Chapter 3: Friend Or Woe – As the third episode of Wednesday begins, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) finds herself restrained before the bag is removed from her head. She quickly realizes that Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday) is the one speaking to her. Wednesday tells them that Rowan showed her how to get down here. Once she tells them how she solved the riddle and got down there, Wednesday is reminded that the Nightshades are an elite social club. Although the group was previously disbanded, Principal Weems looks the other way as long as nobody makes any waves. When Bianca asks what they should do with her, Xavier suggests letting her pledge. Bianca doesn’t like that idea although Wednesday believes it is only because she beat her at her own game.

She admits she isn’t interested in joining anyway. Wednesday unties herself, takes the picture, and leaves after insulting everyone. Back in her room, she admits she doesn’t know how Rowan rose from the dead or what the monster is roaming through the woods. Wednesday wonders if she is sharing the apocalypse with a pilgrim and is going to cause the demise of Nevermore. Outside, Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie) tells the students what is going to happen on Outreach Day which includes the dedication of a new memorial statue in the town square. Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) runs over to Wednesday to tell her that she got Pilgrim World. As for Wednesday, she got Uriah’s Heap which is a weird antique store. Enid hopes she’ll be with Ajax (Georgie Farmer). Xavier (Percy Hynes White) gets the Weathervane so he tries to swap with Ajax.

Larissa tells Wednesday that she’ll have her cello brought to the town square this afternoon since she volunteered for her to accompany the Jericho High School marching band. She doesn’t think it’ll be too challenging to play an uplifting Fleetwood Mac melody. Once they arrive in town, Wednesday learns that Xavier is still upset that she rejected his invitation. She has more pressing matters to deal with including tracking down the monster that killed his former roommate. Xavier doesn’t think Rowan is dead because he was only expelled. She shows him the picture. He saw it a couple of days before the Harvest Festival when it was open on Rowan’s desk. Rowan went ballistic on him when he confronted him about it. Wednesday knows that Rowan threw him against the wall using his telekinesis. He finds it weird that she is in the journal since it is like 30 years old.

He also questions why Joseph Crackstone is in the picture with her. He is a big deal around here since he is Jericho’s founding father. She sees a picture of him. Mayor Noble Walker and Lucas (Iman Marson) talk to Sheriff Galpin (Jamie McShane). Donovan tells him that they still have something in the woods connected to the school. Noble doesn’t think he should point fingers at Nevermore since it pays for their roads, parks, and salaries. They argue briefly before the Mayor tells Galpin to just find the bear and take care of it. After the Mayor addresses the students, Wednesday tries to get Enid to switch with her because she wants to check out Pilgrim World. Enid doesn’t want to do it until she learns that Ajax will be at Uriah’s Heap. Wednesday makes it to Pilgrim World and catches up with Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) before Mistress Arlene approaches them. She gives them a tour and shows them where they keep some of Joseph Crackstone’s beloved artifacts.

Wednesday asks more about the artifacts and learns they have original farm tools, tableware, and even the family chamber pot. She wants to work there, but can’t because it is being renovated. Instead, they’re all going to work at the Ye Olde Fudgery. Arlene (Lisa O’Hare) gives them outfits to wear. At Uriah’s Heap, Ajax and Enid look at the stuffed dead animals. Connie Jorgensen (Sophia Nomvete) tells them more about the road kill before asking them to brush the dead animals. They try to escape to the Weathervane, but Connie makes them stick around. In German, Wednesday tells the tourists about the whitewashing of American history. Lucas and his friends grab Eugene who is busy eating fudge. He gets sick and vomits on one of them so they try to lock him in the stocks. Wednesday arrives and prevents that from happening.

She ends up locking one of the boys in the stocks while the other two leave. The Mayor approaches Weems to thank her for the donation to his election campaign. Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci) tells her that there have been no incidents so far. She is introduced as the first normie teacher at Nevermore. Wednesday tells Eugene that he reminds her of her brother while she cleans him. When they’re done, she says they’re going to learn more about Crackstone. She manages to unlock the door and go inside where his artifacts are. Eugene stays outside to warn her if anyone comes. With help from Thing, she finds a painting of the old meeting house which includes the girl from her vision. Arlene realizes that Wednesday has gone missing. Wednesday finds the Codex Umbrarum which is the book the girl was carrying. That is Latin for Book of Shadows.

When she notices that the pages are blank, she suspects it is a fake. Arlene drags Eugene inside as she catches Wednesday before revealing that the original book was stolen last month during the two o’clock witch trial. Arlene decides to reassign them to fudge-churning duty. Wednesday wants to know where the original meeting house is but Arlene doesn’t know. Meanwhile, Enid tries to help Fabian (Murray McArthur) who steals an expensive camera on his way out. Ajax wonders if squirrels and rats could ever work out since they’re two different species. Enid thinks so because they have more in common than people know although she seems to be talking about herself and Ajax. He admits he liked the way she scratched out the bottom of their boat at Poe Cup and isn’t mad they lost. Xavier has a darker side people don’t see and Ajax thinks it is because his dad is famous.

Once Enid says this is the longest conversation they ever had, Ajax tells her that Gorgons are taught not to engage. He doesn’t want to accidentally stone someone even though Enid says she isn’t afraid of being stoned by him. She was thinking about sneaking behind the greenhouse tonight to see the blue moon. She eventually has to blurt out that she was hoping he’d ask her on a date. He gets pulled away when Connie needs help, but Enid is excited that he asked. At the Weathervane, Wednesday tells Xavier that she is there for Tyler even though he said Tyler was bad news. Tyler (Hunter Doohan) tells her that what is left of the original meeting house is out in Cobham Woods. It is pretty much a ruin and meth heads use the place as a crash pad. Tyler offers to show her where they are after when he gets off work.

Wednesday doesn’t want to wait since she can’t miss the statue dedication. Once Wednesday and Thing reach the ruins, they’re approached by Fabian who wants them gone. Thing chokes him while Wednesday looks around. After Thing gets rid of him, Wednesday tells him that there is nothing there. She finally has a vision when she tries to leave the building and sees people carrying torches. They all circle the girl who looks like Wednesday and calls her the devil’s spawn. Joseph (William Houston) approaches her, calls her Goody Addams, and says she has been judged before God and found guilty. They intend to burn her tonight. Goody tells him that she is innocent and he is the one who should be tried. She accuses them of stealing their land, slaughtering the innocent, and robbing them of their peaceful spirit. Goody calls them monsters before slashing Joseph.

He yells that he won’t stop until he has cleared the world of outcasts and Godless creatures. Goody is locked in a building. The others begin setting the building on fire. Goody’s mother (Gloria Garcia) tells her to save herself while the others stay and burn. She is encouraged to avenge them, find the others, and save their future. As Goody escapes, she tells Wednesday that he won’t stop until he has killed them all. Joseph approaches and makes it clear that there will be no escape. In the present, Wednesday tells Thing about Goody who might be her ancestor from 400 years ago. She sees the monster moments later. Wednesday follows the footprints and quickly realizes that the monster is human. Then, she runs into Xavier who wants to look at the tracks, but the rain has washed them away. He thinks she might be right about Rowan because he texted right back when he texted him this time and said he couldn’t go snowboarding again.

Xavier admits they didn’t go snowboarding last year so he knows something is up. When asked, Wednesday says she came out to the old meeting house in hopes of learning more about Crackstone. He asks about her psychic abilities which started about a year ago. Once Xavier says his dad is a psychic, Wednesday admits she knows about Vincent since her brother is a big fan. His dad says the visions can’t be trusted because they only show you one part of the picture, but Wednesday believes what she just saw. She believes he is trying to mansplain her power. Xavier just wants her to know that psychic ability is based on emotion. She believes Rowan was right that something bad is going to happen and she needs to stop it. Wednesday thought nothing scared her until she stared into the eyes of Joseph Crackstone. She talks about getting revenge while waiting for the statue ceremony to start.

When the band begins playing, Thing lights a match and uses it to blow up the statue of Crackstone. Weems takes Wednesday back to the school to question her about it. Although Wednesday claims that her hands are clean, the principal doesn’t believe her. Weems tells her she is a trouble magnet. Wednesday responds by saying if trouble means standing up to discrimination and centuries of treating outcasts like second-class citizens. She asks the principal if she knows the true story and why she is complicit in covering it up. Where Wednesday sees doom, Weems sees opportunity. She suggests it might be a chance to right the wrongs and start a new chapter in the relations between normies and outcasts. Wednesday thinks they still hate them although they sugarcoat it now. Before Wednesday is sent back to her room, Larissa lets her know that she doesn’t tire easily.

That night, Fabian is attacked by the monster as the camera begins taking pictures of the incident. Enid complains about a twisted psycho sabotaging the life-affirming event while getting ready for her date with Ajax. Eugene looks around the woods before seeing a cop car in the distance. Marilyn snaps twice and opens the hidden door. Wednesday admits she doesn’t believe in coincidences. While taking a shower, Ajax ends up looking in the mirror so he can’t make it to the date with Enid. Wednesday as the drawing happened in the future, Goody’s warning was in the past, and the monster is in the present. Weems burns a picture of Morticia. Dr. Kinbott dresses some of the stuffed animals. Although the Sheriff thinks monsters only exist at Nevermore, Wednesday says they exist everywhere. Tyler goes under the water in his tub and screams.

The monsters they least expect are sometimes the most dangerous. Enid destroys a school bus while Xavier is shown with scratches on his neck. The Sheriff gets the pictures developed and sees the monster for himself.

 

Wednesday Review

The quality of Wednesday has remained consistent through three episodes with Thing, the cinematography, and the soundtrack being highlights of each episode. On the other hand, Wednesday has some glaring issues that prevent it from shining as brightly as it could. The dialogue could be a lot better since the characters are starting to repeat the same phrases frequently and the same subjects are being rehashed too often.

The characters sometimes sound like they’re reading Tweets instead of talking to one another in person while the need to throw the word “normie” around every five minutes can be cringe at times. The story is beginning to feel a little too bloated since there are so many branching storylines with varying degrees of success. Many of these storylines could’ve been pasted from other Netflix shows so it is hard to find things that haven’t already been done before.

Some of the characters are better than others. It probably isn’t a good sign when a disembodied hand that doesn’t speak is the most likable character although Tyler and Enid are good too. Wednesday could’ve been a more effective series without the murder mystery, shorter episodes, and more genuine character development. At this stage, it is just okay thanks to the pristine scenes, Thing, and some good performances sprinkled in.

The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Wednesday can be found on Reel Mockery here. Have you found our website beneficial? If so, consider supporting our work by following this link.