Friend or Woe

I love Buscemi in almost everything he is in but somehow he is he goofy enough or sinister enough. The show grinds to a halt when ever he is on camera. He needed to be more Jim Carey or Patrick harris. Other wise the episode work well.

The camp of course is a call back to Addam' Family Values

This just a throw away episode.

This is so politically motivated that the 'slumber-free' cheer and the rest wonder at the vilification.

Even so, this is remarkable well done. I am confident that the cast was really well led by the writers and direction. There is enough 'on the page' that the editing can step along briskly. Even the doofus boys are well written. The first episode drags a bit but this features the set-up. Ep.2 shows us Wednesdays character. Ep.3, this one, goes overboard on the two-dimentional mean kids but no hero fares well unless the villains are serious.

I liked best the dialog 'asides' which are numerous and quick enough to keep the viewer interested and chuckling.

"Wednesday" seems to have gotten off to a very slow start but it finally feels as though it's beginning to ease in to itself now, embracing the quirky absurdity of its premise & having fun whilst balancing genuine intrigue & mystery with brilliant moments of impressively constructed comedy.

Additionally, Tim Burton's iconic signature style is bleeding through increasingly, with each installment - allowing for the series as a whole to carve out a distinctive identity which sets itself apart from the rest. I can sympathise he may have found the gradual transition from film to TV quite jarring at first, but I get the impression he's definitely found his feet again here, thankfully - & that confidence behind the camera shows, allowing for some gorgeously captured set pieces to flourish as a consequence.

The characterisation of Wednesday Addams is more accurate too, managing to portray her sadism & cynicism without veering too perilously close to being sympathetic - so as not to jeopardise her detachment from others (& humanising her), which is the source of the her endearing amusement. In "Friend or Woe", she's simply obsessive with pursuing her own ambitions, addressing the ambiguity of the situation without being distracted by external forces - & that's very on brand with what we'd associate, so I'm pleased to see they've readjusted her course & taken her in a more believable direction.

Wednesday does some historical investigations about one of Jericho's founding fathers.

This is a well made episode with some intrigue and spectacle.

For me the previous cliffhanger could not be more of an anticlimax, but it is pretty funny due to Wednesday's reaction and attitude.

The most revealing plot element in this chapter comes in one of the exposition dumps that are Wednesday's psychic visions. It is another great visual sequence, to go with so many others in the show, plus it drip feeds more information that holds interest in the central mystery. It does not feel particularly original. Her arc feels quite similar to the great Simpsons episode 'Lisa The Iconoclast', but unlike the humorous Springfield story, it gives a more satisfying resolution to the historical whitewash, along with Wednesday's blunt distain for the museum.

As with previous episodes I find some characters better than others. Wednesday carries the show for me, but several other characters feel a bit uninspired, particularly the other students. I am not a fan of the martial arts scenes and doing it again here with the same antagonists feels repetitive.

All performances are strong and the production values are excellent.

For me it's a 7.5/10, but I round upwards.

The show finally stops picking at the thread and begins to present us with what it promised in premise and setup. Everyone is giving it their all with what they're given and the this ultimately provides for an entertaining episode setting up multiple threads at once. That said, the dialogue is humiliating and seems to be written by a 40-year-old teen. Normies is used in-universe with a straight face, one hundo, and mansplaining. Soundtrack is becoming grating at this point as the music smothers dialogue and one can only take so many string covers. The show, like the characters, wears its intentions on its sleeve but is ultimately saved by technical execution.