You Reap What You Woe

Usually when a lead director steps down after completing the first block of principal photography on a production, there's admittedly a frustrating tendency for the next one to struggle capturing filmmaking of the same calibre. Therefore, the visuals become less experimental, more conventional / formulaic & aesthetically, the established style deteriorates until it's less adventurous & consequently, predictable - in order for it to be easier to maintain for the duration of the rest of a shoot. I say this in order to provide context for my main compliment because credit where credit's due, it is genuinely a major achievement for Gandja Monteiro & cinematographer Stephan Pehrsson to take over from a duo as formidably strong as Tim Burton & David Lanzenberg (behind the camera) - & still manage to meet the same standard set by their predecessors with relative ease. Seriously, the transition from one team to the next is seamless & I'm in awe of the brilliance of their abilities, in retaining such strong continuity - & making it appear almost effortless.

With this episode, the narrative additionally builds upon the previous 4 installments with a newfound energy & enthusiasm I couldn't help but notice; each & every scene skilfully crafted & enhancing the story further with interesting twists & turns which lead in to a really wonderfully realised cliffhanger. Although the show didn't get off to a very promising start, the more I watch of this, the better it's gradually becoming.

I've never been hugely into The Addams Family, remember watching the old one in black and white a few times. Never really got into the Addams Family movies either. But this! This is just amazing, and even tempts me to go and watch the Addams Family more.

A wonderful show focusing on story and characters, (rather than some of the modern stuff that needs to push certain agendas), and is so binge worthy.

Wonderfully shot with excellent dark "gothic" feeling. You can feel the genius of Burton all over it, and has his usual vibe pulsing through it.

Worth watching just for Jenna Ortega's fantastic, creative, portrayal of Wednesday Addams. Characterization beautifully developed and maintained, and you get lost in the fact that she isn't Wednesday. Self-assured, morbid, dark, humour and sarcastic, a little arrogant, cold, and reserved, but with slight moments of more under the protective shell. (Episode 6 I believe is the first time she blinks (though I'm sure most before that is editing), and it is there for a reason) Truly Ortega is totally amazing in this!! <3

Supporting cast are all basically great too. Christie as principal, gets a mention, but she's generally great in everything she is in, Myers (who I don't know) is great in her role as the contrasting roomy, Ricci, I wasn't aware it was her at first, great characterization, and love the fact that she played Wednesday in the movies....little cross-over, Zeta-Jones and Guzman are a great portrayal of Morticia and Gomez, Lindhorne brings a touch of her usual quirkiness to her role, and Thing (Dorobantu) does a stunning job as just a hand! So much expression and humour!

Netflix finally did something extremely well! Don't screw it up!

I had big hopes for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which I feel slowly died, and I've barely started season 2 as I lost interest. I want to watch more of Wednesday, and I'm even a little sad that there are only 8 episodes.

If you like the Addams Family (especially because of Wednesday), if you liked the good elements of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, if you like the vibe of Beetle Juice, and most other films that Burton directs or has an important roll in, if you like Jenna Ortega (or if you've never seen her before, but love actors that become their character), if you love quirky, school for those of special abilities/folklore, mystery solving, touch of creepiness, then just watch two episodes, and I'm sure you'll get hooked! (Sure, it has elements of so many things that are already out there, been done before, but there is just something special and magical about this.)

This episode is a decline from the previous. The writing and dialogues are terrible. Gomez and Morticia don't have any personality similarities to The Addams Family characters, and their acting is probably the worst on the show.

During the flashback, Gomez was struggling in a sword fight, yet in the original Addams Family he was always known as an expert swordsman.

Did the writers ever watch the original?

I like Guzman as an actor usually, but this isn't the same character as previously portrayed (perfectly) by John Astin and Raul Julia.

Overall I enjoy Wednesday and Thing as characters, but this isn't The Addams Family, it's basically Riverdale with a Addams twist.

Im also curious what role Tim Burton actually had in this show, not much it seems.

The parents are coming together for a weekend celebration, but seeing Wednesday won't be worth it since Gomez is in prison for a crime he committed. While it is true that he fell as a result of an incident with a normal, there is another, darker thread in the story that eventually led to his tragedy.

If the show's director changes after the first phase is over, the successor director sometimes struggles to maintain the same level of filmmaking quality. As a consequence, the established style deteriorates until it becomes less risky and, therefore, easier to sustain during the course of a session, as the photographs become less innovative, more traditional, and more visually appealing. This is simply background for my main compliment: I believe it is vital to give credit where credit is due, and it is a big achievement for Gandja Monteiro to replace a creative force as formidable as Tim Burton while maintaining the same level of comfort they created. However, if you look attentively, you will see a change in orientation.

The show's dark comedy, macabre aesthetics, and self-awareness were initially what set it apart, but they seem to be taking a back seat to the serious drama-mystery at its center. There isn't as much visual comedy or crazy shots, framing, or staging as there was in the last episode, and there are also fewer humorous characters. The show seems to be losing steam or changing its emphasis away from what makes it unique in favour of less distinctive components. The narrative of the programme is unique in that it depicts a mystery-teen-drama concept through a Tim Burtonesque lens of self-awareness and excessive romanticization of macabre, sardonic, and even sadistic reactions to events that occur.

Interesting episode where the Addams parents take center stage. It is definitely interesting to see their younger selves in the very same institution where we have been discovering secrets about. However, I think the flashbacks should have been more extensive and detailed to give us a better grasp of the backstory and setting. Many convenient information was provided as exposition where I myself would have loved if they had took their time to present the younger versions of the Addams parents and their relationships with the other students so it didn't come as "forced" the eventual animosities that catapulted the events that unravel here.

But I see that as more of a personal filmmaking preference of mine. The show remains as interesting as always through the development of its story. Nevertheless, you can feel the absence of Tim Burton's direction here. There aren't as many wacky shots, framing, staging nor other visual flairs nor character comedy as in the previous episode. The show is beginning to focus more on its serious drama-mystery than the dark comedy, macabre imagery and self-aware nature the show stood out so much for. This isn't Riverdale, this is isn't Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; the show was unique and genius in its absurdist approaches at the Addams-in-the-real-world shtick. But it always maintained a grasp of the cleverly constructed mystery and drama behind the amazing world-building.

It seems the show is beginning to stagnate a bit or in other terms starting to prioritize other aspects of it that are not the ones that make the show unique. The show is unique because it presents a pretty "straight forward" narrative built on mystery-teen-drama through a unique Tim Burtonesque lense of self-awareness and over-the-top romanticised macabre, cynical and even a smidge of sadistic reaction to all the events that unravel. While every other Non-Addams character is interesting in their own way, they don't stand out as great as the nature and personalities of the Addams. I'd just hate for this traits of them to diminish as they become as two dimensional as the other characters can end up being. Lets not forget there's yet a lot of things we haven't seen yet and I hope we get to them in the wacky and over the top way the Addams are known for. I'd just hate to see the show devolve into a cookie cutter teen-supernatural-mystery drama featuring the Addams. There are great performances, fantasticly well-fleshed-out characters, rich and engaging School and town backstory and I hope they keep up the narrative with the same gusto as the previous episodes. And never forgetting that black comedy, that is the cherry on top.