HOW 'WEDNESDAY' EVOLVES AS AN AUTHOR BY LIVING HER OWN MURDER MYSTERY.

Jenna Ortega (You Season 2; Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice) knocks her performance as Wednesday Addams out of the park in Season 1 of “Wednesday” with a delayed second season set to premiere in 2025. Written and directed by Tim Burton, this brilliant mystery series lives up to expectations. Dark, brooding, and filled with black stripes; there is no better man for the job. This series is made for Burton, and the character is made for such a dark and eccentric director. In fact, it leaves many fans wondering why Burton hasn't explored more mysteries in the past. At least, I do. This teenaged version of Wednesday is as apathetic, brilliant, and homicidal as ever, void of any friendship or positive emotions. Her only drive in life is for success. Yet, there is something nefarious hold her back: her own damn self. Throughout Season 1 of Wednesday, this brooding teenager that she may not be as ready for independent life as she initially believes. If she has any hope of succeeding in life and in writing, she has plenty yet to learn. Cue Nevermore Academy. Let's explore.

I'll start by saying this. The writing ethic of Wednesday Addams is more than admirable. I straight-up envy her. Her discipline is unmatched. She writes for one hour every day. No exceptions. No excuses. She's more than aspirational author and “exemplary” student; she is a genius. She knows it too, and there in-lies her greatest weakness. Her genius makes her arrogant. So much so that she doesn't even believe in the necessity of a good education. Why finish high school when she knows everything she needs to know? Or does she?

Wednesday is an aspiring author. She obsesses over her mysteries and writes every day. She claims she already knows everything she needs to know in order to be a successful author. News flash for Wednesday: there is still plenty to learn. Especially for a writer. Writing is the hardest job in the world, but it's also the best job in the world. Because a writer is blessed with the opportunity to grow. A writer is always learning, forever evolving. Time and again, Wednesday expresses her resistance to the most basic lessons. There should hardly be a day that passes when a writer does not improve from the day before. It takes more than practice. Discipline and focus are also necessary traits in a skilled writer. Lest the desire for writing falls away.

Nevermore Academy marks the final institution in a long line of schools with which she is willing to burn bridges. Her introduction in Episode 1 opens on her private musings about the uselessness of school, all her personal opinion that marks the beginning of her educational arc. Simply put, she thinks that school is a waste of time. Her next step is to employ a creatively violent technique to get herself expelled. So, it is clear from the beginning how desperate she is to sabotage her own "educational journey". Yet, her "exemplary grades" reflect high intelligence. School work is easy for her if she is able to maintain a high GPA without effort or respect for the process. All the while, she writes and finishes several novels with another in progress. She has plenty yet to learn, but she must first come to that conclusion before learning can begin.

A less vindictive person would understand the advantage of a high IQ. A common sensical strategy would be to breeze through school with straight As and get that (worthless) piece of paper in record time. Life would be easier with a diploma than without. She could move on to become an Undergrad and beyond. With writing as her chosen field, a higher degree can only help her. Who wouldn't want that for themselves? Why the need to self-sabotage? There is no shame in being a brilliant, talented loner, but Wednesday is walking a fine line between introverted and anti-social. No one likes an arrogant, judgmental know-it-all. 

Because a formal education isn't the only thing she lacks. she also needs to develop her social skills. Her opening outlook on the public school system shows she doesn't recognize the most important advantage of a public school: making friends and working with others. It's an important lesson for all of life, but especially for a writer. Realistic, believable dialogue is a crucial part of a novel. However, Wednesday has no social skills, and she doesn't respect editors. Simply put, without a "well-rounded" education, consistent therapy, and a healthy social life; Wednesday Addams has no hope of excelling ass a writer. She needs to stay in school. Nevermore is her best shot and last hope. 

As her alumna mother says, "Finally, you will be with peers who understand you."

Her life becomes a mystery, and she can't help embracing it. Mystery is her deepest desire. She loves to solve puzzles. Both in fiction and in life. A court order gets her there, but the thrill of a real-life mystery keeps her there long enough to establish a meaningful connection to her school mates, teachers, and other members of the community. Only then does she have hope to solve her mystery, learn her family secrets, and finish the school year without any further expulsions. she almost doesn't make it thanks to her complete lack of personal insight. Her unwillingness to connect with people limit her ability to write dynamic, compelling characters. Her editors know this, which is possibly why they recommend professional help. Her reaction to that one note is disproportionate to the situation. Many of her reactions are. she resorts to violence, other than using her words, and she winds up in therapy anyway. 

We don't know much about her writing aside from what Dr. Flam (Knives Out) divulges about her manuscript during their first therapy session. she writes about herself: a young, misunderstood detective suffering from a strained relationship with her mother. As much as Wednesday denies it to herself, she's doing what all writers do. Write what you know. How fortuitous that she finds herself in her own mystery; and of course, she jumps head-first into it. What better way to learn her genre than to live it?

It's hard for an anti-social person to be a writer. Empathy, social awareness, and open-mindedness is the gateway to writing dynamic characters. What does Wednesday's editor advise? That she seek psychiatric help. Something tells me her character lacks three-dimensional qualities, and her main character is a Mary Sue. She doesn't herself as faulty, so how could her heroine? That's bad writing. It's the kind of education she needs in order to become a better writer. Not to mention, a better person.

That is what Nevermore has to offer this anti-school student: experience, friendship, empathy, and heroism. After a excruciating wait, Season 2 will premiere in 2025. What trouble will Wednesday unearth in the new school year? Will she come face-to-face with her killer ex again? Who is this new stalker? Lots of questions to answer. Lots of fun in store.