Season 1, Episode 4: Woe What a Night
I haven’t watched any CW-type shows but on some cursory research I learned that a “prom” or some kind of dance episode is a standard for the demographic. For Wednesday’s prom episode there is a school dance is called “The Rave’n” because if there one thing this show loves it’s Poe. I suppose naming a character Lenore would have been too obvious.
So much like her “not like other girls” attitude Wednesday doesn’t want to go to the dance and would rather investigate the monster and a cave.
She learns about the cave when she stalking the tortured artist boy who likes her and to save face on why she is stalking him she’s forced to ask him to the dance. I might be a rare breed, I don’t mind a good love triangle. However Wednesday’s for lack better descriptor is not a good love triangle. First Wednesday is in uninterested in either of them and these two like her despite that. Then there is the fact that there is little reason for either the boys to like her. The tortured artist, Xavier, might have a little more reason as they knew each other, albeit very briefly, as kids and Wednesday saved his life but angsty barista Tyler has no reason. It was down right weird when her told Wednesday that he thought she liked him. Either it’s a weird example of masculine entitlement because Wednesday was nice to him OR bad writing. Also both Xavier and Tyler are very similar to each other, they have a similar build, coloration and they both angsty to a degree. Xavier might have a little more going on as an artist but that is it and being an artist isn’t much a charactization. So the love triangle is annoying and tedious. Wednesday has more chemistry with insect enthusiast Eugene, and he has a the rare traits of liking Wednesday as friend because he like-likes Enid.
Though some have suggested that Wednesday might doth protest too much and that she doesn’t have much self-awareness to admit that she does likes Tyler and did in fact wanted to go to the dance. She just needs a push from Thing. But she only seems to like Tyler because he was willing to help her escape but that was transactional as she was offering him money so why would she like him? He seems to have an edgy steak but either it’s acting or direction because he comes off very bland.
So the dance, or the dance at Rave’n, has a Yeti theme. Enid exposits that Yeti is the proper term and they are extinct. Does this mean just Yetis are extinct or does that applied to all all bipedal ape-like creatures like Sasquatch? Also is the line about them being extinct just a joke because sightings are rare? In addition to the Yeti theme, the theme also focuses on climate change but in a “fun way” as per Enid’s diolouge. Basically it’s icy and white with a large yeti statue.
All in all this episode was pretty good. Bianca has really good character moment about her insecurities was people liking her or is it just the results of her “siren” powers. One would think that Wednesday disliking her would have actually endeared Wednesday to Bianca quicker but whatever, the show needed a pretty it-girl to deal some tension to Wednesday but at least the phase was short lived. Gave her some depth and nuance which is always a plus.
Enid and boy drama between Ajax and one the bullies, whom Enid invites to the dance was a weird kind reprieve from the back and forth of Wednesday’s school dynamic and her like-like triangle. A flaw with Enid’s plot is that bully characters over played, at least the one she went to the dance with has a something of redemptive arc because he and Enid bond over shared interests.
At the Rave’n, Wednesday succumbs and dances like everyone is watching. Wednesday dancing an off-kilter and distinct style is very on-brand for The Addams family. Wednesday danced in the 60s sitcom and each the 90s films had a very memorable dance scenes – the Mamushka (1991) and Gomez and Morticia’s tango (1993) love that dance scene. There are other Addams family dance scenes in other version and Wednesday’s is great addition. Also her dress is lovely and suits her.
Then there is the fake blood, which ‘you scare like me the real thing. And if you were the real thing, you’d scare me more’ song lyrics from a very niche tv show. The discourse online is that the fake blood scaring a vampires is odd. Vampires traditionally love blood, so blood streaming down from the ceiling should have been an utter delight to them until they realized that it was fake.
Now maybe they knew it was fake because of the smell that would have been one? But the show doesn’t offer up any lore or mythos to the Vampires that inhabit this world. All we really can glean is that they are sensitive to sunlight but it’s not lethal, consumption of garlic makes them sick and “fanging” seems to more a long the lines of making out. Who knows if these vampires even need blood it’s just assumption. Instead they run from the scary blood and Wednesday is the one enjoying it till she samples it. These vampire seem rather bloodless.
The episode ends with Eugene getting attacked by the Burton monster outside the cave which he and Wednesday were going to stake-out instead of going to the dance but Thing intervened and Eugene didn’t want to wait a single night. I guess plot and a dance needed to happen even if logic gets mauled a bit in the process. Are you not Entertained?
Again this episode is pretty good though it has its flaws like weak world-building and characterizations but this episode at least is more fun or maybe I’m just forgiving of weird dance sequences, both can be true.
Side note why does this show give Werewolf Bar Mitzvah vibes?
