Wednesday, Explained: The Weird Girl Icon Finally Becomes The Main Character

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We're taking a deeper look at Netflix's version of Wednesday Addams! || Use THETAKE2 to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird https://sbird.co/3WVyN4j  This month I received... Daring by...

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00:00Wednesday Addams has always been subversively cynical and wickedly powerful.

00:05But it's only recently that she's been allowed to step into the spotlight on her own.

00:10I don't bury hatchets. I sharpen them.

00:14Netflix's Wednesday has given us the opportunity to get to know this

00:17longtime icon in a new, deeper way. And it's also given her the freedom to grow

00:23as a person in ways she never has before. So how has Wednesday evolved?

00:29And what can we learn from her? Let's dig in.

00:32For the record, I don't believe I'm better than everyone else.

00:37Just that I'm better than you.

00:38Wednesday Addams has always brought her own special edge to her spooky family,

00:43from her origins in the New Yorker cartoons to the original TV show

00:47and especially in the Addams Family films from the 90s.

00:50What are you, darling? Where's your costume?

00:53This is my costume. I'm a homocidal maniac. They look just like everyone else.

00:57The idea of a girl so young and adorable being so macabre and self-assured captured audiences'

01:04imaginations because it went so directly counter to the expectations for young girls.

01:09And that's also what made her so powerful.

01:13Her fearless, unashamedly weird attitude always made her feel ahead of her time.

01:18And it's also what ended up making her the perfect choice to get her own modern show.

01:23While reboots and rehashes can often flatten or suck the life out of characters,

01:28in her Netflix series, Wednesday was allowed to keep all of the things that make her great,

01:32like her darkly hilarious cynicism and her hyper-intelligence,

01:36while also being updated to our modern era.

01:39Though, of course, she views that with shrewd cynicism as well.

01:42I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation.

01:46This version of Wednesday works because she feels like an actual young person in our moment,

01:52not just someone being written to seem like what older people think Gen Z are like.

01:57And while she's kept the dark and twisty core of who she is,

02:00getting to be the main character has allowed her the opportunity to crack open new sides of herself too.

02:07Coming off of the sidelines and taking her place center stage,

02:11this version of Wednesday has shaken things up in multiple ways.

02:14She's left the Addams Family home to venture out on her own to boarding school.

02:19This is the first time you've ever willingly returned to a school.

02:23How does it feel?

02:24Like returning to the scene of the crime.

02:26I already know where the bodies are buried.

02:28This might have at first seem like an odd choice since the familial ties have

02:32always been such an integral part of the Addams Family stories,

02:36but it's actually the perfect choice for Wednesday at this point in her life.

02:40She's always been hyper-independent and now she's not a young child,

02:44but instead a teenager starting to have to figure out what path

02:48she's going to take as she enters adulthood.

02:51I know I'm stubborn, single-minded, and obsessive,

02:54but those are all traits of great writers.

02:58Yes, and serial killers.

03:00Wednesday has always been interested in learning more and honing her skills,

03:05but here we get to see that play out in a much more in-depth and wide-ranging way.

03:10She hasn't lost her love for pain and darkness.

03:13I only signed my name in blood.

03:15I would expect nothing less.

03:17I never said it was my own blood.

03:19But she's also thinking about bigger things too,

03:22like what she wants to be when she grows up,

03:24and how she's going to make her mark on the world.

03:27Introspective and intelligent as she is,

03:30it's no surprise that she wants to become a writer.

03:32Or, given her precociousness, that she has a very short timeline in mind for success.

03:38She wants to write her great work younger than Mary Shelley.

03:41Writers should always refill their creative cups before they begin again.

03:44So I indulged in my favorite passions, torment and humiliation.

03:48Spending more time with Wednesday provides her with more time to explore different facets of herself,

03:53and to even begin to unpack the less charming parts of her personality,

03:58like her manipulativeness or the fact that she sees everything in black and white.

04:04I don't evolve. I cocoon.

04:05She's not able to just avoid or blot out the parts of life she doesn't like,

04:10but instead is forced to confront them.

04:13And sometimes even come to realize that she doesn't always have all the answers.

04:18Wednesday learns that if she wants to find success or happiness,

04:23even the dark and dreary happiness she desires.

04:26She has to open herself up to the reality that the world, other people, and even she herself,

04:32have emotions and experiences that don't fit into the neat boxes she once thought.

04:37One new surprise for this iteration of Wednesday is the arrival of her psychic powers.

04:42It turns out that she's a raven, a psychic who can see dark visions of the past and near future.

04:48Just like the less savory parts of her personality,

04:51she has to learn to control her psychic abilities so that she can put it to good use.

04:57One of the biggest avenues of growth for Wednesday comes from her relationships with

05:02all of those new people she meets once she's out of the Addams House.

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06:45Wednesday is naturally independent and standoffish.

06:49I act as if I don't care if people dislike me.

06:54Deep down, I secretly enjoy it.

06:58So it's no surprise that she doesn't have the easiest time settling in at boarding school.

07:03Especially when her roommate is her exact opposite. While she generally loves scary things,

07:09one thing that does seem to genuinely terrify Wednesday deep down is the idea of opening

07:14herself up to others and possibly being vulnerable.

07:18I like being an island. A well-fortified one surrounded by sharks.

07:22To avoid this, she pushes people away and always tries to deal with everything on her own.

07:28So that she doesn't have to worry about other people letting her down.

07:32Or she secretly fears her failing other people.

07:36But through some key relationships at her school, she begins growing beyond this mindset.

07:41Larissa, the principal of Nevermore Academy, represents one of Wednesday's least favorite things.

07:47An authority figure.

07:49While Wednesday initially sees Larissa as just another obstacle,

07:53she eventually comes to appreciate the degree of care she has for the school and its students,

07:58including Wednesday.

07:59While Wednesday has a strained relationship with her own mother,

08:03Larissa is able to provide a level of understanding and, when needed, directness,

08:09to help Wednesday step back and see the bigger picture, eventually even becoming her spirit guide.

08:15Bianca, the queen bee of Nevermore, immediately senses Wednesday's power,

08:20and sees her as a threat to her own.

08:22They spend most of the first season at odds, but actually, at its core,

08:27much of their dislike for one another is born out of their similarities.

08:31They're both supremely confident, competitive young women who want to be in control of everything at

08:37all times. Having two such entities in one place will pretty much always lead to sparks.

08:43But because, as much as they might try to pretend otherwise, they're both also deeply feeling,

08:49they are able to connect with one another in a real way.

08:52You're lucky.

08:53Do you tell?

08:54You don't care what people think of you.

08:56Honestly, I wish I cared a little more.

09:00Like Wednesday, because of her need for control,

09:03Bianca doesn't want to let anyone help her when she runs into big issues,

09:07like when she gets blackmailed by Barry Dort.

09:10But because Wednesday has grown and come to realize how important it is to have a team around you,

09:16she's able to help Bianca see this as well.

09:19And then, of course, there's Enid.

09:21While Bianca and Wednesday butted heads because of their similar natures,

09:25Enid and Wednesday are just the opposite.

09:28Literally.

09:29Enid is quirky in a zany way and always looks on the bright side.

09:32And while she's excited to room with Wednesday, Wednesday certainly does not feel the same.

09:38But as different as they may be, they clearly have a connection.

09:42And no matter how hard Wednesday initially tries to fight it, they become friends.

09:46Wish me luck.

09:47If he breaks your heart, I'll nail gun his.

09:49It's Enid who gets Wednesday to really begin to grapple with the problem of her constant refusal

09:55to think about anyone else's feelings.

09:57While Wednesday has up to this point always behaved this way and had it treated as normal,

10:02Enid does not appreciate it and makes it clear.

10:05Wednesday realizes that her cold heart has melted a bit when she actually misses Enid when she moves

10:11out of their room.

10:12And when she's happy to have her back.

10:15Skip the tape.

10:17Don't tell me Wednesday Addams is mellowing out.

10:19Never.

10:22More like evolving.

10:24Enid teaches Wednesday the power of compromise.

10:27And how it can actually be rewarding to work with others to create something that works for everyone.

10:34Relationships aren't about one person winning and the other having to follow along,

10:38but instead about finding balance.

10:41The mark you have left on me is indelible.

10:44Anytime I grow nauseous at the sight of a rainbow or hear a pop song that makes my ears bleed,

10:48I'll think of you.

10:50Wednesday also comes to find that enjoying colors and being a ray of sunshine doesn't preclude one from

10:55being powerful either.

10:57In fact, much to Wednesday's surprise,

11:00eventually it ends up being Enid who saves her.

11:04Wednesday has had to battle devious authority figures,

11:07two-faced boyfriends, and a host of other threats.

11:10But her biggest battle has always been internal.

11:14She's constantly pushing back against the expectations others have for her.

11:17The only side I'm on is my own, and the only place I'll lead you is off the cliff.

11:22So do not put me on a pedestal, because I will burn it down.

11:26But she's also started to realize that she might have to alter her own expectations for herself,

11:32and what she wants out of life, too.

11:34This is what makes Wednesday so interesting as a show.

11:38Getting to see this intriguing, playfully weird girl slashing her way through young adulthood,

11:43overcoming demons of all kinds, and continuing to push forward,

11:48no matter how scary it might be at times.

11:52As I venture into the unknown, I am determined to assume every lying deception, or die trying.

11:59Sounds like a perfect vacation in me.

12:02Let us know, what are your predictions for Wednesday's story in Season 3?

12:06And which character from the show would you like to see us cover next?

12:09Also, make sure to check out our previous video diving into the history of all of the

12:13different versions of Wednesday Addams.

12:15Don't forget to use our promo code, thetake2, or this QR code to get 55% off your first month

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