I finished watching the fourth episode of Wednesday, which means I've finished watching all the episodes directed by Tim Burton. Mostly I enjoyed it, although obligatory wokeness did creep in and it was sad hearing Wednesday deliver such popular sexist terms as "mansplaining" and "male gaze". But at some point, someone decided all Goths should be woke.
I guess many people cherish the summer camp sequence in the second Barry Sonnenfeld Addams Family movie, when Wednesday, in Native American cosplay, launches a raid on the kids dressed as pilgrims. There's a divide between those of us who enjoy it as a slightly absurd pretext for Wednesday's bloodlust, and those of us who think the politics are the point.
The pilgrims are certainly taken through the wringer in the new series. I wonder how the original pilgrims would have felt after suffering religious persecution, harsh months at sea, and winters of starvation, they'd have their reputations consistently demolished for decades starting in the late 20th century. There were conflicts between the English and Dutch settlers and the Native Americans, generally more complicated than is usually talked about. Certainly not as bad as what the Spanish did. It's certainly not fair to say they committed genocide. Lumping them in with the Salem witch trials that occurred decades later is also a bit lazy, though really not so different from the politics Tim Burton inserted into Sleepy Hollow. Where are the revisionist fantasies of English Protestants being imprisoned and massacred by Anglicans?
The Addams Family, with its difficult logical balance between deadpan morbid humour and its characters' genuine desire to do good, provides fertile ground for propaganda, I guess.
Anyway, Jenna Ortega continues to be a delight. The dance sequence in the fourth episode is being talked about so much I couldn't avoid hearing about it. And it was worth the hype as Ortega is pretty sweet and sexy dancing to "Goo Goo Muck".
I feel like the cinematography improves after episode two. And I like the teen drama story centred on the girls. The Addams Family humour translates well to Wednesday being the odd girl whose humour manages to be just out of step with everyone else. In this incarnation, the contrasting "normal" people are more complex, which makes Wednesday's attitude more satisfying. I thought it was a great idea to have Wednesday lose the fencing contest in the first episode, which ups the dramatic value of her being excellent at most things most of the time. By the fourth episode, I felt like we needed to see her caught off guard a few more times.
Anyway, I guess I give the show a B- so far. It's available on Netflix.
Twitter Sonnet #1649
The longer day extends beyond itself.
Revolting bays deny the carrack's keel.
Redeemed, his ancient power moved the elf.
A rugged ground can smooth the roughest heel.
A crooked arm concealed a ball of rice.
The sweetened beans embrace the roasted cake.
A ticking clock was cold, bereft of spice.
A precious wine predicts the lot'll bake.
The sodden cotton clogged the sunken eyes.
A boarded corpse retained a spoiled saint.
Erasure robbed the lead of vicious lies.
The savage sky deployed a rain of paint.
Reluctant stomps decide the groovy odds.
A clock creates the sloppy rhythm gods.
