lightness and and hope and, much like, was it the, the aunts that was also, a raven and only which meaning only sees, dark visions of tragedy and death and and gloom. So maybe by, like, obsessing over that kind of evil and darkness, you're, you're making so that's the only kind of power you can bring in. that. All right, well, maybe they'll explore more in season three. While we initially see Wednesday in peril as she meets eye to eye with a deep rooted evil in him as he envisions her as the most rewarding trophy yet, and true Wednesday fashion, she revels in those moments of sweet torture and proves why she is such a diabolical force to be reckoned with. From there, the Seasons brings us back to a new year at Nevermore Academy, with new leadership and our principal, played by Steve Buscemi and with Pugsley joining Wednesday this year as he navigates his own way among his family's legacy Throughout the season, we get everything from Apple gruesome murders, zombies, live burials, mad scientist, dark experimentation, manipulation and coercion, death, omens, sociopathic taunting, and a deeper look into our supernatural outcasts, including hides, invisible women, sirens, gorgons, werewolves, And the dark toll of Wednesday's own nature, revealed to be a raven, a seer who specifically only witnesses the most tragic and dark demises. Many shows have a first season where it stumbles to find its footing. And as much as I like season one, I feel that in season two, it really found itself. I saw steering from a mere Harry Potter copycat and leaning more into the strengths of its own unique identity. Regardless, I can't help but consider what a shift in tone season two is over season one. For those who wanted basically the same thing, complete with a Wednesday viral TikTok dance, this has less lighthearted charm and coming of age teen interpersonal relationship drama, and more dark and even surreal subject matter. Although it does still retain some of that. It feels less young adult and more adult adult, less comedic and more dramatic. The stakes and villains are also less generic for their motivations and plotlines. These are based on deeper backstories of the characters and their relationships, yet still fit young adult to me. I also read quite a bit of darker young adult specifically, so I would say, yeah, less lighthearted, but I feel like it. It kind of still honors that. That balance of it has that that kind of cold, witty writing and comedy within it. But it's the bigger focus I think is, darker and deeper and it definitely focused more on, I think, the horror character exploration and some of the relationship building this season. I remember was it the Prisoner of Azkaban? One of those got really dark in the series, and I thought, wow, that that really, goes in places that I think would be outside of that for kids. And, I think young adult tends I think it always has had a certain, tendency towards darkness. Even with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, it's been around forever. There's something of a draw, I think, in teens for something of a more dark nature. And even, teens themselves tend to go a bit dark and get more of them, their goth phases and whatever the rest of it. And, so I think it melds, nicely with that age. So it's okay, but it does kind of surprise me. Not that I'm, overly concerned about. Children being offended or wounded by watching Scooby Doo or whatever. But at the same time, as a writer, you do have to be, careful in terms of your audience is, and making sure that you don't get unnecessary backlash. And this seems to be working just fine. Nobody's seems to be speaking up anyway, as far as I know. Yeah, it seems to be actually quite popular with like, very young girls. Like even like, I don't know, like 6 to 8 year olds. Wow. heard, you know, things of like, oh, my daughter's obsessed with Wednesday. We did a Wednesday themed birthday party. So yeah, it's definitely it's definitely hitting with younger, audiences. But yeah, I guess I mean, it's a little bit maybe younger, maybe the younger. I don't know, the culture around it is more they're exposed. Like, I don't know, my I have, nephew's seven who's obsessed with, like Pennywise and Freddy versus Jason, but he also likes, like, lighthearted Disney movies. So, I don't know, I guess, of course it's up to, you know, the parents there, if they're like, oh, this is too dark. I don't want you to be watching this. You know? That's always up to them. But yeah, I mean, the characters are I think you're supposed to be like around 16. the, So, I mean, and for what the source material is, I feel like the kind of that's kind of where the show stands a little of it's own voice and a little unique from other depictions. Like we said, we're a little bit more comedic, like, yes, they were like, torturing people, so only so much. But even, I feel like this goes darker because there's a lot of people who like, actually die. And the show where that I don't feel like that was really present in other versions of The Addams Family. And they do show, people with, their eyeballs pecked out in literal brains. And the gore is there. But I don't know, maybe it's the streaming platform. There's some gray area in terms of, what's considered, crossing the line. Despite Ortega being 22 and others being, well, in their 20s, most of the actors still pass for high schoolers enough, including actress Joy Sunday playing classmate Bianca Barclay, who is 30, performing alongside actors who actually are 16, two boys. However, Wednesday's brother Pugsley and her forever friend zoned companion Eugene, conspicuously appear to have aged five years, stretching a foot higher with voices an octave lower. And what was supposed to be the span of summer vacation. I think when you're in high school yourself, it's very apparent when someone is older. But as adults, we somehow lose that ability to discern what passes for a youth. Here, though, we suspend our disbelief, letting any age discrepancy slide within reason for the sake of casting the most ideal actors or stretching out previous works that made use of them when they were younger. Then again, I cast this actor for a horror short a couple of years ago who I recently saw on a commercial playing a high school jock. He's 36. Wow. But yeah, I agree. It was, I guess just kind of like an awkward, funny moment, especially Pugsley. I think when you when you see him in the the first season, he is shorter than Jenna Ortega. Now you, like, looms over her. So, yeah, I guess they could, especially with, like, there being supernatural and, you know, mystical forces. I guess they could have written in a reason. But would it be intuitive if it was just one of them? I feel like they could pull that off more, but like two different characters who I don't think had actually met at that point. It might be might be kind of iffy. And I guess they could of like recast if they really want to, but I kind of feel like that would be worse. I think that's one of the benefits of casting an older person who happens to look young is they're going to stay looking. That way for ten years or something like that. Season two excelled on building upon legacy characters, revealing new layers and retaining the relationship bonds and personal stories they hold while not detracting focus. From Wednesday, the larger inclusion of the whole Addams Family was well done, particularly the Morticia and Wednesday storylines, and diving deeper into Wednesday's most guarded fears and vulnerabilities, there is deeper understanding of their relationship. Morticia also showcases great compassion and insight in moments, being pivotal in many key story moments, offering ample drama and heart. While I appreciated her in season one, she was given much more opportunity to show her strength this season. I also appreciated Pugsley story and the difficulties he had finding his own way towards friendship and understanding, living among Wednesday's looming shadow early on, I loved this shift of making things a more vital part of the plot, An even more so as the season progressed, and we were given a fresh perspective on thing, his origins and the idea of nurture being stronger than nature and being able to forge your own path. Season one of Wednesday was released in November 2022, with the first half of season two dropped in August 2025. Nearly three years later. I prefer that a show or film takes its time and really gets the story right before committing to production. In most cases, no matter how long that takes. But I am kind of surprised, given the first season's immense popularity, that they didn't rush to churn season two out much quicker, especially on a platform like Netflix, who has the primary goal of enticing new subscribers over keeping fans satisfied over the long term. I was actually taken aback by how season two was so well thought out and executed that the show's quality would be upheld and even improved upon. I also liked the music more, although the composer Chris Bacon remains the same. Typically, when a proper two become so popular and valuable, Studio execs suddenly descend upon it, seeing it as something very precious that must then be micromanaged to the point of any fresh creative essence being smothered out into a stale shell of its former self. In my personal opinion, the overall quality of season two surpasses the first, far exceeding my initial skeptical expectations. I laughed, I cried, and this coming from a man who never cries or laughs. of course, the Enid Wednesday friendship is one of the strongest parts of the series, and they managed to not only savor that this season, but capture renewed mystical understanding within it, continuing to challenge even Wednesday's own perceptions of her capabilities of love and loyalty. There were moments early on, it seemed most of Enid story points were very more into the basic level teenage drama, like typical romantic entanglements and less focus on the strong sense of self embracing her nature, capabilities and worth, such as in the previous season. But I can understand she's a very social creature and cares about her relationships to others and experiencing confidence in a new way for the first time. Additionally, the core audience of this show is aimed at young teenage girls, so it is a relatable, realistic storyline for someone coming into their own in their school year. It wouldn't have been a real issue if they limited her character to this and gave her time to enjoy her year and navigate yearnings and connections, But I was still happy. In part two of season two, they allowed her bigger challenges and meatier material to continue her inner journey, and ability to face darkness and doom head on. Proudly. Random question if you had a choice between writing for a film or series, which would you prefer? I mean, series has a lot. I really like going into a lot of different perspectives and and growth and series just have more potential for that. You can do so much more, just which they really have, with this series, especially, season two, like you really, you almost see like, wow, you can do so much more just in even with eight episodes than you couldn't a movie, you know, I've never actually tried to write, like, a more long range TV series. Everything I've written has either been, like, short stories or or like feature films, so I haven't done it before. So, I guess that's the gamble, but I guess I like the I like the idea of being able to, like, really dive deep into characters and have constantly new, new storylines and horror and dig into new mythology. And, you know, it's constantly growing and enhancing. Like, that's probably the storytelling I like the most. Even with books I can appreciate, like the standalone novel that's really well done. But the ones that I'm like most connected to that I've read years and years ago are usually no longer standing stories. I've never written this, TV series. I actually had a a feature script that, I wrote a long time ago. I rewrote it and it's like 36 pages. So I decided to make it, for, let's say, Ligeia motel Toros, Cabinet of Curiosities, sort of an anthology series. So it kind of fits as an episode of something. and I slave over every word, every punctuation mark. For the screenplays that I do write for features and shorts that I don't think anybody would hire me because, of my, inefficiency in the matter. But I think you're a much, faster writer than me in general, even. And like a review sense and so forth. So I think you would be, more suited to that than than myself. But, I don't think either of us have aspirations necessarily to be TV writers. But if it fell in our laps, you know. Hey, yeah, I'd give it a go. yeah, same. Season two sees a general uptick in production value with a discernible jump in visual effects quality, especially in the creatures department. Despite this, the werewolf effects, in particular still look no better than those in Van Helsing 2004. Perhaps that's just the nature of this sort of creature. When translated into computer generated form. In fact, I don't recall ever having seen a CG werewolf looking exceptionally good, have you, Kelsey? I didn't have any, like, glaring issues with this. I mean, as bad as that, Helsing, those are. Those are fighting words. I don't think it was that bad, but, I mean, yeah, I wasn't like, whoa, that's a really realistic looking wolf. But I it didn't take me out of it. I guess. Side note I've been rewatching the Final Destination movies finally to, gear up to, bloodlines and so much I love about the series. And I think it's done really well, but the, in four and five, it took this horrible CGI turn, where even I mean, everything else, like in the movie, was kind of a mess. But even, like, you can't even enjoy what should have been creepy, enticing tension building does because it's just so fake and so over the top. And I think it was the the fifth one. There's also this bridge collapsing and it looked so fake as well. I'm like, you can't even give me like a decent like natural disaster sort of like effect. So for this, this wasn't so bad where I'm like, oh, I just don't believe out of my I'm totally out of it. But, what am I thinking? Werewolf In was the title American Werewolf in Horror from London. That was all practical effects, right? Correct. And in fact, American Werewolf in Paris is notorious for having the worst werewolf CGI ever. maybe it's the hair. And I'm also leaning into the, theory that if you care about the characters and you like the story, then you're more forgiving about those effects. And in this series, season two, when I saw Enid as a werewolf, I care about Enid. And so I'm like, I'm kind of forgiving it because I like Enid, but, the effects themselves still, I think are at a stage where they haven't quite nailed it or probably what's more happening is they just don't give enough time to the VFX artists to really do it right, because there's so many shots that need to get done and the budget isn't there. And I think that's one of the, the chief, complaints that come across from the VFX department tech from Jurassic Park still holds up because they really took the time to do it right. And now the newer ones, the new, Jurassic World films, they lack something. They don't have that blend of practical with the CGI, and they tend to just feel over stylized and unreal to the point where they don't have that effectiveness. And I think they just need to, to give more resources, especially time to people, so they can actually do it. Right. Yeah. I think when you can reach that balance, some practical effects and just enhancing it a little bit because, yeah, there has to be some element of where it feels natural or real when it just feels totally manufactured, that it kind of ruins the effect you're going for to that point. The most bothersome thing to me in both seasons was how heavy the digital makeup was applied in smoothing Wednesday's skin, having used that same technology while editing, I find there's a sweet spot where skin appears smoother yet still retains some texture. And I think they overdid it here in a great many shots to the point of distraction. Was it just me? I can't say I noticed that, but you will now. you're more kicky in on a visual details. Like I'll sometimes notice something if it's if it's really evident to me, but it's like kind of story and themes are usually kind of like what reaches out to me more While there are new threats and foes, among Wednesday and her friends are core villains from last season, the hide and its master continue their story, offering a compelling dark psychology, an intensity that radiates the screen whenever they are on. Among this, we are given a new layer to the hides, and Tyler's dynamic in particular both the emotional complexities and the cold, calculating monster that will consume all this new villain attached to him also offered a great maternal bond storyline between Morticia and Mother monster Tyler, his vendetta against Wednesday, and his increasingly prevalent monster from within taking over is a major focus, but there's also weaving of many other compelling, well explored villains this season, some totally separate from this main threat, some very much connected to it all, adding a menacing, exhilarating addition building upon season one story. While letting the season be its own beast. Wednesday season one is Netflix's most popular show of all time by far, with just over 252 million views compared to the second place series adolescence, which I never heard of. that's a great show Is it It is, it's a short mini series, only about four episodes, based on a child who gets, accused of committing murder to another, childhood classmate. And it's a lot of shots are like interrogation. And there's. So I think most of it's shot in like, one continuous take as well. And then it's like the emotional it's kind of like the psychology of what whether, you know, you think this kid really did it, but also like the, the like family kind of like reacting to it. And it's very emotional and layered and it's a reenactment or is it an actual docu series? miniseries, not that series. It's, like a narrative form. Okay, good. Well, yeah, still never heard of it, but, it has something like 142.5 million views. Which is really weird. sounds like it should have entered the the cultural lexicon to the point where, just through osmosis, I would have somehow at least make it sound familiar to me, but went over my head completely. I think the, the, the, the young, actor who's in it, I know he was, like, nominated for some awards. I'm not sure. Might have been might have been an Emmy, but. But. Yeah. The best stranger things could achieve was season four, receiving just over half the views of Wednesday. On Rotten Tomatoes, Wednesday holds a 78% critic score and 80% audience score. It's actually surprising. I almost would have thought Stranger Things would have been the more popular, but in a way it makes sense because I feel like Wednesday appealed to so many different age groups because, like, potentially people who watched the original show and then people who, you know, are familiar with, like the 90s reiteration and or just I think Tim Burton as a whole has a pretty wide bar of appealing to, like from like young kids to adults. And then I think also with this being coming of age in that that age group, I feel there. It seems like there could be a lot of, you know, teenager or younger kids who've never seen any other version of Addams Family who watch this. And this is like their first kind of exploration with her. You mentioned that the show is aimed towards, young adolescent girls, and I'm thinking, why do I like it so much? But, I mean, I, like a lot of things seem that young adults like Is that a, target demographic that you read, or is that just assumed? Because I'm wondering, do you think it's that way? Because you yourself, were a girl once, and you can, think through those eyes somehow. And I'm looking at it from my point of view, and I think, oh, it was made for people like me who like dark, twisted stuff. I think it's like a combination. I mean, I've just heard of a lot of young girls who love the show. And, I mean, even if you like target, I think has a hole for their kids. Like, they have a whole, like, line of Wednesday theme themed. Yeah. merch. yeah. Merch, targeted at girls. So there's got to be, you know, somewhat of an intentional, thing there, but it's definitely, a combination, I think, because especially with all of the, the classic literary references and classic horror, like, yes, there's a lot of younger audiences who might not be familiar or not get those things, or they just might not be important to them, but they like other aspects of it. So it's pretty smart and kind of weaving a lot of different things that will appeal to, you know, different types of people going back to season one for the first time since it premiered was an interesting refresh. Also, knowing where it would go with the mystery reveals and even more subtle things like growth and connection. Against all the odds, it added another layer to no, this other piece of the puzzle, but to go through the story with the characters as they were experiencing it with fresh eyes. Now you've seen it a few times since it at first came out. So was it. What was it like just to have new Wednesday episodes for you? I've been fantasizing about this day. I actually played, season one probably a dozen times, just in the background as I'm editing or whatever. So I was very much, familiar with it and kept checking the date for the release, which was, I think, hanging in balance for a while, and it was fluctuating and wondering if it would ever come out. And three years is quite a long time. There were days, when a new season of like 26 episodes or 28 episodes would come out an hour each, every year. So I'm not sure why it takes so damn long now. But you haven't mentioned anything about how you felt comparing one season to the other, which you liked better. I mean, is there a bottom line? Like, I like the first one better. I like the second one better. I like this, I mean, I kind of love it all, like it all works for me, but I, I like the the turns that they took in season two. I like that it leaned more into horror. I didn't have necessarily like a big issue with the whole like, romance, trying to love triangle sort of thing. I understood, you know, connections that she had to Xavier, which of course, they wrote out of the story, but I wasn't. I can't say like I loved him as a character, so I'm like, I, I didn't really miss his absence. And I think and again, with, with Tyler, even in, in season one, most of the time when she reached out or made any type of effort, it was kind of because she needed him, was kind of used him. So it always seemed like he was more into her anyway. And then of course, with the, the true nature, coming out, I, I liked, again, I didn't I think it was natural for them to explore that. Like did she feel a spark of something? But I almost I feel like once it's almost like it's almost better without the romantic entanglements. Like a I'm not even sure if that's something her character would really feel or care about or yearn for. So I, I definitely liked that they focused more on just the mystery of everything happening in her, coming more in tune with her powers and who she was and bringing her her path and relationships, you know, with her, with her family. And, to Enid. And there was just there was so much rich material, like, even even a lot of, the side I want to say side characters like, supporting. But even there was, good angles going more into, like, the Sirens and Gorgons and different. You know, corruption within the supernatural community and, you know, everyone kind of having certain expectations. And they were like, you know, finding themselves in different, different fears and possibilities. And there's a lot going on with, with Enid especially, and what, what nature and maybe she has more power than we knew. And, I would much rather go into strong character exploration and, the, the horror and the bonds, you know, this, kind of found family. And I really liked, the theme which was present in the first one, like, outcasts in a community of outcasts and still having a hard time finding your way. But then when you find your people, your tribe, it just kind of connects. But you still have a focus on your own personal journey. Like, those are the type of stories I like most anyway. And, yeah, there's just so many. There was good, like, creepy, enticing moments. There was, good. Yeah. Just like developed. And it just went deeper with everything, which is what I love, too. It would have been weird if they never explored anything about, relationships and dating because that's so integral and and going through all that as far as adolescence goes. But I feel like they did enough of that in season one to where okay, fine, we can move on. Ideally, want to cover more ground than just that sort of thing. And they could have played that forever, just as any soap opera does. There's no, it's an endless source of drama that's, there to tap into, but I, I'm, I'm glad they, they, they kept a little bit of that, but they found a good balance. And it went more into the Nancy Drew sort of direction rather than like agree with what you're saying in that she is probably not even that into the whole romance aspect. She is more let's get down to business and get more serious about things that are afoot. Of season one lead more into the normie versus outcasts animosity and horror throughout history, showcasing how so often anything different has been feared and the importance of standing strong against complacency to not fall down. It's sticky web again. Season two lives more fully in the world of the outcast, allowing core characters to understand their nature and themselves more fully. whether that nature digs into fears or allows them to tackle untapped strength, there are still normies who seek to confine and control them. But the story largely lives in the realm of the supernatural and strange, even among their own self-interest and inner carnage, setting horror ablaze, Wednesday perfectly captures Tim Burton's imaginative and grimly fascinating mastery of his brand of storytelling, at times feeling like he's back to his roots. While the show is very much fresh, forging its own path much like Wednesday and the rest of the young outcast, it is an utter celebration of Gothic literary excellence and these iconic, beloved Macomb characters in The Addams Family, while having the ability to stand on its own. Well, three years for eight more episodes was quite the wait. It would have been an utter disservice to see this show land in an early grave. In eight episodes, they really tackled so much, both new blood and enriching, involving the ongoing storylines, journeys and very spirit of Nevermore. Until next semester, savor the wealth of lemons and sharpen your hatchets. According to Google, the nature of all things and Keeper of Truth. There will be a season three of Wednesday as Netflix officially renewed the show in July 2025, ahead of the season two premiere. While an official release date has not been set. Filming for season three is expected to begin shortly after season two concludes. this indicates to me, if that schedule holds true, that they have everything written out for season two already, or at least planned to some degree. Although I'm pretty darn sure they will stretch, the premise of the aging actors is still being in high school. If they were to take the show in a different direction from Nevermore Academy. What direction? Kels? Would you like to see it go? I really love the setting of Nevermore, but I don't. I don't feel like it would work to like, I don't know, have them honest teacher aides or like, you know, I guess you could, I guess you could like write off potentially like a couple of them. But. I don't know, I guess you would almost have to create a similar setting within that world, I guess that outcast worlds near like nearby or nearby enough or just have a or at that point you might have to do like a spinoff, like continue the characters or maybe focus on maybe just Wednesday in Enid, for example, and they're there somewhere else entirely. And building and building their own, their own, you know, whatever their next journey journey in life is. Or I guess you could, I don't know, it'd be a shame to like, loose in it, but I guess, like, you know, you could see Wednesday just having some dark, determined mystery path somewhere off, you know, completely. I think the key would be if you are going to do something different, like a different setting, you have to either have some of the original actors wanting to be involved or have like a real reason why they can't be. I'm a huge fan of, The Vampire Diaries wider universe, and in some, areas, this show reminded me a bit of the last spinoff. It had legacies. So it's a lot of the characters who, And it's like a boarding school and kind of, not not quite as, like, immaculate with, the classic horror, you know, vibes and all that, but it's, a supernatural school aware, and it's kind of like a safe haven because there have been, you know, humans that would humans and other supernatural creatures who would want to, like, harm them. But it's some similar themes and them having very high, I guess, a legacy of boots to fill. There, you know, some of some of their parents are have had I don't know, like one of them is, a thousand year old vampire, the original vampire ever, who's, definitely went most of his life, created a lot of carnage and a lot of enemies, and, the, the main character. And there was, a lot of bad omens about her even existed. And so all these different supernatural groups felt like she was the doom. So, kind of having this, this kind of dark, I guess, family, bond and kind of expectations there, but also finding your own way and bridging your own path and finding, like, a new sense of, like, found family within it. And as much as I, I love to show, it, you can tell like a lot it took place in the same town, the same small town as the original series, Vampire Diaries. And most of these people who were supposed to be like key people in their life, like even one of the characters, mom, like, she didn't appear for like, almost the entire series. And it was always the awkward, like, I just talked to mom on the phone, or I visited mom over the break, but like, we never see her. Like, the headmaster, is one of the characters father, and he's supposed to be best friends with the main characters from the original series, but, like, we just know they never see them, never stop by. And even when, like, there's some life threatening, deep, dark destruction things that happen, and it almost takes some realism out of it. I'm like, if you weren't going to involve any of these original characters at all, then you should have just had. It's like some some are completely different. These are just new characters who are connected to these characters, but they're having their own, their own journey in their own adventures. So I think that would be the one thing to be careful of if they were going to do something new, like a spinoff of sorts, that there is a certain pressure to like, capture, I guess, like that magic of what made the original so great in this case, even, you know, taking this series as its own entity. But it has to kind of be be its own, its own identity and journey. Otherwise it kind of doesn't work. I think good writing can take things in any direction if it's done right. But it's risky to take something that has been such a successful action and then do something radically different, unless you're really good at pulling something like that off. But it seems like, this whole School of misfits thing has become quite a trope over the years. I think in the X-Men as another one. And I meant to Google all the different, iterations that have taken place with that. Obviously, Hogwarts is another one. I feel like there's quite a lot of books as well. Like there is like one another. One of my favorite series is, called Vampire Academy. And it's, specifically within the vampire community. That's just it's like within our world, but humans just don't know about it. Sort of a thing. So they're, you know, it's specific to, to vampires. But there's, I don't know, like, I've read I love dark Academia books, so I've, like, even recently, I've read several that take place in the afterlife. And it's like, I don't know, sort of, in between, you know, in between worlds, area where they're honing. I mean, there's two different, two different ones. I'm thinking of that I've read recently. But kind of. Yeah. That, like collegiate setting and kind of honing one's magic and abilities and what, some kind of reflecting on your past lives and who you are in this new form and some found family and, you know, finding yourself in new and things like that. So, yeah, it is a popular trope that I do like a lot. So it's, something everybody can relate to. Everyone. Everybody went to school, everybody had other, friends and various things that they had to go through. And that that horrific portion of most people's lives where they have to suss out, you know, how to deal with dating. And, it's kind of a brutal I always thought of it as like, kind of like prison in a way, especially elementary school was like the worst. Do you think it's the most lighthearted? But it's the one I like in most a prison where you're most likely to get beat up. Or, maybe it's just where I, where I come from. But it was the most dangerous. It felt like going into the school yard, and there was just this most treacherous environment that I can remember. Yeah, I mean, I didn't really like, like, high school, I hated college, I liked more, but it's kind of interesting because I love books with that setting. But again, I it's more I get a lot of these are very castle like, very steeped in history. And there's if not magic, there's something paranormal or otherworldly or occult or there's some other kind of enticing, tantalizing element. And I think within that, it's kind of like the sense of community and like kind of like that misfit and finding, finding your people in your path, you know? And I think the key to making Wednesday work so well was the ensemble cast. And if they just went straight to The Addams Family, I don't know if that would be enough. I don't know if that would really carry a story. I think they would need that structure of having all these supporting characters putting together something of an interweaving mystery about who they are and discovery, and everybody's growing, and the way each plays off of the other strengthens each of their, various traits. And it's engineered in a way to maximize each of the characters. But when you just have that family dynamic, I'm not sure. Even though there was a series and plenty of movies and everything else, I don't see that as being what this Wednesday really wants to pull off, or even I'm not sure can pull off. Yeah, like I think it would. I would still like that. It would still be enjoyable, but it would be more like a remake or or reboot, you know, it would just be another version of what we already had. Where I feel like with focusing more on Wednesday and, and some of these other, you know, younger characters that it manages to have its own kind of journey and story. 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