Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday is better than The Addams Family's in this key way
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Wednesday spoilers follow
Jenna Ortega is the latest to take over the Wednesday Addams mantle and she definitely had some iconic shoes to fill.
In the 1964 original television iteration of the comic, the role of Wednesday was played by Lisa Loring.
There was an innocence that surrounded Loring's Wednesday (if you could call it that). Something that suggested that she was somewhat ignorant to the depth of her twisted nature and that ignorance struck the right balance between disturbing and sweet.
By stark contrast Christina Ricci's 90's Wednesday was in no doubt about the severity of her macabre nature. In fact, she reveled in it.
Her spooky, wicked portrayal became the image of Wednesday that was cemented in our minds and it was pretty unshakable: when you think Wednesday you think Ricci.
Now, in this latest addition to the Addams Family franchise it is Ortega who is draped in black and white, wearing Wednesday's signature unreadable expression – an inexpressiveness that is only ever absent when a terrible tragedy unfolds. Only then is it replaced by an indulgent, satisfied smile.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy Ortega revealed that she wasn't too keen on her Wednesday being compared to Ricci's, stating:
"They're very different people. I hope that there's not too much comparison going on, because it's not necessary."
Unfortunately, it was always going to be inevitable. The Addams Family Wednesday is pretty well etched into the minds of fans with even Ortega herself admitting that working with Ricci in Wednesday was weird.
"I've grown up my entire life viewing her as Wednesday. So it's a bit disorienting," she went on to elaborate.
Ortega was right though. They are different. They are as different as night and later that night (to borrow a phrase from Monica Geller on another iconic show) because on the surface, at first glance they appear similar.
Cold, macabre with a sharp tongue and a penchant for extreme pain and violence. Those are the hallmark qualities we expect from any Wednesday post-Ricci.
Yet there is one crucial difference between the two Wednesdays that has changed the tone of the character in a vital way.
One key tweak to the devilish Addams makes Jenna's Wednesday a much more intriguing, dare we say superior version – and that's depth.
What The Addams Family's Wednesday lacks in nuance Wednesday makes up for in spades. That is not to say that the noughties queen of all things morbid was a flat disappointment, merely that her more 2D portrayal served the world that she was in.
Ricci's Wednesday was made to be just a piece of the larger Addams Family jigsaw. Did she at times outshine them all? Absolutely, but she was designed to fit into the perfect family portrait with the neatest precision.
Each Addams was shaped and moulded to merge into the ensemble. However, to break them apart and examine them separately was to reveal a hollowness in desperate need of more substance.
The fact that Wednesday stood out was mostly a testament to deep love for an exciting character who always had the potential to be much more.
That is what Wednesday allows for: more substance. Wednesday's solo outing in the self-titled show cracked this familiar character open and held her under a microscope for close examination. In doing so it gave wider scope for more layers, leading to a much more fascinating Wednesday than we've ever had before.
The same cold, dark outer shell, this time filled with squishy innards, which in turn provides the potential for more vulnerability. With that comes the opportunity for character development.
That's not to say that Wednesday's Wednesday has gone soft. The word would curdle in her mouth like sour milk (which tbh she'd happily drink).
She's still the type to own a pet scorpion, set live piranhas after the swim team and dissect dead squirrels, however there is now room in her for more complexity. The kind of complexity that asks 'What happens when someone with inability to connect and bond with her peers embarks on a romance?'
Or one that examines how friendships are built and maintained when that person's self interest is always placed at the forefront.
The dichotomy of Wednesday's authentic self versus the journey she goes on can be best summed up by Emma Myers, who plays her polar opposite, werewolf bestie Enid. As Myers put during an interview with Digital Spy:
"Enid teaches Wednesday that she can be emotional and still be a badass, and Wednesday teaches Enid that she can stand up for herself, and be patient with herself."
Their unlikely friendship is part of what forces Wednesday to grow. She doesn't sacrifice the part of herself who isn't concerned with others' opinions of her and yet she learns how to consider how her actions impact others. She becomes begrudgingly more attuned to their needs and learns how to navigate them alongside her own.
In the same interview Ortega admitted that the goal of Wednesday was to humanise the character. To elevate her beyond the "one-liner character or the funny bit," and in that they succeed.
"I think that there's so much to her," explains Ortega. "So much that people relate to about her. It's really interesting exploring that, especially her as a teenager, when she's become a bit more experienced in the world, and she knows a bit more.
"She formed some really important relationships like Enid and Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) and Weems (Gwendoline Christie). Those people mean a lot to her."
Did that stop her from obsessively pursuing the monster at the expense of their safety? No. She's still Wednesday and her core Wednesday-isms must rear their viperous head if only for authenticity.
That means her passions and interests are paramount even if it does mean a little maiming for her friends.
That said, even her pursuit of the monster dubbed the Hyde allows for an uncomfortable season of change within her.
Wednesday learns she's not always right, that there aren't always quick, satisfactory results to her efforts (like setting piranhas after her brother's bullies) and that she can be bested.
All these things serve to sharpen her resolve and make her more tenacious. Even though we're sure she'd much prefer to swallow a bucket of nails or, worse, endure Enid's giggling text sessions.
Ortega's Wednesday carves a new space in the Addams universe for a much more tangible portrayal of the character.
The Addams Family's Wednesday may have done a flawless job in establishing the character's dark and callous personality but Wednesday adds dimension, creating a much more vivid and interesting character with the ability to carry a solo show.
All episodes of Wednesday are available to stream now on Netflix.
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