From bloody proms to sentient palms, this year, Easter Sunday falls on a Wednesday … because of
all the spooky and kooky Easter eggs in Netflix's "Wednesday"! Spoilers ahead!
When fans watch the series, they'll surely first notice the "Wednesday"
opening credit theme to be drastically different from previous iterations.
But don't fret if you're missing the theme. The series makes two references to the song.
Shortly after arriving at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday enlists the help of a local guy named
Tyler to give her a ride to the train station in Burlington. In a conversation, Tyler expresses
how he perceives Wednesday's disposition. "You're not scary. You're just kind of kooky."
"I prefer spooky." Even if you're only
a casual Addams fan, you'll pick this up as a nod to the original theme song's lyrics.
Later, when Wednesday follows a series of clues to the entrance of an underground Nightshades lair,
she solves a series of Edgar Allan Poe riddles. The first letter of each answer spells out:
Snap Twice. Wednesday does so, snapping with the same cadence as the snaps in the theme song.
The spooky opening credits are actually a cleverly arranged montage of plot elements
from the show. The first object they show us is a typewriter -- an important facet
to this show's version of Wednesday. She sets aside daily writing time and is busy
writing a new book about Viper de la Muerta. The next object, a Nightshade Society volume,
hints at her discovery of a secret club below the academy. Then there's her signature cello
and a butcher's knife -- items to suggest her musical abilities and plenty of murder on the
way in this show. Thing also makes an appearance, crawling up a spiral staircase emblazoned with
roman numerals. A black widow then creeps down a spider's web in a glass window -- the widow
references Xavier Thorpe's talent for drawing art that comes alive, while the window indicates
Wednesday's room in the academy. Other images like a Venus flytrap and a moon give broader
clues for what's ahead. Cleverly, an image of a teddy bear in a guillotine accompanies
Christina Ricci's name, a fun reference to her favorite pastime in the '90s films.
"Death, death to the enemies of the people of the republic. Hurrah. Justice is served."
The most important image comes in the form of a barren tree engulfed in flames. Wednesday's
classmate Rowan discovers a doomsday prophecy in which Wednesday and Jericho's founding
pilgrim Joseph Crackstone are consumed by flames beneath the tree. In the show's climactic finale,
the prophecy comes true, though not in a way everyone thinks.
In Episode 2, Nevermore students prepare for the upcoming Edgar Allan Poe Cup and are tasked with
painting their own canoes. Enid's team are painting black cats on their canoe. Nearby,
Enid and Wednesday discuss Rowan and his supposed death. During the conversation,
Enid glances over her shoulder and calls to another student.
"Yoko, come on, flare those whiskers. The Poe Cup droops for no one."
Yoko has long, slick black hair and wears a pair of Windsor glasses, which is fitting,
considering her namesake. Yoko Ono has often worn a similar pair throughout her career;
it's pretty much her signature look. Say what you will about her impact on The Beatles,
but Ono is one of the most influential multimedia artists of all time, so it's not a surprising nod.
Several Easter eggs center around an iconic arrow and apple gag. In 1991's "The Addams
Family," Wednesday ties up her brother Pugsley and puts an apple in his mouth. Wednesday whips
out a crossbow and pulls the trigger. "Wednesday" first references this moment
in the opening minutes of Episode 1. Attending Nancy Reagan High School, Pugsley falls victim
to several classmates who tie him up and stuff him in a locker with an apple in his mouth.
At Nevermore Academy, one of the extracurricular activities happens
to be archery. Wednesday scours the grounds to get familiar with the layout and comes across
Xavier shooting a few arrows at a target. "Ever shot a bow and arrow before?"
"Only on live targets." She tosses an apple into
the air, pulls back the rosin, shoots, and nails it dead-on.
As part of her punishment for nearly killing some students,
Wednesday must attend therapy sessions twice a week. Principal Larissa Weems drives Wednesday
to the initial session to make sure she attends. Wednesday sneaks out midway through, of course,
but that's not the small detail you likely missed. On the building outside, there's a sign that reads
Millar & Gough Reality. It would appear showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough
slipped in this reference to themselves, and it requires an eagle eye to catch it.
"Wednesday" has a lot of love for Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." There are the
obvious references, such as Nevermore Academy referencing the iconic line:
"Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore.'" And Morticia calls Wednesday a raven while complimenting
her visions as more potent and more powerful. There's also a reference to "The Raven" with the
school dance being called a "Rave'n," and a Poe statue has been erected in one of the hallways.
In Episode 2, the students paint their own canoes for the Poe Cup,
and each is based upon a classic Poe short story. Enid and Wednesday's team reference
"The Black Cat," while Bianca's refers to "The Gold-Bug." The other two teams have
designs based upon "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Cask of Amontillado." The teams row
across to Raven Island where they retrieve a flag and then race back to the mainland.
Earlier in the episode, Rowan, who was thought dead, reappears, to everyone's shock. In this
moment, Wednesday recites a quote from Poe's short story "The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether."
"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see."
Upon arriving at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday, Morticia, and Gomez have
a sit-down chat with Principal Weems, where Wednesday learns that she has been assigned
to her mother's old dorm, Ophelia Hall. "Refresh my memory. Ophelia's the one who
kills herself after being driven mad by her family, correct?"
Ophelia famously appears in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." She's a noblewoman of Denmark and
a potential wife for Hamlet. The violent death of her father following multiple bad decisions
on his part, Hamlet's indifference, and other factors combine to push her over the edge.
Wednesday being placed in the Ophelia dorm carries thematic significance to the story.
Much like Ophelia, she feels the weight of family's ambition squarely on her shoulders.
Wednesday forever lives in her mother's shadow, as hard as she tries to break free.
"Oh look, there's my mother smirking at me." Ultimately, Wednesday is actually the antithesis
of Ophelia -- a strong, resilient young woman who defies society's archaic systems.
In episode one, Xavier shares a story about how he and Wednesday attended his
godmother's funeral when they were just 10 years old. His godmother was good
friends with Wednesday's Grandmama in their 20s. Cousin Itt's ancestor also makes an appearance.
When Uncle Fester pops up in Episode 7, he helps Wednesday track down Nevermore
founder Nathaniel Faulkner's diary, in which he documented "every outcast community" all
over the world. It turns out Iggy Itt was his right-hand man and trained generations
of Nightshades. There's even a portrait of Itt covering the Nightshades' safe. Perhaps
this is an indication that if the series gets another season, we may see Cousin Itt.
In addition to all the Edgar Allen Poe references, the series nods to the 1976
film "Carrie." While the upcoming Rave'n is all the rage, Wednesday can't be bothered and instead
plots to stake out the Hyde's secret lair in the woods. But her plans are curtailed after
Thing slips a note to Tyler about wanting to go to the dance. Wednesday can't possibly turn him
down when he shows up to her room. So she dons a high-style new dress and attends the dance.
The Rave'n goes off without a hitch -- until there's a big hitch. A group of normies didn't
take too kindly to their Crackstone fountain being blown up and vow to retaliate through a
bit of horrifying trickery. As everyone is dancing inside, the group pulls up with a
trucker tank full of red paint and hooks the hose into the sprinkler system. They let the rain pour,
which is made even worse by the overall white aesthetic of the dance. Finally,
Wednesday directly references "Carrie" after she tastes a bit of the red liquid.
"They couldn't even spring for real pig's blood. It's only paint."
Professor Thornhill teaches a course on carnivorous plants.
She's also responsible for welcoming new girl students to Ophelia Hall and greets
them with a carefully selected plant to match their style and personality.
"I try to match the right flower to each of my girls."
What did she pick for Wednesday? A black dahlia of course.
Throughout the season, Thornhill frequently tends to a Venus flytrap. Nothing could
encompass her personality and role in the show better. Venus flytraps eat flies and arachnids,
and its persistence for catching prey is deadly. The same can be said for Thornhill,
who is revealed to actually be Laurel Gates. In 1990, the Gates family were met with tragedy when
their son Garrett was killed. The parents died soon after, and Laurel, now an orphan,
was sent overseas where she presumably drowned. But a body was never recovered. More than three
decades later, Laurel is still on the hunt. She uncovers Tyler's ability to morph into
a Hyde monster and makes him her slave. She demands he kill various Nevermore students,
as well as townsfolk, to complete a ritual to resurrect the town's founder Joseph Crackstone.
In every way, she is a Venus flytrap herself. She ensnares people with her charm and wit,
tucked behind thick-rimmed glasses, and when she has someone in her clutches, she springs her trap.
"Clearly the plants aren't the only carnivores in class today."
In Episode 6, Wednesday is working on her novel when Thornhill stops by to drop off
a copy of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." "She's both my literary hero and my nemesis."
Thornhill presenting the book is both an admission of guilt and
an indication of what she's been up to. "Frankenstein" tells the story of Victor
Frankenstein and how he built his monster from body parts. Wednesday discovers a basement full
of body parts in jars, which Thornhill later uses in a sadistic ritual to resurrect Crackstone.
Once Thornhill recites a passage from the Book of Shadows, electricity feeds into the jars and
lights up the room. Overhead, lightning slashes across the night sky, and thunderous roars shake
the room. You half-expect Thornhill to shout, "It's alive! It's alive!" If it wasn't clear,
the momentous scene is a loose adaptation of the iconic scene from the 1931 film,
"Frankenstein," directed by James Whale. While Frankenstein's monster is arguably a victim,
Crackstone is probably the villain in this story. "Now burn in the eternal fires of hell."
Nope, hold on. Back up – that guy's definitely the villain in this story.