WEDNESDAY
January 6, 2023
Morbid, gothic, and innovative are all ways to describe Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams.
Released on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022, the show focuses on Wednesday going to Nevermore School, full of outcasts while trying to manage her “visions” and solve the murders of some of the students. There are eight episodes this season that are each around an hour in length.
Directed by Tim Burton (episodes 1-4), who is known for Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with Gandja Monteiro (episodes 5 & 6) and James Marshall (episodes 7 & 8), Wednesday is a modern version of the character’s story that you thought you knew. She still keeps her deadpan humor but allows viewers to discover vulnerability through connections made with peers, like Enid Sinclair, her larger-than-life roommate that is the opposite of her dark nature.
NME wrote that like Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams from the 1991 film, “the look – pigtails, pale skin, pinstripes – is similar to the ‘90s classic. Yes, she remains po-faced and prickly. Yes, it’s still set in a creepy mansion. But dip a toe beyond the first few episodes, and you’ll find a very different Wednesday to the one we’ve come to know.” Wednesday reveals no emotions except with the slight raise of her eyebrows, a simple yet important detail.
Throughout the series, we see her in fashionable outfits that goths find representative: from striped shirts and block sweaters to polka-dotted dresses with chunky boots, and puffer jackets. This gives her a more modern teenage feel, rather than the classic black dress that we see in the Addams Family movie from 1991.
During episode 4, titled Woe What A Night, the Rave’N Dance stood out to fans because of Ortega’s interpretive dance to The Cramps’ 1981 cover of “Goo Goo Muck”. Ortega created this dance herself while having COVID, which sparked a lot of backlash from fans. Teresa stated on Twitter (@teresawprice), that it was an “absolute disregard for her coworkers”, while Lily Simpson (@LilySimpson1312) agreed, saying “..Why didn’t she get sent home?”.
A recent post on Instagram from Impact discussed Latina representation following Jenna Ortega. Latina representation is important throughout media, especially in this series which stars a Latin family, the Addams Family.
Jenna Ortega who is playing Wednesday, and Luiz Guzman as Gomez, both come from Latin heritage. During an interview with Malcolm Venable, Jenna Ortega states “Wednesday is just who she is. You don’t have to talk about it”. Both actors think it’s essential to have POC characters without making it that big of a deal, that it should be normalized.
The viewers of Wednesday think Ortega’s role is uplifting and an accurate representation of Goth Latinas. One fan on Twitter states that the show breaks out of Latino stereotypes in the media, like gang members, to bring us an empowering lead Latina character.
Jonah Iwankow • Apr 28, 2023 at 12:40 pm
ironic, this article was posted on a monday.
Julynn • Jan 13, 2023 at 8:16 pm
Truly interesting and well thought out article.