The Addams familyhave always been lovable outcasts in a normie world, but Netflix’sWednesdayswitches this up. Season 1 sees the titular teen going to her parent’s alma mater, Nevermore Academy, where she meets afascinating array of magical beings. Included among their ranks are twists on standard monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as unique takes on mythological figures like gorgons and shapeshifters. The outcasts at Nevermore are learning their powers, and, as such, prove they can be dangerous and unpredictable. But, as Wednesday learns during the course of her investigation into who the monster is, those outcasts are vital to defeating the monstrous Laurel Gates and Joseph Crackstone.
As Enid informs Wednesday on her first day at Nevermore, there are four cliques that make up the school’s social hierarchy: fangs, furs, stoners, and scales. Each of these represents one ofWednesdaySeason 1’s supernatural creatures, but clearly not all of them. Wednesday herself doesn’t fall into one of these categories, and neither do several of her classmates, teachers, or family members, suggesting thatWednesdaySeason 2 will be inhabited by many more magical creatures. While we wait to see that, here are all ofWednesday Season 1’s creatures, ranked from worst to best.
Introduced as one of the four cliques that make up Nevermore’s student body, the vampires, or the fangs, don’t have much to do inWednesdaySeason 1. The only vampire we even really see anything of is Yoko, the character Enid rooms with in Ophelia Hall when she and Wednesday have a falling out. The vampires inWednesdayare standard if uninteresting representations, with pale skin and an aversion to sunlight.
Related:Wednesday: 6 Characters Who Stole the Show in Season 1
This version, though, is just that. Other vampires avoid sunlight because it makes them more noticeable like Edward fromTwilight,or because it completely obliterates them like Count Orlok inNosferatu.ForWednesday‘svampires, sunlight is a problem — thus the sunglasses — but it doesn’t seem to put them out of commission. Here’s hoping thatWednesdaySeason 2 gives its vampires a little bit more of a bite.
The gorgons, cutely nicknamed the stoners, are inspired by Greek mythological creatures of the same name. Like Medusa before them, the gorgon students at Nevermore have the ability to turn people into stone, including themselves, with just a look. InWednesday, this ability doesn’t come from the stare of the person themselves, but rather from the look of their head of snakes. To avoid any undue stoning, then, the gorgons are usually seen wearing hats to cover their “hair.”
The gorgon we see the most inWednesdaySeason 1 is Enid’s crush, Ajax. He’s thearchetypal goofy stonerhis name suggests, so it comes as no surprise when, in the third episode, Ajax “stones” himself in the bathroom mirror. While the incident initially spelled doom for Ajax and Enid’s relationship, the former fortunately got up the courage to apologize and explain himself.
As the primary antagonist monster inWednesdaySeason 1, the Hyde is a focus of Wednesday’s investigations. Though we don’t see a Hyde until the end of the season, we learn a lot about the monsters and why they were banned from Nevermore Academy.
Taking inspiration from its namesake,The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Hyde can transform from their human self into a huge monster complete with claws, fangs, and extraordinary speed and strength. That power, though, comes with a price: the Hyde is unleashed when a person goes through a traumatic event or when they are chemically or hypnotically induced to do so. In the latter case, as we see withTyler, the Hydeviews whoever freed them as their master and does their bidding accordingly, even if it means hurting the people they care about.
The most popular clique inWednesday’sNevermore Academy is by far the sirens, known at school as the scales. In Greek mythology, sirens are mermaids who lure sailors to their deaths with their enchanting siren song. Led by Nevermore’s Queen Bee, Bianca Barclay, the sirens inWednesdayare a formidable force among the outcasts that inhabit the show.
The sirens can survive equally as well on land as they do in the water, transforming into fully-fledged mermaids complete with tails, webbed hands, and aquatic breathing when submerged. But the real source of the sirens’ power inWednesdaycomes from their siren song that can manipulate the thoughts, feelings, and actions of any listener. It’s because of this power that Xavier breaks up with Bianca: he believes she used her siren song into manipulating him to like her.
WednesdaySeason 1missed the opportunityto explore Bianca’s backstory, so there’s clearly more to see from the sirens in future seasons. For example, when Gabrielle visits her daughter during the parent’s weekend in episode five, we learn that siren powers fade over time. There’s plenty more to be explored about Bianca’s backstory and the mysterious Morning Song cult her mother runs, so here’s hoping we find out more inWednesday’s second season.
3Werewolves
The fourth and final clique at Nevermore is the furs, also known as the werewolves. Counted among their ranks is Wednesday’s sunny roommate and begrudging best friend, Enid Sinclair. Werewolves inWednesdayare very similar to their mythological counterparts, with the key difference being that they have greater control of themselves after transforming or “wolfing out” during a full moon. When in human form,Wednesday‘swerewolves still show some signs of their lupine background, such as Enid extending her claws when she’s angry or excited.
Related:Wednesday Cast and Character Guide
Enid’s inability to fully transform troubles her throughout the series, with fellow classmates and even her own mother belittling her for being a late bloomer. While this obviously bothers Enid, she doesn’t let it define her; she knows the right time will come. So, when she does wolf out in the season finale and saves Wednesday from the Hyde, it’s incredibly satisfying. Now that Enid has had her first transformation, there’s no telling how she’ll utilize her powers in Season 2.
2Shapeshifters
Wednesday and the audience have no notion of shapeshifters showing up at Nevermore, so when it’s revealed that Gwendoline Christie’s Principal Larissa Weems is one it comes as quite a shock. When Wednesday sees fellow student Rowan killed before her very eyes, only to have him reappear on campus without even a scratch, it kicks off the investigation that guides her through the entire season. As it turns out, Rowan did die, and Weems impersonated him to maintain the school’s reputation and keep it open for all the other outcasts.
Weems is an interesting foil to Wednesday through the season, with the two often at odds. Given their antagonistic relationship, it’s great to see the two come together in the season finale. Disguised as Tyler, Weems gets Christina Ricci’s villainous Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates to confess to her true identity and crimes against the outcast community. In her final moments, Weems is poisoned by Gates and apparently dies. However,as Ricci herself has pointed out, we never saw the character buried.
There’s no telling for sure if Weems will reappear inWednesdaySeason 2, but there’s still plenty to be explored about her life and backstory. Maybe we’ll even see some other shapeshifters, too.
Psychics inWednesdayembody several different powers that are tied back to traditional clairvoyance and telekinesis. Wednesday inherits her penchant for visions from her mother Morticia and paternal ancestor Goody Addams. Like many psychics before her, Wednesday’s power shows her important but vague details about the person or object she touches. Wednesday’s Uncle Fester, on the other hand, could also be considered a psychic for his electrokinesis powers.
Other psychics at Nevermore include love interest Xavier, who has visions through his art and can quite literally bring his art to life. Eugene, too, is a psychic, with his telekinetic ability to communicate with and control bees, as is Rowan with his more straightforward version of telekinesis.
It’s clear by the end of the first season that Wednesday still has a lot to learn about her burgeoning psychic abilities, something that the character is sure to explore in the show’s second season. Morticia and Principal Weems both warn Wednesday that her psychic visions could lead her astray or even make her lose her mind altogether, so it’s possible the show will explore the long-term effects those visions may have on the main character. Wednesday learned a lot during her stressful and exhilarating first year at Nevermore Academy, and we’re excited to see who and whatshe discovers in Season 2.
