Wednesday was mid, here's what I watched/read instead
Half complaining about a Netflix Original, half recommendations
Is Netflix’s Wednesday Any Good?
I’ll admit it: I’m surprised that Netflix’s Wednesday reached the level of popularity it has. Upon watching the first episode (my watchthrough of the show never went any further), it was clear that Wednesday didn’t capture a fraction of what made the character a youth icon.
Sure the snark and wit made famous by Christina Ricci’s portrayal of the character was present, but where was the element of mystery? Where was the restraint? Naturally she needs more depth as the main character in her own spinoff, but was a love triangle and a mother-daughter conflict really the direction to take the show? Wasn’t The Addams Family (1964) a standout series upon its television debut precisely because they accepted and loved each other regardless of their chosen lifestyles, without needless youthful rebellion?
And— this is my biggest complaint—why is the setting a generic YA-novel tier supernatural academy? Am I missing something? What about the premise of The Addams Family was calling out for even more “spooky and odd” characters, only with infinitely less originality and charm?
The core relationship that drove the show was between the Addamses and the “normal” families that surrounded them, a dichotomy used to satirize presumptions about modern American life. Shoehorning a lame magical academy into the lore reeks of a show written under the influence of focus groups and market research, not an understanding of the original intellectual property. It’s targeted towards the youth who are accustomed to binging the Netflix gruel du jour, not the older fans who were already attached Wednesday’s previous portrayals and wanted a deeper look into her world.
The excellent YouTuber Mina Le goes into a lot more detail about where this show fails, so go check out her analysis of the full show (which I could not bring myself to finish).
What I watched/read instead of Netflix’s Wednesday
These two recommendations are going to sound like a stretch at first, but hear me out.
The Emily the Strange novel series, published by HarperCollins, is the most successful portrayal of a young alternative character I’ve seen so far. The brand is a bit dated (with promises of a live-action movie and an animated series that never materialized). Despite this, the novels spawned by the brand have surprising amounts of depth and personality.
The books follow Emily, a nocturnal 13 year-old loner, in her scientific and artisitic pursuits, which range from painting wall murals to inventing a time machine. What seems like an average youth novel series on its surface is set apart by its attention to detail and its oddly specific characterization of Emily.
The book reveals tiny character snippets, like which books or movies Emily enjoys (70s punk and bizarre cult horror, respectively), while answering bigger questions, like how she developed her life philosophy. The book emphasizes Emily’s thought processes and her unusual way of approaching life and conflict. All this without inserting her awkwardly into an out of character love triangle or making her interact with lame, cliched characters.
I originally read the series when I was around Emily’s age, 13, and to this day I discover clever references I missed upon a first read, or return to funny, observant excerpts from Emily’s unique point of view that still influence how I see the world.
Instead of resorting to tired dark-YA tropes, the authors gave Emily memorable and specific character arcs, something that would have really benefited Wednesday. Essentially the show needs to take what makes Wednesday stand out (her family, her circumstances as an outcast in normal society) and explore those, instead of molding her to fit a familiar, formulaic television standard.
If the spooky academy angle is your niche, look into Disney’s series The Owl House. The academy in Wednesday brought The Owl House’s magical school setting to mind, albeit Owl House’s school has a much more charming aesthetic and cast of characters. The target demographic skews younger than Wednesday’s, but let’s just say the show takes a direction that Wednesday didn’t have the guts to take.
It goes without saying that I won’t be catching Wednesday season 2. I’m glad an alt-girl icon got her moment in the spotlight, but I’ll stick to works with more creative, memorable storytelling, thank you.