If These Woes Could Talk

Terrific midseason finale. Definitely a much darker tone than last year, what with the gruesome death last episode and the gruesome death(s) this episode. I will admit that most Wednesday fans will be surprised about the demise of a certain character, but it does kind of up the ante that nobody - except the titular Ice Queen herself, of course - is safe.

If I had any complaint about this season so far it would be that they are under-using Enid, who is tied with Thing - imho, anyway - as the show's second most intriguing character. I do like that the primary plot device this season is Wednesday trying to solve her friend's death before it happens. But so far Enid's role is hanging with Thing (awesome) and taking Wednesday's place at the center of this season's love triangle (not so awesome). Hopefully, Burton, Gough and Millar will gave our favorite werewolf girl some cool stuff to do in the second half.

The chaos at the asylum was mindless fun. Tyler/Hyde's rampage. Fester's antics. The reveal of what "Lois" actually means. Poor, deluded Louise/Lois, and so much more.

Plus, the "What happened? Wednesday happened" line was pure gold.

There was another big reveal that I will say took me by surprise - something that most of us thought wasn't going to be revealed until sometime toward the end of the season - but of course will lead to bigger reveals in the second half. Don't want to say more as this is a spoiler-free review but I think most fans who have watched this episode will know what I am talking about.

Eagerly looking forward to part two of this season. Who's behind all the chaos and what is actually going on? Who knows, but I am counting the days until the first Wednesday of September.

After the weird third episode I came into this one a little tentative. Boy was I surprised though. The story continues and is extremely compelling with sudden twists some of which are very shocking(in my opinion) and some great scenes like Billie Piper's character playing Zombie on the piano in that one scene! :> Absolutely devastating cliffhanger and I like the altered formula to make it different from the previous episodes. The relationship between Grandma-ma and Morticia is interesting and it's nice to see Morticia take some action. But the icing on the cake is the last 15-20 minutes with one banger of a cliffhanger. It's also always a plus to see Fester. Agnes is also a very interesting character and I would like to see more on her. Can't wait for Part 2 on September 3rd.

This is the strongest episode of the season so far.

There is an effective build up to a crescendo of spectacle that takes place at a specific location. The filmmakers effectively blend moments of humour and terror whilst moving the plot forward in an interesting way. That is as much as I can say without spoiling.

One of the highlights is the use of a guest character who has a key role in what happens and generates the most laughs. Without him I think it would cross the line of being too dark for what the show has established since its first season.

Visually it is one of the strongest episodes of Wednesday. There atmosphere is suitably creepy whilst never losing that slight hint of goofiness that good comedy-horrors need to remind you not to take it too seriously.

All actors are very good but for me the stand out is Fred Armisen.

Season 2 has been notably darker in tone prior to this episode, but I would say this raises it another notch. As it is popular with younger viewers I would advise parents to vet it first before letting any sensitive young ones watch it, as some moments might be nightmare fuel.

The second season of Wednesday allows the show to expand beyond the title character and her spooky-ooky classmates to involve more members of the Addams family. First, I would like to address several comments regarding some of these other characters:

Gomez (Luis Guzman) - Many commenters have negative reviews of Guzman, however he is exactly as how creator Charles (Chas) Addams envisioned Gomez when the comic first appeared in the New Yorker magazine. Gomez was NEVER drawn as dashing. He was drawn to look more like Chas Addams himself - short and corpulent. (That never stopped Chas Addams from romancing the most glamorous female stars of his time - look it up.) Gomez was not intended to be like the late Raul Julia (movie's Gomez) or even John Astin (on TV).

Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) - Some criticize her extreme white makeup and ruby red lips. But that's the point - she's suppose to look like a corpse, with an unhealthy pale appearance. BTW, in the TV series, Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones, who also portrayed her sister Ophelia. Will we see that same dual casting with Zeta-Jones? It's possible we may have gotten a glimpse of Ophelia in the mid-season 2 "cliff hanger".

Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) - Some also take issue with Ortega's complexion. But since she is Morticia's daughter, it only makes sense her skin should have the same pale complexion.

Mama/Grandmama Frump (Joanna Lumley) - Mama's appearance is definitely NOT in line with the original. In the comic and TV show, Mama is more or less shown as a witch - short, old and withered, etc. Instead, Tim Burton has elected to glam her up and make her a funeral home mogul. That only works in service of this season and is not what the character was suppose to look like. And since she also lived with the family in the TV series, making her estranged from Morticia also makes no sense. (But since Mama Frump is supposedly also American, it does make sense for Lumley to affect an American accent in this role.)

Pugsley and Eugene - It was 3 years between seasons 1 and 2. In that time, these two actors went through a dramatic growth spurt. Pugsley does not look like he's suppose to. And without the curly wig and glasses, Eugene could probably be the romantic lead.

Ms. Capri (Billie Piper) - There was absolutely no reason for Piper to drop her British accent. In season 1, Principal Weems (Gwendolyn Christie) certainly didn't change her accent. A poor choice by the producers to change Piper's voice.

It was not completely surprising to see the re-appearance of Christina Ricci. But is she "gone" or not? Not everyone really dies in these shows.

In general, I'm still not sold on the idea that somehow the Addams have powers - that's way out of line with the source material. And to invent a whole new subculture of "outcasts" somehow dilutes the importance of the Addamses as quirky characters in the first place. The whole point was that, despite their appearance, they exhibited stronger family values and morals than the "normies". But in Burton's interpretation, that now makes less sense.

Tim Burton has taken extreme liberties with the Addams family. While we're still waiting to see Morticia to demonstrate any real powers beyond ESP, will Gomez and Mama also be powered, or are they just wealthy? (I'd be fine if they dropped the whole powers thing, but Burton's opened this Pandora's box and now he has to live with it.)

One more thing. Both Ortega and Emma Myers (Enid) are beginning to age out of their roles, both turning 23 in 2025. Maybe for season 3, the show could "time jump" to allow Wednesday, Enid, and others to experience adventures outside Nevermore. Just a thought.

In quirky shows like this, the actors, directors, writers, & crew have to work harder to suspend our disbelief. Yes, it's a genre piece so as such it can be read in varying degrees of expectations; however, odd ball comedy, to gentle horror, to a mystery story like this needs convincing character actors so the viewer believes the characters realness over the unreal situations.

In "Addam's Family Values", Christina Ricci smiles in such a way that it is burned in my memory forever. That singular smile is elevated beyond what is written or even the story itself by her incredible acting. The weight & value of that smile is solely dependent on Ricci; that is, she brilliantly establishes Wednesday so that a singular smile would resonate through all time, space, & matter. I was smitten with her talent from that point forward.

Thandiwe Newton is equally as brilliant & is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. Have I seen all of her work? No. What I have seen of her is that she's able to layer her characters with such believability that we find emotional pay off in unlikely places. Again, that's incredible talent that helps viewers suspend the disbelief over the situation, for the belief in these characters.

Truthfully, I watched this episode giddy. Who on earth cast this thing? Everyone is fantastic! Honestly! It's as if someone plucked out so many of my favorite talents & put them in the same show just for me. No, I'm not that vain, but it says something about the talent director of this film. It appears to me that talented people love working with Tim Burton.

I love Jenna Ortega as Wednesday. Her portrayal is burning so many great memories into my skull the way Ricci has. The thing about every actor in this piece of literature, is that they seem to only grow stronger standing next to another.

Thank you for keeping the spirit of The Addam's Family and updating the satire for modern day audiences. Thank you for putting so much effort into suspending our beliefs, so that we can see the human in every outcast. Because truthfully, all humans have value & are often limited by how they allow themselves to limit their potential.

Most importantly, thank you for giving us a scene where Newton and Ricci can act in the same room. I could say more about how rewarding it has been to watch Ricci's arc, but I'd have to take time on every character to actor because they all deserve high praise.

This is a brilliant show.

*That look Newton gives Ricci, in that one scene...omg...(spoilers)