Major Spoilers ahead for Wednesday.
For those yearning for an escape into the realm of supernatural beings laden with dark halls, fantasies, and intriguing mysteries, then Netflix’s Wednesday is the perfect watch. The show, created by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough is led by Scream (2022) star, Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday Addams. Viewers get to watch as Wednesday navigates her supernatural abilities after transferring to Nevermore Academy.
Viewers of the show know that the schoolhouses at Nevermore Academy are made up of supernatural beings who have different abilities. As the show progresses, we get to see Wednesday interact with these different groups, each of whom are considered to be “outcasts” like herself.
For those who want a refresher on who these people are and why they’re considered “outcasts” in the first place, here’s a breakdown.
Vampires / Fangs
Fans of supernatural drama or thrillers are not unfamiliar with the concept of vampires and their abilities. However, the show, which calls these supernatural beings “fangs” took a different approach in their portrayal of them by not displaying their powers.
Unfortunately, viewers barely get to meet any fangs other than Yoko Tanaka (Naomi J. Ogawa), who was Enid’s roommate for a short time. For whatever screentime Yoko occupied, she was seen wearing sunglasses in bright daylight.
This is interesting because, unlike the daylight rings vampires possess in shows like The Vampire Diaries and The Originals that protect them from being burned in sunlight, it appears that Wednesday has replaced rings with sunglasses.
With the show’s upcoming second season, hopefully, we’ll get to find out more about why this is and see more fangs in action.
Werewolves
The show did not leave out one of the most powerful and popular supernatural species of all time – werewolves. Even though the viewers could not glean much information about them, the show reiterates the story of their transformation during the full moon night (one of the common mythological lore associated with werewolves).
This is evident through the ordeal that Wednesday’s roommate Enid Sinclair finds herself in, as she serves as the only detailed depiction of the creature in the series. Enid’s difficulty with “wolfing out” becomes the show’s vital subplot.
While we didn’t get too much werewolf screentime, we get to see Enid’s nails turning into sharp claws whenever she gets excited or afraid. It is not until the very last episode that the viewers finally get to see Enid’s complete transformation and her subsequent fight with Hyde in that very form.
We’re hopeful that the next season will give us more Enid screentime so that we can learn more about the life of a werewolf.
Sirens
Among the pupils of Nevermore, the sirens are an interesting outcast species of which Bianca is the queen bee. The former nemesis of Wednesday turned into her accomplice in defeating Hyde. She possesses the power of persuasion, which is the ability of a siren.
Sirens are mermaid-like creatures who use their songs to influence others’ thoughts, decisions, and actions. This manipulative ability is the cause of Bianca’s breakup with her boyfriend Xavier. The sirens also possess the power to turn into mermaids underwater. Their legs and hands turn into mermaid tails and razor-sharp claws, respectively.
Even though we did not get to see Bianca in that form, a glimpse of the siren’s powers could be caught at the Canoe Race, where a siren turned into a mermaid and attempted to sabotage Wednesday’s approaching victory at the race.
Gorgons
There’s a very good reason why gorgons are required to cover their heads at all times, even when they’re using the mirror. They have snakes on top of their heads, a glimpse of which can turn anyone to stone. The show clearly took inspiration from Greek mythology while representing the Medusa-like characters, Gorgons.
The only Gorgon that we get to see on the show is Enid’s crush and love interest, Ajax Petropolus.
Psychics
Nevermore is filled with students with psychic abilities, and Wednesday Addams is one of them. She has the power to use her visions to see past events and predict the future. She is mostly able to experience these visions after touching an object, which triggers her supernatural abilities. This is seen at the very beginning of the show when she touches her brother Pugsley and it allows her to identify his bullies.
Besides Wednesday, there are other essential characters whose powers bordered on psychic abilities. This includes Rowan, Hyde’s first victim. He possessed telekinetic powers which he inherited from his mother, allowing him to throw objects and people around as well as the ability to experience visions, like Wednesday. In the series, he seemed to foresee Wednesday destroying the school, which caused him to almost kill her before getting brutally slain by Hyde.
Another character explored in the show is Xavier Thorpe, who possesses the power to bring painted objects to life. Despite the show never thoroughly exploring his powers, much emphasis was placed on his ability to predict the future through his dreams.
Not unlike Xavier, Rowan, and Wednesday, Eugene is shown to have a psychic connection with the bees. His capability in manipulating and controlling the movement of the bees was showcased towards the end when he led a swarm of bees to attack Laurel/Marilyn Thornhill. This saved Wednesday and other outcasts from getting killed by her.
Shapeshifters
Nevermore also contains a shapeshifter and it is none other than Principal Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie) who was a roommate of Morticia Addams.
Her abilities were first revealed to viewers when she transformed into Rowan to hide his death from the public. When Wednesday confronted her about the secret, she justified her act as a necessary step to protect the ‘outcasts’ and the school’s reputation. She also used her powers to assist Wednesday when Marilyn Thornhill’s identity was revealed to the audience.
Hyde
The list won’t be complete without mentioning the series’ primary antagonist, Hyde, who also happens tp be a supernatural creature whose acts of murdering the students at Nevermore constitute the show’s major mystery. It was not until the penultimate episode that viewers were introduced to the identity of Hyde, who was Wednesday’s potential love interest Tyler.
In her extensive search for details about the monster, Wednesday could barely lay hands on any vital information except that they never attended the supernatural-filled Nevermore Academy. As the series progressed, the viewers were introduced to some of the intriguing facts about the creatures uncovered by Wednesday.
These include how, unlike other supernatural beings, Hydes cannot turn at his own will but needs to be guided by a mentor for their inner monster to get unleashed. It was later revealed that Tyler’s mother was a Hyde and the trait was passed on to her son.
Wednesday is currently streaming on Netflix and a second season, which is sure to explore these characters further, is on the way.
Published: Oct 10, 2023 01:08 pm