In 2022, Netflix saw another original hit with the release of Wednesday, despite some glaring problems with the story. Following the iconic daughter of the spooky Addams Family, Wednesday is driven by Jenna Ortega’s deadpan performance as the title character is shipped off to boarding school after wreaking havoc one too many times. Wednesday is rife with Addams Family references and witty retorts that make it a delight to watch for new and old fans, but one plot point represents a problem for the highly anticipated Wednesday season 2.

Wednesday finds herself at a school where, despite the macabre aesthetic that deeply resonates with her character, everyone else acts like normal teenagers. Wednesday is pulled into multiple storylines of developing friendships she insists she isn’t interested in having — yet her being paired up with a brightly adorned perky peer like Enid (Emma Myers) was an inevitability. However, while this storyline benefited from the classic juxtaposition and the actresses’ dynamic, Wednesday’s romantic entanglements made less sense and weighed down her story.

Even Jenna Ortega Agrees That Wednesday’s Love Triangle Made No Sense

Wednesday’s Love Triangle Doesn’t Work For The Famously Anti-Social Character

Ortega changed some dialogue for Wednesday, which she revealed in an interview on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. Furthermore, the breakout horror star made a passing comment on how she disliked the subplot where Wednesday ends up in a love triangle with burgeoning seer Xavier (Percy Hynes White) and local “normie” Tyler (Hunter Doohan). In Ortega’s words:

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down on a set in the way that I had to on Wednesday because it’s so easy to fall into [the teen] category, especially with this type of show. Everything that she does, everything that I had to play did not make sense for her character at all. Her being in a love triangle made no sense. […] There were times on that set where I even became unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines. The script supervisor thought I was going with something and then I would have to sit down with the writers and they’d be like, ‘Wait, what happened to the scene?’ And I would have to go through and explain why I couldn’t do certain things.”

Additionally, it makes sense for Ortega herself to say this when it is her portrayal of Wednesday that is so incongruous with the storyline.

Ortega’s razor-sharp performance of Wednesday embraces the history of the character’s morbid, withdrawn persona, who is completely above all the high school drama.

Ortega’s razor-sharp performance of Wednesday embraces the history of the character’s morbid, withdrawn persona, who is completely above all the high school drama. Ortega nails every scene, painting a picture of Wednesday that is kooky, dismissive, and fierce, while being enriched by her interest in music and writing. Wednesday even makes a comment in the show expressing that she has no idea why the boys are all interested in her, and her attitude most of the time suggests that she’s just tolerating it, up until the script demands a kiss between her and Tyler.

Wednesday’s Love Interest Storyline Summarizes What Season 1 Got Wrong

Wednesday Season 1 Leans Too Much Into A Familiar School Story

The love triangle subplot is exemplary of Wednesday‘s weaknesses as a TV show, although it clearly thrived despite them. Namely, Wednesday is another contemporary high school drama with a murder mystery theme, with shows like Stranger Things, I Am Not Okay With This, and now A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder showing how widespread this has become. Wednesday is a character who clearly doesn’t want to be in school, a story that has been told before, and a series about her could possibly be doing bigger and better things if she weren’t stuck in this situation.

Meanwhile, Wednesday must tie the history of the Addams Family to this one school and location, when it’s realistic that they were in other places across the generations. Admittedly, there are some great parts of this show that come from the academic setting — Enid and Bianca (Joy Sunday) are good characters, and there may have been no other way for Wednesday’s iconic dance scene to happen. It is mainly that school limits Wednesday’s character by trapping her in a clichéd story.

Wednesday Season 2 Can Be A Much Better Show By Ditching The Romance Subplot

Wednesday Can Still Be A Subversive Horror Show In Season 2 By Dropping Weaker Subplots

Wednesday season 1’s ending sees Tyler and Wednesday’s romance seemingly over, with Xavier having made up with her and reaffirmed their friendship. Hynes White isn’t returning for season 2 due to sexual assault allegations, meaning Xavier will already be written out of the story. Ortega says they are “ditching any romantic love interest,” and exploring more horror (via Variety). It would be even more awkward to subsequently introduce another love interest for Wednesday, especially as the show is more complex when the supporting characters are carrying individual storylines.

In fact, season 1 could still serve the show well, if it set up a standard boarding school story only to completely subvert narrative expectations with its second outing.

Meanwhile, Wednesday has other things to do as she learns to harness her powers and discovers more about her family history. Season 2 could tell a much darker and less conventional story if it hones in on the dangers of Wednesday’s powers and her connection with her ancestor Goody Addams (also Ortega). In fact, season 1 could still serve the show well, if it set up a standard boarding school story only to completely subvert narrative expectations with its second outing.

Wednesday is still going to take place at Nevermore Academy, that much is certain. There will still be some high school shenanigans with Enid and the rest. However, moving away from the romantic subplots and focusing more on the horror will hopefully make things better than ever. All the Wednesday characters’ storylines would benefit from delving into their darker aspects without being weighed down by school story tropes, which could make the sophomore season one that truly improves upon the original.

Source: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Variety