Quid Pro Woe

Ep 6 feels like it's trying to get the weirdness back, but it's still not quite the full Burton buffet we had early in the season. The mystery moves along briskly, with new clues, shifting suspicions, and a couple of decent reveals, but the atmosphere isn't as lush or eccentric as before.

Jenna Ortega remains the glue holding it all together - her glare could probably get its own spin-off - while Emma Myers' Enid keeps injecting energy into every scene she's in. We also get more from Gwendoline Christie, whose Principal Weems continues to be both fascinating and slightly terrifying. The Tyler/Xavier/Wednesday triangle simmers on, though it's more seasoning than main course.... thankfully.

The episode does manage a few fun set pieces, and there's a nice sense that the puzzle pieces are finally starting to click. Still, part of me misses the over-the-top gothic staging that made Nevermore feel like a character in its own right.

A solid instalment, but if the Burton magic doesn't fully return soon, the season risks trading its uniqueness for generic teen-mystery territory.

Like all good hauntings, there needs to be a house, that's all dark and dingy and riddled with louse (or creepy crawlies generally), where cobwebs prevail, the air's grey and stale, the antitheses of, any place you'd carouse. So Wednesday and Tyler and Edith explore, they're not really sure what it is they look for, though behind hidden walls, with their fine knitted shawls, a candescence of evidence provides the decor. But the story so far has left several threads dangling, like all good detectives, she'll need her best wangling, to find the culprit (or culprits), and to make the crimes stick, preventing more souls being lost after mangling.

This episode carries along the narrative quite well, but the inclusion of Fred Armisen just absolutely ruins the experience and atmosphere.

His consistently high pitched, over-acted voice pulls me out of the experience, and reminds me of a poorly thought out Saturday Night Live sketch. I'm honestly surprised they let Fred take on this role, it's just that bad. The constant "inside jokes", bad puns, and tongue-in-cheek dark comments create a much different vibe than the rest of the cast provides.

The entire episode I was waiting patiently for the moment he left the screen, and I could continue watching the show in relative peace.

The previous episode has been a lower point, it seems. This episode was quite interesting again. There are a couple of plot holes (the photographs were too recent, no time for being developed, the house was empty too quickly) but in general it was good.

In this episode, Wednesday is at her peak of selfishness and it shows that she is not only an original spirit but a real jerk. I found that a little inconsistent. She had felt guilty about Eugene even when his attack was not her fault (she told him not to go alone) but the she makes the same mistake, but worse, with Tyler and Enid. And she also asked for Xavier help without reciprocating. And of course she did not acknowledged the good intentions of those who made her a party So, I am glad she hopefully does a little grow up in the close future.

Wednesday's friends attempt to celebrate her birthday, but she has other plans.

This is a good episode with some strong character moments.

The central mystery continues to drip feed information at an appropriate pace to allow the filmmakers to showcase a bit of horror movie suspense. This is done well, with great attention paid to the characters behaviour in certain situations as well as the strong visuals on display. It is another chapter that ends with you wanting to find out what comes next.

A big part of the plot is Wednesday's attitude towards her friends and potential love interests. For me, the dynamic with the boys is adequate but not great, as I do not find them particularly interesting characters. What does work is her relationship with Enid, which is credit to the writers for plausibly portraying how this character would react to Wednesday's behaviour. The chemistry between Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers is one of the highlights of the show.

There are some scenes involving Bianca and Lucas that slightly develop the characters more, but I think it needs to lead to something worthwhile for it to be a significant arc. I will reserve judgement until the outcome of this becomes clear.

As ever the cinematography and art design is excellent, with a great soundtrack that enhances everything.

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