Does Jenna Ortega Deliver As Wednesday Addams?

Jenna Ortega explores a Wednesday Addams as we’ve never seen her before in Netflix’s Wednesday as our titular character heads off to her parents’ alma mater Nevermore Academy. There, the teen detective attempts to master her psychic powers, stop a monstrous killing spree in town, and solve a supernatural mystery that affected her family 25 years ago.

From Scream to Wednesday, Ortega continues to prove herself to be one of the best actresses of this generation. She is fully committed to the role of Wednesday and brings her own unique perspective. What’s so refreshing about Wednesday is that she knows who she is and is confident in that. While she goes on a journey this season, she is steadfast in her identity and doesn’t want to live under the shadow of her parents. She is deadpan, macabre, smarter than everyone around her, a savant, and a truth seeker, but she will also surprise you with an unexpected quip or an intense dance sequence. While she starts the season with a black and white mindset, the outcasts she meets during her time at Nevermore do manage to wiggle their way into her black heart.

While casting for Morticia, Gomez, and Uncle Fester garnered a lot of buzz, the Addams clan remain guest stars throughout the season as Wednesday takes center stage. This might be for the best as Catherine Zeta-Jones lacks the presence Morticia requires and both Morticia and Gomez (Luis Guzmán) feel like caricatures compared to the depth we get in Wednesday herself.

Outside of the family, Wednesday introduces us to a new slew of characters from Morticia’s old roommate-turned-Nevermore Principal Larissa Weens (Gwendoline Christie) to Wednesday’s roommate Enid (Emma Myers) who is the Galinda to her Elphaba. There’s also potential love triangles, popular girls, and nerds introduced at the school that feel like archaic archetypes of what high school means when they could’ve gone bolder as they follow students who are supernatural outcasts. The show can feel cliche and overstuffed at times and would’ve benefitted from more diverse and inclusive casting choices. While the Addams’ Latino identity is put at the forefront, most of the characters around them, including possible romantic interests for Wednesday, are whitewashed.

This season also finds Jenna Ortega impressively acting alongside Christina Ricci, who played one of the most iconic iterations of a young Wednesday Addams, as well as highlights numerous Addams Family Easter eggs. While Wednesday and Tim Burton seem like a perfect fit creatively, Burton’s presence is weak outside of the design for the mysterious creature she is trying to stop.

All in all, Wednesday is jauntily macabre and twisted, with a mystery that you’ll have fun trying to piece together along with the characters. With the perfect amount of spooky and kooky, Jenna Ortega was born to play Wednesday Addams.

Snap twice and get ready for Wednesday to hit Netflix on November 23.