Season 1, Episode 2: Woe is the Loneliest Number
The second episode picks right after the first where Wednesday is nearly killed b yfellow class mate Rowan but saved by the CGI Burton monster. However all the grown-ups are gaslighting her into thinking that Rowan wasn’t murdered by the goofy-looking monster and instead Rowan ran away/ got expelled and that’s there is no monster except for the universal-style monsters who pay tuition.
So it’s Wednesday on the case to piece together the prophecy Rowan’s mother had about her destroying the school, which isn’t the terrible she enjoys and to see if she is losing her mind which is less enjoyable than she imagined.
While this is happening Wednesday is some-what forced into participating in Nevermore activities like going to class, where they mixed up the two Ghost Orchid species, siren chorus club, archery club, and bee keeping club, “The Hummers”. She also participate in the Poe Cup for mild revenge.
Also got to love how the show is afraid of subtext or it doesn’t trust the audience enough to get the subtext of Bianca’s and Wednesday’s back and forth about the Ghost Orchid, that two character have to comment on it. The again this a teen drama so it tracks. Also gotta love how it’s clear the screenwriter thought they were clever with the metaphor but mixed up the two Ghost Orchids.
Then there is all the Poe references. The school’s name, the fact that he was alumni which means he would have had some supernatural powers, probably a psychic type, the crazy Poe cup, Raven Island and a secret society that has the book the Wednesday needs to figure out her place in the prophecy. But ether also many other references throughout the show in that seems hard for the Addams Ip to shine. Like there is Wednesday, Thing and Weems’ name comes from the comics and the double snap but as so far it’s Poe is winning.
Wednesday motivation is muddle. She goes from wanting to leave the school to staying on just for curiosity. There is a little more to it than all that but there wouldn’t be the story if she left so something had to compel her to stay, so jinkies Wednesday it’s a mystery.
Highlight of this episodes are Enid. She’s fun and I adore her relationship with Thing, wish that was more of “thing”…
Ultimately this show on its own merits asks a lot of its audience but doesn’t trust them at the same time because the show thinks it’s smarter than it is by throwing out references and quips but then explaining them an effort to be comedic.
There are so many little stylistic nitpicks I have with they show that it’s making me question my own sanity maybe the show will get better at that or I will give into the insanity of it. Like the picnic tables of the Quad really don’t add to the Gothic vibe. They look like a summer camp… actually Nevermore feels more like a summer camp but Wednesday already did that and this show is allergic to referencing the films. So Gothic revival with picnic tables, apt metaphor maybe?
Side Note – Also it’s weird that Wednesday makes a sound that “only dogs can hear” and there is no follow-up joke or punchline from a werewolf about it. She just breaks some glass and that’s the joke?
