Friend or Woe

Even though "Wednesday" appears to have gotten off to a sluggish start, the show is really starting to come into its own, embracing the quirky absurdity of its premise and having fun with it while also managing to strike a good balance between genuine intrigue and mystery and brilliantly constructed moments of comedy.

In addition, Tim Burton's instantly recognisable visual aesthetic is becoming further engrained in each episode, giving the series a singular identity that helps it stand out from the rest of the competition.

Wednesday Addams is represented more realistically as well, with all of her sadness and cynicism being brought out without going too far into pity lest we lose sight of what it is about her that makes her so endearingly different from other people. It gives me pleasure to see that they have refocused on her and provided her with a route that is more plausible. In this episode, she is completely preoccupied with pursuing her own objectives and dealing with the uncertainty of the issue without getting diverted by other things, which is exactly what we would want her to be doing.

...are all over this. While people are criticizing this show as Tim Burton not working to potential, Burton's not the only one with input into this series.

The slow tease of Wednesday's story is reminiscent of another Gough/Millar-created show: "Smallville" in which they spent years with this nod nod, wink wink look at the coming of age of Superman.

And for those who don't like Luis Guzman as Gomez (not seen here), there can be only one John Astin. Even Raul Julia in the 90s films was a poor substitute. Let's not be too harsh.

While we've only ever known Wednesday as a child until now and this is terra nova, it seems as if they're trying to create a backstory for Gomez and Morticia as well.

This is so politically motivated that the 'slumber-free' cheer and the rest wonder at the vilification.

Even so, this is remarkable well done. I am confident that the cast was really well led by the writers and direction. There is enough 'on the page' that the editing can step along briskly. Even the doofus boys are well written. The first episode drags a bit but this features the set-up. Ep.2 shows us Wednesdays character. Ep.3, this one, goes overboard on the two-dimentional mean kids but no hero fares well unless the villains are serious.

I liked best the dialog 'asides' which are numerous and quick enough to keep the viewer interested and chuckling.

Wednesday does some historical investigations about one of Jericho's founding fathers.

This is a well made episode with some intrigue and spectacle.

For me the previous cliffhanger could not be more of an anticlimax, but it is pretty funny due to Wednesday's reaction and attitude.

The most revealing plot element in this chapter comes in one of the exposition dumps that are Wednesday's psychic visions. It is another great visual sequence, to go with so many others in the show, plus it drip feeds more information that holds interest in the central mystery. It does not feel particularly original. Her arc feels quite similar to the great Simpsons episode 'Lisa The Iconoclast', but unlike the humorous Springfield story, it gives a more satisfying resolution to the historical whitewash, along with Wednesday's blunt distain for the museum.

As with previous episodes I find some characters better than others. Wednesday carries the show for me, but several other characters feel a bit uninspired, particularly the other students. I am not a fan of the martial arts scenes and doing it again here with the same antagonists feels repetitive.

All performances are strong and the production values are excellent.

For me it's a 7.5/10, but I round upwards.

"Wednesday" seems to have gotten off to a very slow start but it finally feels as though it's beginning to ease in to itself now, embracing the quirky absurdity of its premise & having fun whilst balancing genuine intrigue & mystery with brilliant moments of impressively constructed comedy.

Additionally, Tim Burton's iconic signature style is bleeding through increasingly, with each installment - allowing for the series as a whole to carve out a distinctive identity which sets itself apart from the rest. I can sympathise he may have found the gradual transition from film to TV quite jarring at first, but I get the impression he's definitely found his feet again here, thankfully - & that confidence behind the camera shows, allowing for some gorgeously captured set pieces to flourish as a consequence.

The characterisation of Wednesday Addams is more accurate too, managing to portray her sadism & cynicism without veering too perilously close to being sympathetic - so as not to jeopardise her detachment from others (& humanising her), which is the source of the her endearing amusement. In "Friend or Woe", she's simply obsessive with pursuing her own ambitions, addressing the ambiguity of the situation without being distracted by external forces - & that's very on brand with what we'd associate, so I'm pleased to see they've readjusted her course & taken her in a more believable direction.