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Wednesday, the spinoff to the famous Addams Family, was one of the most-awaited shows of 2022, which finally premiered on November 23, bringing along eight episodes with a runtime of 45 minutes to an hour.
The show follows Wednesday Addams (made famous by Christina Ricci's portrayal in the 90s) as she goes to the Nevermore Academy, a school for the outcasts and the 'freaks.'
The first episode is a daunting original story that does not waste much time in exploring the potential Jenna Ortega could show as Wednesday. The clever, clever episode covered a lot of ground in its first episode, paving the path for a strong season. The first episode is titled Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe.
Wednesday episode 1 review: A quick transition and a new beginning
The show opens with a depiction of Wednesday Addams and her personality, something that looks perfect in the hands of Jenna Ortega. The series cleverly works to avoid the cliches of long-drawn backstories and character expositions. Instead, it quickly depicts all it needs to show about Addams and moves on to the new chapter of her life with sufficient ease.
Ortega is seen in a menacingly sadistic role as she tears through bullies to protect her brother and almost ends up killing a bunch of them. Thankfully, she gets away with an expulsion, leading her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman), to take her to the Academy that can keep her stable, the fabled Nevermore Academy, where Gomez and Morticia first met.
Due to past connections, the young Addams is rather easily accepted and thrown into the mix with other children, something that does not come as a savory snack to her. Most of the episode is geared towards Addams' reluctance and disgust at the place that tries to curb her. This is supplemented by her colorful roommate, who looks like a mirror image of the sadistic teenager.
A large part of the episode deals with high school cliches, like queen bees and ex-love affairs, but in a setting like this, even that feels fresh and interesting. It is interesting to see how Addams becomes an outcast even in the school for outcasts. But that is precisely the driving point as mysterious occurrences slowly unfold and enmities start to form.
Addams, obvious to most viewers, plans an escape, but things do not work out in favor of the youngster. Rather, she encounters a monster in the forest who kills a guy in front of her. There are also introductions of prophecies, ancient stories, and a lurking threat, making this episode extremely intriguing.
Coming fresh from Tim Burton, it would be foolish to expect any less. It is remarkable how frequently the episode changes moods within its limited span of about 50 minutes. By the time the episode ends, it feels like a lot longer has passed, and a lot of ground has been covered.
Hopefully, the upcoming episodes manage to keep up this level of adrenaline rush in viewers.
All the episodes of Wednesday are now streaming on Netflix.
