Here is the ‘Thing,’ a show that has recently hit Netflix that has all of our attention. I am talking about the “peppy” Wednesday show released on November 16th, 2022. As a lifelong Adams Family fan, I was ecstatic when Jenna Ortega appeared on my recommended list. The show was directed by the infamous Tim Burton and was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. This series follows a young Wednesday Adams, a 16-year-old girl who navigates her way from a normal public school to Nevermore Acadamy, a school for outcasts. And by outcasts, they mean anything from werewolves to psychics. This show is definitely one of my favorites that Netflix has come out with in a long time, and I will be going through all the dirty details about our ‘sunny’ girl, Wednesday Adams. 

The series opens up with Wednesday dumping piranhas in the pool at her public school, which is very on brand for our girl. After being expelled, her parents bring Wednesday to the school they used to go to as children, Nevermore Academy. The students are immediately enthralled with the dark and mysterious Wednesday, and the other students themselves are like her in some ways. Her roommate is a peppy werewolf, Enid, and she is quickly immersed in the drama and terror that is high school. She tries to break out of said school but ultimately fails, which leads her to meet some of the locals. The mayor’s son, the sheriff’s son, and other sons that are not important to the story. 

But something evil is afoot in the small town of Jericho. Townspeople and Nevermore students have been found badly mauled and killed by some kind of creature. A creature Wednesday has seen, but nobody believes her. Wednesday has some tricks up her sleeves as she decides to take on the case. She has her psychic visions that she has told no one about, and she has Thing, the severed hand. As Wednesday channels her inner Sherlock Holmes to solve the cast of the monster, she uncovers more secrets than she bargained for. Secrets about family, friends, Nevermore, and the town itself. Through adequate CGI and some pretty amazing action scenes, this show will keep you on the tips of your toes.  

Even though the show only has 8 episodes, it feels as if you are going on the journey with Wednesday in real-time. I had high expectations for this show, and I am happy to say I loved it! Jenna Ortega does an amazing job embodying Wednesday. She does not just copy what Christina Ricci did in her time wearing the black dress and pigtail braids, but Ortega made it her own! The twist ending truly threw me for a loop, and I am rarely surprised when it comes to mystery shows. Overall, this was a one-of-a-kind show. As an Adam’s family lover, I thought this show was a good rendition of the movies we love to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it kept me sane during this merry time of year. Hopefully, we will get a second season of smiles from Wednesday Adams (snap, snap).  

Claire Arneson is a Dakota Student Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].