Wednesday

Season 1

Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe

1. When Wednesday confronts Thing about being followed, Wednesday posits that her parents are spying on her but Thing spells the word "Worried" using American Sign Language finger spelling.
2. The phone number Thing gives Tyler to call is (413)555-1938, the last four digits, 1938, are the year that The New Yorker first published Charles Addams's comic panel "The Addams Family".
3. The song playing while Wednesday exacts vengeance during the swimming-pool scene is Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," which translates to "No, I Regret Nothing."
4. The episode title, as well as Wednesday's name come from an old nursery rhyme. "Monday's child is fair of face/ Tuesday's child is full of grace/Wednesday's child is full of woe/ Thursday's child has far to go/Friday's child is loving and giving/ Saturday's child works hard for his living/And the child that is born on the Sabbath day/Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
5. When Principal Weems drops Wednesday off at her therapy session, the sign on the therapist's building has an entry for Millar & Gough Realty. Alfred Millar and Miles Gough are the show creators. The bottom entry on the sign is "N. Testa", which is a reference to associate producer Natalie Testa.
6. Christina Ricci, who plays dorm mother Marilyn Thornhill, previously played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and The Addams Family Values (1993).
7. Jenna Ortega learned the cello for her role in this show, but obviously as Wednesday played the more difficult passages, these were really performed by professionals. However, the rendition of "Paint It Black" contains an arpeggio (a sequence of notes which altogether become a chord) that was deemed impossible to play without 'Hollywood Magic', and of course this music was never written for the cello.That was until a competition was launched on TikTok with a cash prize for anyone who could play the 'impossible' arpeggio. Each finalist had invented a creative choice of fingering to facilitate the required jump between strings as the left hand leaped violently upwards, whilst maintaining the correct intonation - and in the end a double first prize was paid to both Esther Chae and Olivia Choe, with a smaller award for runner-up Christopher Tate.
8. As the Addams family is driving Wednesday to her new school, Nevermore Academy, their license plate is seen. It shows that they're from New Jersey, though the color scheme (black and white) is not really used by New Jersey. The plate number - ADD 4M5 - is a leetspeak version of their last name.
9. In fencing class, Wednesday defends Rowan, who is introduced as a nonathletic, bespectacled and asthmatic private-school outcast. In Addams Family Values, Wednesday defends the summer-camp's outcasts during the Thanksgiving pageant, including nonathletic, bespectacled and asthmatic love interest Joel Glicker.
10. Jenna Ortega really played the cello accompaniment to Paint it Black.
11. The music that plays as Wednesday buries her pet scorpion and cries is directly lifted from the opening of Batman Returns when Penguin is born. Both the film and this show were scored by Danny Elfman and directed by Tim Burton.
12. The grotesque (mistakenly called a gargoyle) that almost falls on Wednesday is in the shape of a raven. The school's name is "Nevermore", after Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem, "The Raven".
13. The swimming pool scene, in which Wednesday unleashes her revenge on the bullies who attacked her brother, is reminiscent of the swimming-pool climax in Let The Right One In, in which Eli takes revenge on the bullies who attacked her friend Oskar (though nobody dies in the present version, much to Wednesday's expressed disappointment).

Woe Is the Loneliest Number

1. Title reference is a mix of the nursery rhyme from which Wednesday got her name (Wednesday's child is full of woe), and the opening line of the 1968 song "One" written by Harry Nilsson for his album Aerial Ballet and later a top ten hit for Three Dog Night in 1969; "one is the loneliest number".
2. Each of the four rowing teams is themed on a different Edgar Allan Poe story. The teams are The Black Cat (black), The Cask of Amontillado (red), The Pit and the Pendulum (violet), and The Gold Bug (yellow).
3. The sign on the therapist's building has an entry for Millar & Gough Realty. Alfred Millar and Miles Gough are the show creators. The bottom entry on the sign is "N. Testa", which is a reference to associate producer Natalie Testa.
4. Wednesday deciphers Edgar Allan Poe's riddle and determines two snaps of her fingers will open the secret passage. This is another reference to the original theme song which has three double snaps at the beginning before the lyrics start and a single double snap at the end.
5. The solution to riddles Wednesday solves is known as an acrostic. It is a poem or other word composition in which the first letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet

Friend or Woe

1. Wednesday's "paraphrase" of Agatha Christie comes from three sources. "Any coincidence is worth noticing. You can throw it away later if it is only a coincidence." (Nemesis) "It's not impossible my dear. It's just a very remarkable coincidence-and remarkable coincidences do happen." (Sleeping Murder) "It is the same motif three times repeated. That cannot be coincidence." (The A.B.C. Murders)
2. Weems suggests that Wednesday play an uplifting Fleetwood Mac medley on her cello, to which Wednesday replies "as long as you promise to hang me as a witch afterward." This references Stevie Nicks' theatrical performances and persona and in particular, her song "Rhiannon", often introduced as "a song about an old Welsh witch."
3. When Wednesday is in the coffee shop, she rings the bell to get Tyler's attention. When he arrives, he says "You rang?", a common phrase said by Lurch in previous Addams Family movies and TV series.
4. The foot sweep Wednesday does when dealing with the bullies is called De Ashi Harai (judo).
5. The antique shop is named Uriah's Heap after a character from Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield", as was the English rock band Uriah Heep.
6. Proof as to this series being shot in Romania, in the scene where street banners are being unfurled, we see a man's right hand. This hand displays a wedding band on the ring finger. In Romania, the ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand until the wedding day, and afterwards it is moved to the ring finger of the left hand.
7. Enid say a blue moon only occurs "every 23 years or something crazy". In fact, a blue moon is simply a full moon twice in a calendar month. It happens on average every 2-3 years. So when something happens "once in a blue moon" it simply means it's a rare occurrence.
8. Wednesday swears " on my late scorpion's souls". His name was Nero. Nero, possibly apocryphally, watched Rome burn while he played on his fiddle. Wednesday very much mirrors it when she carries on playing her cello calmly while watching the statue burn and the rest of the town are panicking.

Woe What a Night

1. During her dancing, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) alternately holds one hand straight up and the opposite hand at a right angle to it while waving each hand in a sensual manner. This may be an homage to Carolyn Jones's portrayal of Morticia Addams in the 1960s Addams Family television series, where she often used the same gesture while dancing with Gomez (John Astin).
2. Jenna Ortega performed the wild dance set to The Cramps' 1981 single "Goo Goo Muck." while battling COVID-19. "I'd gotten the song about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could it's crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film," Ortega revealed during a recent NME interview. "Yeah, I woke up and it's weird, I never get sick and when I do it's not very bad I had the body aches." "I felt like I'd been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus," Ortega continued. "They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result." MGM, stressed to NME that "strict COVID protocols were followed and once the positive test was confirmed the production removed Jenna from set." "I asked to redo it but we didn't have time," Ortega added. "I think I probably could have done it a bit better." Ortega choreographed the dance scene herself. The actor's COVID revelation has led many viewers to criticize the production for allowing Ortega on set when she was showing COVID symptoms, even if she didn't have a positive COVID test at the time. Even with COVID, Ortega delivered a memorable dance that has become the talk of social media. The dance scene has gone so viral that "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps has increased its Spotify streams by 9.5% since "Wednesday" debuted. Pairing Ortega's "Wednesday" dance moves with Lady Gaga's song "Bloody Mary" has also become a viral TikTok meme, boosting that song's Spotify streams by more than 1,800% compared to the previous month.
3. On why the Cramps' 'Goo Goo Muck' was perfect for Jenna Ortega's viral dance scene, music supervisor Jen Malone stated: "When we readied that episode, we knew it was a school dance with lots of music, and that Jenna was working on her choreography. We had a huge Spotify list and the Cramps were always on it. We pitched the Cramps' "Human Fly" to the team, too, then spring-boarded onto "Goo Goo Muck." The Cramps are perfect for Wednesday. They're in her headspace, like Siouxsie and Joy Division. I'm a former Goth. To work with music I love, to find that right moment -- the track had to be fun, quirky and lend itself to Wednesday's personality. For the team to come back with "Goo Goo Muck"? Done.
4. Title reference to the 1975 Four Seasons song "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)".
5. Uriah's Heap Antique Shop is a reference to the Charles Dickens character from David Copperfield (Uriah Heep) as well as the rock band (also derived from Dickens), famous for their 1972 album "Demons and Wizards". This album was also a major influence on Randy Rhoads during the writing of "Diary of a Madman" (1981 Ozzy Osbourne song and album). These motifs are shared in the Wednesday universe, albeit tenuously.
6. Five-finger discount is North American slang for shoplifting.
7. Jenna Ortega said she was inspired by videos of Siouxsie and the Banshees and archival footage of "goth kids dancing in clubs in the Eighties". "I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams," she said. "I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does. And of course, they cut out of camera when I did do it. But it's there I know it is."
8. Speaking to late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, Jenna Ortega said she was "kicking" herself over her decision to dream up the dance scene herself. "I felt like such a fool," she said. "I'm not a dancer. I don't do any of that. I have no experience in that field. And then I didn't sleep for two days."
9. Jenna Ortega revealed there was one line that she refused to say. When Wednesday finds out Thing had stolen the dress for her. She gives the disembodied hand a grateful look but it turns out that Ortega used to have a line of dialogue during the scene. "I remember there's a line where I'm talking about a dress and initially she was supposed to say: 'Oh my God I'm freaking out over a dress, I literally hate myself'," the actor said, during a Netflix Q&A. "And I was blown away because that sounded like it was just a bunch of little things like that," she explained. "I felt like we were able to avoid a lot of dialogue in an attempt to make her sound human." Fans praised Ortega for making the cut, with many agreeing that it wouldn't have worked for her usually deadpan character.
10. After preforming her now-famous dance, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) walks off the dance floor and into a room, where she sits down next to her Bianca (Joy Sunday). She pulls off her high heeled shoes, makes an offhand remark about how uncomfortable they are, and then proceeds to have a "heart-to-heart" conversation with her rival. Originally, the scene called for Wednesday to be self-messaging her feet while they spoke, but the idea was nixed because it was felt it would reflect a form of vulnerability that was not in keeping with her character.

You Reap What You Woe

1. The yearbook Morticia and Gomez look through in Principal Weems' office is dated 1991. The original Addams Family film released in 1991.
2. A shot of the 1991 Nevermore Academy yearbook shows Gomez Addams' entry: "Dream: I dream of juggling, throwing knives, diving for crabs, and crashing toy trains[...] wealth through inheritance and investments. I dream of owning a swamp [...] farm, a salt mine, a tombstone factory, and a uranium mine. Reality: My future lies in the practice of law. I love the art of argumentation, af[...] affecting the enactment of justice for all those in need. My law practice[...] view of a cemetery. Favorite quote: I love her not for the way she danced with my angels; but for the [...] silence my demons. -Me, when describing the love of my life, Morticia Frump." Other entries include an aspiring actor who quotes a movie called "The Dogmother," a future dentist with a "gigantic collection of teeth" who once dreamed of an octopus named Stewart, and a student with an incredibly dull view of their own future.
3. The first episode not directed by Tim Burton.
4. For some older viewers, Garrett Gates is not to be confused with Gareth Gates, the British singer who first found fame in the reality TV show "Pop Idol".
5. Gomez's prison jumpsuit reads 171912, which is Charles Addams' birthdate (January 7, 1912).
6. As Deputy Santiago arrests Morticia and Wednesday, she says "Guess there's gonna be an Addams family reunion in lockup tonight," a nod to Addams Family Reunion (1998).

Quid Pro Woe

1. Wednesdays typewriter doesn't have the English QWERTY layout, but the German QWERTZ. 1) the "Y" and "Z" keys are swapped from their places on English keyboards, since "Z" is more often used in German than in English; 2) Unique German characters are seen, namely eszett (a double S that looks like a Greek beta) and U-umlaut; 3) the shifted characters on the number keys are notably different that English typewriters of the era. It's age is also apparent: there's no "1" key, which was substituted for a lowercase "L" since they looked the same on paper. It wasn't until the advent of computers that a distinction was needed between "l" and "1". A German typewriter goes quite well with Wednesday's perfect mastery of German, as heard in Wednesday: Friend or Woe (2022) when she tried to dissuade German tourists from taking the 'authentic' fudge.
2. Miss Thornhill (Christina Ricci) tells Wednesday, "We're alike, you and I." Both have played Wednesday Addams.
3. 'Goody' was not a name in the 17th century: it was short for 'Goodwife', a form of feminine address akin to 'miss', 'miz', or 'mrs.' in the modern vernacular (the male equivalent was 'Goodman'). 'Goodwife' or 'Goody' was specifically used for women of lesser social rank, where 'Mistress' was used for the higher-class women.
4. When Enid returns Wednesday's snood, who believed it was lost, she states 'like a monkey's paw.' The Monkey's Paw was a short story by W.W. Jacobs, about a paw that can grant three wishes however only brings great misfortune to the holder.

If You Don't Woe Me by Now

1. The first and only time Wednesday can be seen smiling is when she first sees Uncle Fester.
2. Title reference to the 1972 song "If You Don't Know Me by Now" written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and a top ten hit for both Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (1972) and Simply Red (1989).
3. The painting in-front of the safe Wednesday and Uncle Fester retrieve the diary from Depicts Cousin It from previous adaptations of the Addams Family.
4. Uncle Fester threatens to put Tyler in a "Romanian Sleeper Hold". The show is filmed in Romania.

A Murder of Woes

1. Enid's ringtone for Eugene is "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov.
2. Thornhill giving Wednesday the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley foreshadows the resurrection of Crackstone.
3. When Marylin tells Wednesday that she wants to wake the dead, Wednesday replies that "you can't, I've tried. The Addams Family (1991) movie ended with the whole family running through the family graveyard playing "Wake the Dead".