Wednesday: You Reap What You Woe (2022)
Season 1, Episode 5
9/10
Great episode. However, the lack of Tim Burtonisms is noticable. I hope we don't begin to lose the essence and self-awareness of why this show was unique
27 November 2022
Interesting episode where the Addams parents take center stage. It is definitely interesting to see their younger selves in the very same institution where we have been discovering secrets about. However, I think the flashbacks should have been more extensive and detailed to give us a better grasp of the backstory and setting. Many convenient information was provided as exposition where I myself would have loved if they had took their time to present the younger versions of the Addams parents and their relationships with the other students so it didn't come as "forced" the eventual animosities that catapulted the events that unravel here.

But I see that as more of a personal filmmaking preference of mine. The show remains as interesting as always through the development of its story. Nevertheless, you can feel the absence of Tim Burton's direction here. There aren't as many wacky shots, framing, staging nor other visual flairs nor character comedy as in the previous episode. The show is beginning to focus more on its serious drama-mystery than the dark comedy, macabre imagery and self-aware nature the show stood out so much for. This isn't Riverdale, this is isn't Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; the show was unique and genius in its absurdist approaches at the Addams-in-the-real-world shtick. But it always maintained a grasp of the cleverly constructed mystery and drama behind the amazing world-building.

It seems the show is beginning to stagnate a bit or in other terms starting to prioritize other aspects of it that are not the ones that make the show unique. The show is unique because it presents a pretty "straight forward" narrative built on mystery-teen-drama through a unique Tim Burtonesque lense of self-awareness and over-the-top romanticised macabre, cynical and even a smidge of sadistic reaction to all the events that unravel. While every other Non-Addams character is interesting in their own way, they don't stand out as great as the nature and personalities of the Addams. I'd just hate for this traits of them to diminish as they become as two dimensional as the other characters can end up being. Lets not forget there's yet a lot of things we haven't seen yet and I hope we get to them in the wacky and over the top way the Addams are known for. I'd just hate to see the show devolve into a cookie cutter teen-supernatural-mystery drama featuring the Addams. There are great performances, fantasticly well-fleshed-out characters, rich and engaging School and town backstory and I hope they keep up the narrative with the same gusto as the previous episodes. And never forgetting that black comedy, that is the cherry on top.
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