Wednesday “You Reap What You Woe”

There’s a really nice moment subplot to this one.  It’s parents weekend at Nevermore, and Enid’s werewolf mother wants to send her to conversion camp because Enid hasn’t wolfed out yet.  And…well, her father just stands there silently the entire time until Enid just tells her mom “no,” she will not be howling in the woods to force a change next summer.  That’s when her dad actually opens his mouth to say he loves her.  That was kinda sweet.

OK, here’s the deal:  there’s been a minor mystery in this series that, while a student at Nevermore himself, Gomez killed a normie.  Since it’s parents weekend, there’s Gomez and Morticia there to see Wednesday.  Wednesday has some issues with her parents, issues she can’t really show emotion for because, well, Wednesday doesn’t do that sort of thing.  She can just rattle off her complaints, but then things go wrong when Sheriff Galpin arrests Gomez for the murder in light of new evidence.

That comes about from a family session at Wednesday’s therapist where the hungry Pugsley took to eating the potpourri.   He does share it with his father later.  But anyway, Gomez goes to jail, and it may be up to Wednesday and Morticia to work together to prove something both already know:  Gomez didn’t do a dang thing.  Wednesday read his tells.  Morticia was there at the time.  Besides, the real reason is because Morticia did it.

OK, here’s the thing:  it’s still a little weird that this is an Addams Family-based show that barely features most of the Addams Family.  Wednesday is an obvious choice for her own show.  Thanks to past interpretations, she’s probably a more vivid character than most of the others.  I mean, would anyone want a Puglsey series?  Lurch?  Gomez or Morticia without the other?  Wednesday is generally developed enough to go on her own.  Keep Thing as a sidekick, and there’s good fun to be had.  This Wednesday is a bit older than most versions, but honestly, it makes sense for Wednesday to be on her own.  That said, it is even nicer to have her extended family around.  I may not mind Wednesday on her own, but I prefer her with her family.

I mean, this episode has a really nice scene between Wednesday and Pugsley as the younger Addams expresses some anxiety over how his father might be going to prison.  Wednesday doesn’t exactly offer a shoulder to lean on or anything, but she does offer to go fishing with him since they’re by the lake and she brought some hand grenades.  She also has a nice scene with Gomez as she figures out he’s hiding something (she knows his tells), and finally a meeting with Morticia since Morticia has the same psychic powers.

And, basically, Gomez covered for his beloved when she killed this crazed normie, but Wednesday uses the clues available to basically point out the guy was poisoned and looking to poison the entire school when Morticia took him down.  He was going to die anyway, and the Sheriff at the time, not the Mayor, covered for the whole thing because, well…the normie was descendant of that same jackass who founded the town.

That just means Gomez is free to go, and the Sheriff actually seems genuinely happy to be wrong.

It also means Wednesday figured out Principal Weems is a shapeshifter based on a yearbook photo and she was hiding the fact the monster killed a student.

Oh, and the mayor’s dead now too.

Look, I know Catherine Zeta-Jones probably isn’t a cheap hire for more than episode or two, but can we get the other Addamses back more often?  This episode may have been my favorite so far.

Then again, I know Uncle Fester is still coming, and there’s only two episodes left for season one.