Chapter 6: Quid Pro Woe – As the sixth episode of Wednesday begins, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) holds a séance because Goody may be the only one who can train her to control her psychic ability. She suspects she can crack the case as soon as she masters that. Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) walks in and interrupts her before she can reach Goody. A note is pushed under the door asking Wednesday to meet at Crackstone’s crypt at midnight if she wants answers. They go there together. When Wednesday goes inside the crypt, the door shuts so Enid stays outside to act as a lookout. Wednesday is surprised with the other students come out of hiding and yell happy birthday. She complains to Thing (Victor Dorobantu) and reminds him that she didn’t want a party. Wednesday notices a Latin phrase on the wall that says, “Fire will rain when I rise”.

She touches it and triggers a psychic vision in which she sees Goody who calls her the raven in her bloodline. When Wednesday asks her about controlling her ability, Goody says there is no controlling a raging river. To stop Crackstone, she must seek this place. Goody warns her that the path of a raven is one of being alone. Back in the dorm room, Enid takes responsibility for the party so Wednesday doesn’t blame Thing. Wednesday receives a taxidermy kit from her parents. Enid gives her a snood. She has one too so they can wear them together to class. Wednesday suggests saving them for a more special occasion. Mayor Walker (Tommie Earl Jenkins) tells Larissa (Gwendoline Christie) that Lucas feels terrible about what happened at the dance. He promises he had nothing to do with the fire on the lawn since he has been grounded for the last week.

Larissa says he can do his community service here and they’ll forget it ever happened. She just wants the Mayor to find the delinquents responsible, but Walker wants to track down whatever attacked the Ottinger boy first. Xavier (Percy Hynes White) approaches Wednesday outside to ask if she had another vision last night. After she admits she hasn’t ruled out that he could be the monster, Xavier tells her to find him when she changes her mind and needs his help. Bianca Barclay (Joye Sunday) approaches Lucas (Iman Marson) while he cleans to ask where he got the bracelet. He tells her about a woman in the Weathervane who told him about the self-help app called MorningSong. He believed what she said so he signed up. Bianca tells him that MorningSong only cares about his money and not his well-being. She asks him to delete the app because they’ll sink their claws into him the more he listens.

When he asks why she cares, Bianca says she is trying not to turn into her mother. Before she leaves, Lucas tells her he’ll be at the Weathervane later if she wants to stop by. Wednesday sits with Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) and talks to him about birthdays and Goody saying she is destined to be alone. Dr. Kinbott (Riki Lindhome) interrupts with flowers and explains that she is working with Eugene’s mothers. After Wednesday mentions Goody, Kinbott asks who she is so Wednesday describes her as a very distant cousin. She tries to convince the doctor that she is still just as cold and heartless as she was the day they met. Noble receives the old death certificate he requested. Agnes (Lachele Carl) confirms that Inez Bloom called a couple of days ago about the lights at the old Gates place. She referred her to the sheriff’s office. Noble looks at the death certificate for Laurel Gates.

Tyler (Hunt Doohan) talks to Wednesday about her birthday at the Weathervane Café. He invites her out to a non-birthday, song-free dinner. Wednesday says she has a tight deadline on a term paper about how whitewashing the sins of the past will come back to kill them all. She shows him a drawing of the gate in the vision, but Tyler doesn’t seem to know what it is. He thinks she has been ghosting. Sheriff Galpin (Jamie McShane) enters so Wednesday tells him that the threat at the school can also be found in Crackstone’s crypt. He isn’t eager to help her. Later, Wednesday asks Xavier for help finding the gate. Surprisingly, he has drawn the same gate. He explains he drew it a couple of days ago after he started having those dreams again. It is the old Gates’ mansion that he passes when he goes running.

Thing uncovers a painting of Wednesday playing her cello. Xavier says he couldn’t stop thinking about her after the dance so she started painting and that is what came out. He can feel her playing and knows she gets lost in the music. Xavier thinks it is the only time he gets to see the real Wednesday. She walks out without saying anything. Tyler talks to Bianca at the Weathervane. He asks her to give back Enid’s give to Wednesday and says he is definitely not her boyfriend. When Lucas arrives, he shows Bianca that he got rid of the bracelet. Bianca came because she wanted someone to talk to and feels like they’re in the same boat. She wants to prove her mother wrong. Lucas says people think he will never amount to anything. He trashed the dance because he was angry that his dad was humiliated on Outreach Day.

After they did it, he felt like crap so he knew he needed to wipe the board and start over. Bianca admits that makes sense to her. Wednesday finds the Gate where Garrett lived. She believes Goody showed her this house for a reason so she needs to unlock its secrets. Wednesday has to run when the Mayor comes out of the house and locks the door behind him. He calls the Sheriff saying he might know who is behind all of this. Wednesday asks Thing to help her create a distraction. Thing and Wednesday sneak into the back of the mayor’s vehicle. Once he arrives at the Weathervane, they watch him get hit by a speeding car. The sheriff checks on him and yells for someone to call 911. Later, Donovan tells Wednesday that he is barely alive. When he mentioned a statement, Wednesday says it was a blue Cadillac with no license plates.

She goes on to tell him why she was in the back of the Mayor’s SUV. Donovan reveals that the Mayor used to have a lot of wild theories on cases that he couldn’t solve when he was the sheriff. Wednesday believes it all points to the Gates family and that house. Back at the school, Weems ridicules Wednesday for being at the center of every controversy before revoking her off-campus privileges until further notice. Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci) checks on Wednesday in her dorm room moments later. Marilyn insists Larissa is just looking out for her best interests. She gives Wednesday Frankenstein and tells her how Mary Shelley wrote it on a dare when she was only 19. Wednesday knows already. Marilyn thinks it is good she is focusing on literary monsters and leaving real ones to the authorities.

Wednesday is warned that Larissa will expel her if she continues to defy her. She tells Marilyn that they’re not alike and she doesn’t need her help or pity. Once Marilyn leaves, Wednesday calls Tyler to accept his date offer and tells him to pick her up outside Nevermore gates at 8:00. After the call, Donovan tells his son to stay clear of Wednesday because she is the kind of girl who will get him hurt. When he says he knows the type, Tyler asks if he is talking about mom. That would require him to talk about her. Donovan can’t talk about this right now because he needs to get to the hospital. When Tyler asks if he ever loved her, Donovan says more than he could ever know. Wednesday admits to Enid that she regrets not showing her gratitude towards her more appropriately after the birthday surprise. She tries to use Enid to help her get off campus.

Enid offers to say she is about to wolf out so she can get a pass to the lupin cages. Thing agrees to help. Enid makes Wednesday wear her snood. Once they get into Tyler’s car, Tyler and Enid learn that Wednesday lied to them. Wednesday tells Tyler to just drive. Xavier visits Wednesday’s room to talk to her only to find that she isn’t there. He asks Thing where she is. Wednesday takes Tyler and Enid to the Gates mansion. They reluctantly go inside with her. Once they break into the garage, they find the blue Cadillac that hit the mayor earlier. Enid argues that they need to contact Tyler’s dad right now, but Wednesday believes he’d just take her back to Nevermore. They go inside and find a painting of the Gates family. Wednesday wonders why Goody led her here. They find a hidden room that has “blood will rain when I rise” on the wall. A picture of Crackstone is in the middle. Wednesday notices that the candles are still warm.

She asks Tyler to check the rest of the ground floor while she goes upstairs with Enid. Once they split up, Enid yells that there is something Wednesday needs to see. The bed is made without any dust or cobwebs. They find a jewelry box with the letters LG on the front. Wednesday suspects it belonged to Laurel Gates. It isn’t possible that she moved back into her room since she died a long time ago. They have to escape when Tyler yells that the monster is there. They take shelter in the dumbwaiter until the rope breaks and they crash to the floor below. As the monster approaches, Wednesday finds the body parts from the monster’s victims in jars. Once they escape, Wednesday says they have to go back for Tyler. They find him with scratches across his chest. Xavier arrives and gives him a scarf so he can wrap it.

Wednesday tends to his wounds while Enid complains she is going to have a panic attack. Donovan comes in and immediately blames Wednesday who wants to show him the stuff in the basement. When they go back to the mansion, they discover that everything has gone missing. He forbids her from seeing Tyler again. She is scolded by Larissa when she makes it back to Nevermore Academy. Wednesday shows her the warning from Rowan and insists it would be a mistake to expel her. His mother drew it before she died and said she would destroy the school. Wednesday believes she is meant to save it now. Larissa agrees to give her another chance but insists she’ll be expelled with one more step out of line. Wednesday goes back to her room where she learns that Enid is going to room with Yoko for a while. She ridicules Wednesday and reminds her that they could’ve died tonight due to her stupid obsession.

Enid really tried to be her friend before telling Wednesday to be alone since that is what she wants. Wednesday remembers what Goody said about her being destined to be alone. She has a gnawing feeling that death is close at hand. Wednesday finds pictures of herself hidden in the jewelry box. Someone sneaks into the mayor’s hospital room and unplugs the equipment. Wednesday insists she will find whoever is watching her.

 

Wednesday Review

Although the investigation aspect of Wednesday is hit-and-miss, this episode still had some good moments. The scenes in which Wednesday and Enid were running from the monster were well done and effective. The mayor being hit by a vehicle was unexpected at the time although not entirely unpredictable.

While the show isn’t terrible, it doesn’t separate itself from other similar shows either. It doesn’t take advantage of the Addams Family legacy besides Thing which has been the only exceptional aspect of the show so far. Most of the casting choices are good, the show looks great, and certain characters are likable.

On the other hand, Wednesday feels like a hollow shell just going through the motions with a lack of passion. The love triangle doesn’t work because the boys seem so desperate while Wednesday is disconnected. Wednesday just isn’t as spectacular as it could’ve been even though this was probably one of the better episodes this season.

The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Wednesday can be found on Reel Mockery here. Consider supporting our work by following this link.