Netflix’s Wednesday Spoilers Ahead
Netflix’s Wednesday is about many things, but one of its central themes is finding your people. Throughout the eight episodes, the narrative seamlessly makes it clear that even the most fiercely independent characters in the world could use companionship.
In a nutshell, the story is about normies and outcasts and even those who fit in between the edges. Wednesday Addams, brought to life perfectly by Jenna Ortega, is a strong, unbeatable force to be reckoned with, and despite how much she could handle on her own, she’s made better with the people around her. She’s stronger in the end because she chooses to work alongside a team of people to defeat the Hyde Monster and unlock the secrets of Nevermore Academy.
Power is resilience and resistance, yes, but simultaneously, it’s about compromising to make room for inclusive spaces. More often than not, in media and various fandom spaces, strength is correlated with independence. But that’s seldom the case in the real world, and strength isn’t measured by what a person can accomplish alone but by their willingness to open up when necessary. Wednesday is brilliant on her own, but when we consider how she learns to accept help, even and especially from Thing, it makes her character much more layered. There’s nothing that Wednesday or any of the Addams members can’t take on, but because there’s strength in numbers, it makes their united front so admirable.
First, the narrative looks into Wednesday and Morticia’s mother/daughter relationship and how it could grow stronger. Wednesday doesn’t need to follow in her mother’s footsteps in any way, but understanding where Morticia is coming from and the detail that they can both carve their own paths is crucial for her development. Throughout her time at Nevermore, Wednesday needed to know that her mother trusts her and wants her to be the version of herself.
In true teenage fashion, Wednesday’s rebellion is both understandable and yet, remarkably unconventional. She’s rightfully embarrassed by the overt public displays of affection her parents put on, but at the same time, she makes it clear from the piranha incident that she’s the only person who could bully her family members. The sentiment isn’t merely for Pugsley but for every living (and dead) member of the Addams family.
However, Wednesday’s relationship with Morticia is riveting because the disconnect the series presents viewers with allows them to grow for the better by the end. We don’t see the two of them at odds in most adaptations. But in Netflix’s Wednesday, it’s one of the core relationships developing in front of our eyes even when Morticia isn’t near her daughter the entire time.
Morticia Addams’ legacy looms over Wednesday throughout her time at Nevermore, but what ultimately results in the two understanding each other better is the deliberate choice to try. It’s about digging up graves and outright transparency. It’s about meeting each other halfway through everything, even while they’re at odds as a dove and a raven. The analogy of their powers that Morticia presents is riveting because it also bleeds into Wednesday’s friendship with Enid. Two people don’t need to be identical in every way to be able to form a close, unwavering bond. And Netflix’s Wednesday making this evident in various ways throughout the season speaks volumes.
Morticia never wanted Wednesday to be like her, and telling her so right before their goodbye allows Wednesday to understand that all her mother wants to do genuinely is be there for her. Morticia doesn’t want to be a stranger in her daughter’s life, but she merely wants to be a safe space for her to land. And Wednesday affirms that she also wants this by stepping forward to permit air kisses. When the series returns for a second season, it could be incredible to see how much closer the two could grow and how the relationship can affect them for the better.
Second, and perhaps, more importantly, is Wednesday’s burgeoning friendship with Enid Sinclair. From the moment the two meet as roommates, it’s clear that the characters will help each other for the better. Opposites attract works wonders on all spectrums, and Netflix’s Wednesday understands this notion by consistently blending light and dark for a transcendent grey.
Wednesday’s reluctance to get to know Enid is as understandable as Enid’s inability to take a hint. There are a lot of great TV friendships right now, but the progression between Wednesday and Enid is brilliant. As the two girls continue to play off of one another, while neither overtly rubs on the other with their characteristics, the steadfast spirit they see in the other allows them to find a companionship they can trust. Through arguments and reconciliations, the final scene between Wednesday and Enid is one of the most potent showcases of human connection that’s been on TV this year.
Ship what you want on the series, but there is no denying that Enid Sinclair is Wednesday Addams’ person and vice versa. May the world never forget that teeny tiny pink-haired werewolf Enid Sinclair fought a Hyde Monster to protect her best friend. Thick as thieves, sunshine and storm clouds, life and death, however, we label them, their friendship is the sole reason the thematic importance of found families shines brightly on the series.
Netflix’s Wednesday isn’t asking any of its characters to change; instead, it’s affirming that people can and deserve to be loved as they are. Through every episode, the series authenticates that no matter how strong a person is on their own, their strength is increased tenfold when they have a hand holding them through the joys and adversaries. Companionship doesn’t discredit power or independence — it elevates and spreads it farther and wider.
Wednesday is stronger as a person because she’s risking having her heart broken or putting her trust in the wrong hands, as she does with Thornhill and Tyler. Still, despite the betrayals, she leans forward and hugs someone despite the heartaches, which takes more strength than it does to stand back and bury her emotions. Wednesday’s choice to embrace Enid back is proof that the found family uncovered together is something both women would fight to protect at all costs.
These developments beautifully cement what it truly means to be a strong person because now, her blood-related family members aren’t the only people Wednesday would unleash piranhas for, but for Enid and maybe even Bianca too. (Plus, who knows how the list can increase in Season 2.) Wednesday’s good side is the best place to be, and through her decisions to try getting to know people, their companionships also affect her. The outcasts are bound together by an understanding that goes deeper than what those on the outside can fathom.
And though this is only the beginning, many of them are on their way toward becoming better versions of themselves.
Wednesday is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.