Chapter 1: Lesbian, Straight, Asexual––We Don’t Have to "Let" Wednesday Have a Romance At All!
...Yet. Or maybe never. And the real reason I love this character.
And there it is. My controversial opinion.
There are three things Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) doesn’t want, according to the 2022 Netflix Series, Season 1:
Social media
A cell phone
Romance
But by the end of the first season, all three have been pushed on her. I was disappointed to find a cell phone in her hand (I wanted to see her throw the phone out of the window 😈 maybe in Season 2), gifted to her by the boring artsy trope of a boy who likes her because she saved his life once. Fine, Xavier, you can like her. We all do. But will she like you?
I know that between all age groups enjoying this show, no one’s going to shy away from romance. Most of us love it; it’s fun to write, to watch, to see ourselves in, to escape in. I’ve always been a lover at heart, but I also don’t need it in this show, at least not now.
Sidenote: I’m all for her making friends and not being bullied by popular siren people, but let’s not get too chummy too quickly!
I’m interested in who Wednesday is as a young woman who inspires me rather than the potential (pretty boring) love interests at her feet. It’s possible I’m looking back into my youth, wishing I paid less attention to romance and more to my own passions and opportunities. Romance is a natural part of life; let’s not overdo it.
“Let Wednesday be gay” is a phrase and an article I’ve seen on the internet multiple times. Sure! Great! Love it! It’s just that… it’s only Season 1. Can she breathe and blossom as a character and young woman without us pushing any romance or her having an explicit sexual identity yet? Let her explore. Let us as an audience be patient enough to let her do so. Let her be curious. Let her be herself. Let her be her own right now. Romantic interests happen in nearly every show/movie. Remember how refreshing it was that Moana never had one?
The love triangle in season 1 wasn’t the most intriguing, and neither Xavier nor coffee-shop-boy-whose-name-I-can’t-remember-atm seemed worthy of her attention. Tyler? It just came to me. I understand they were plot devices to distract and entangle her. Maybe it was Mrs. Thornhill’s (Played by Christina Ricci––which was awesome. What in the Riverdale is that name choice, btw?) plan all along!
It appears I’m not alone in this line of thinking. In her article, Caitlin Cruz from Jezebel said it well, “all I see is a straight girl who’s incredibly bored by the boys around her and just wants to solve a goddamned mystery about her ancestors in peace.” While I can still see a queer Wednesday, even if she isn’t specifically lesbian, I agree with the rest. Also, two white boys?
While I had this thought on my own before skimming through the Jezebel piece, let Caitlin and I both remind you… they are teenagers. Caitlin said it perfectly: “Representation is important, but it’s not the worst thing that a fantasy show doesn’t include explicitly referenced queer characters. Also! These are teens! Teens, like all people, come out at their own time. Some people know at 4; some people know at 44. There’s literally always next season.”
Romance aside…
Wednesday sets boundaries. She prioritizes herself and her hobbies and interests. Y’know, until she had to step up and be a hero for an entire school, but balance! As soon as Wednesday said she was writing a novel, then sat on the balcony and played the cello?! Dissing social media? Not even wasting her time on Instagram or TikTok? Dedicating an hour a day to writing? I was taking! Notes!
Recent singledom has had me thinking about the things I want to do that I haven’t done yet. All of the places and new hobbies I want to explore. Wednesday reminded me to honor my wants, goals, needs, and desires. Teen me, and adult me needed that.
If Wednesday remains independent longer, we’ll get to see more of this version of her. It’s not to say she can’t be a great example of maintaining identity within a relationship, but again… can we do that in season 3 or 4? Y’know? We get my point. Relax and enjoy, people.
Speaking of Enid…
It was wonderful to witness her evolving friendship with Enid (Emma Myers), and I appreciate their relationship's seasonal arc. I didn’t expect to cry at the end of the season when Wednesday finally hugged her, but I could feel their love through the screen. That tight embrace! I understand why some might have wanted romance out of it, but let’s normalize intimate, non-romantic, and non-sexual friendships between girls. It’s wild that I think normalizing that will take just as much as normalizing romantic relationships between girls/women, but that’s another convo.
Many adolescent girls and grown women are emotionally closed off from their friends, sisters, mothers, and even themselves, which can cause distant, painful relationships that often inevitably reach an end. It’s no secret that Wednesday has walls. I think we all prefer her to have some walls; they give her that edge that makes her Wednesday freakin’ Addams. But her allowing Enid to see more is what allows their friendship and Jenna’s portrayal more depth, and with that, I see an opportunity for exploration and growth.
Despite Wednesday trying very hard to remain a lone wolf, it’s clear that she feels safe with Enid. She expresses explicitly that she missed her––with words. Team expressing ourselves honestly and openly! She lets herself fight with Enid, and they recover. Intimacy and authenticity in friendship are real and important. We put so much weight on romantic intimacy, but it’s in every relationship, and the different kinds are valid and deserve representation. So when people are addressing the intimacy in the scenes they share, and they have more chemistry together than they do with either of the boys they have entanglements with, isn’t there a possibility that women have deep bonds? Can we acknowledge the intimacy between young girls without romanticizing and sexualizing them? We deserve to see a female friendship on screen that feels authentic and relatable but with more positive outcomes than we experience sometimes in real life. And their arc was something I believe younger fans should see. Point is, I see the validity and need in making space for both of these kinds of relationships.
Wenid, Wenclair, whatever we call them––ship them if that’s what you feel! Maybe I’ll start shipping them eventually, too. Wednesday can be queer. In fact, it would make sense for multiple reasons and that is not what I’m critiquing here. I’d love to see it. She is already a queer icon; even Jenna Ortega and drag queens have talked about it. Wednesday is the vampy, punky, gothy queen of our hearts! An icon! A legend! A badass! But I will also say that not all queer icons are always queer themselves, and that’s okay too.
In conclusion…
I look forward to a second season and more of Wednesday being a badass. I’m sure they will keep us on our toes. Overall this show is a little Riverdale meets Sabrina, the Teenage Witch meets Harry Potter. A little campy, a little corny, and very fun. Christina Ricci was an amazing childhood rendition of Wednesday that will always be classic, and Jenna Ortega as teen Wednesday is irresistible––like, hello. But don’t make this another Riverdale. This is my unofficial petition to keep Wednesday cool, independent, creative, spooky, and, don’t forget, kooky.
Yes!! Let Wednesday blossom and prioritize the relationships that offer her the level of intimacy she wants, ie Enid. <3