‘Wednesday’ season one review: Tim Burton’s macabre and magical tribute to the misfits and outcasts

Starring a spectacular Jenna Ortega, Wednesday’s reminder to remain true to oneself and extend kindness to the “others” makes this teen gothic-fantasy drama a great addition to the universe of The Addams Family

“Hell is other people,” she scoffs while making it known that Sartre was her first crush. A morbid obsession with death and unwavering disgust for bullies and “normies”, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is cut from a monochromatic cloth of grit and sardonic humour. 

After killing two boys at an “ordinary” school, Wednesday is packed off to her parents’ alma matter: Nevermore Academy. Her father, Gomez Addams (Luis Guzmán), and mother, Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones), are convinced that the school for misfits is where Wednesday belongs. 

In a tour of the academy by Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), Wednesday’s werewolf roommate, we are informed that the academy is home to Fangs (Vampires), Furs (Werewolves), Stoners (Gorgons), and Scales (Sirens).

But Wednesday is an outcast in the group of outcasts, and her macabre visions ensure she doesn’t comfortably fit into any of the four cliques. She is emotionally distant and has a distaste for what she calls “tribal adolescent clichés”. She dons a black gown for a school prom when all the other students are dressed in white and does not let a smile escape her lips.

Her quest to uncover the truth of Jericho, that involves her ancestors, takes her down a path of discovering local lore, romance with a barista, secret societies, a monster (whose animation is reminiscent of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride universe), lethal chemical potions, human sacrifice, absurd therapy sessions at the local psychiatrist’s office, grave-digging, and haunted house-hunting with the disjointed hand called “Thing” by her side.

While the previous instalments of The Addams Family stories focused on all the members of the family, Wednesday shines its spotlight only on the 16-year-old for the most part, throughout the eight episodes, and Jenna Ortega is authoritative in her role with the dead-eyed stare that oozes an air of loneliness. 

Though Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán enjoy less screen time, they manage to leave an impact on the audience too. Ironically, Christina Ricci, the OG Wednesday Addams, plays the role of a “normie” teacher in the latest instalment, and is a pleasure to watch. Gwendoline Christie (of Game of Thrones fame)  as Larissa Weems, the Severus Snape-like principal, is stunning. The animation of Thing is cogent and the foley that follows in its (footsteps?) is ASMR-like helping us adapt to the existence of a disjointed hand.