Last November the premiere of Wednesday, the latest Netflix production created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar with Tim Burton as director and executive producer. This show, which has already become an all-time favorite on the streaming platform, follows the popular character on Wednesday The Addams family. After being expelled from school for getting revenge on her brother’s bullies, she ends up at Nevermore Academy, an outcast institution where her parents studied. There, Wednesday must solve a mystery that threatens the city of Jericho, while trying to bond with her classmates and her family.
Wednesday stars Jenna Ortega, who is critically acclaimed for the role, alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Fred Armisen, Christina Ricci, and an ensemble of rising stars such as Emma Myers, Percy Hynes White, Hunter Doohan and Joy Sunday. Burton directed the show’s first four episodes, while Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall handled the rest. In this TV series, Burton’s comeback to television productions, he relied on famed composer Danny Elfman, one of his strongest collaborators, to work on the score. As always, the composer seized the opportunity and delivered an impeccable score that includes not only original pieces, but also some popular songs. Here are the best of them.
8/8 Perfect day
After much insistence, Tyler finally gets the chance to set up a romantic date with him on Wednesday. To impress her, he treats her to a perfect movie night, planned to perfection. Knowing that Wednesday is inclined towards the macabre, it’s fair to assume that most relevant horror movies don’t scare her at all. With this in mind, Tyler chose a different kind of production: the comedy movie Legally blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon, who completely terrifyingly succeeded on Wednesday. Of course, the fans of this movie immediately recognized him thanks to the song “Perfect Day” by Hoku.
7/8 Nothing else matters
Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” is featured in the third episode of the TV series, at a rather rare point in the story that gives us a glimpse into the vulnerable side of the characters. First, Wednesday tries to make connections between all the information she has on the Jericho murder case. Meanwhile, Enid excitedly waits for Ajax to show up for their date, and becomes furious when she realizes he’s not coming. Tyler screams underwater as he takes a bath, revealing that something is indeed haunting him, while his father, Sheriff Galpin, glimpses the revealed photo of Jericho’s murderous creature for the first time.
6/8 Llorona
A big advantage of this new series is that the Latino heritage of Wednesday and her family has been taken into account, from the choice of actors to the story itself. While Wednesday hangs out in her room, Spanish or Latin music often plays in the background. One of the most famous songs played in the first episode is “La Llorona”, performed by Costa Rican and Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, which was played while Wednesday was writing her novel.
5/8 Winter
“Winter,” by composer Antonio Vivaldi, couldn’t have been a better choice for the scene it accompanies. During the third episode of Wednesdaythe students of Nevermore Academy make a mandatory visit to the city of Jericho, where Mayor Noble Walker performs a ceremony in honor of Joseph Crackstone. The main character also has to perform with the school band, but when she discovers Crackstone’s true story, she decides to sabotage the event with Thing’s help and start a fire that completely destroys the statue of the local hero. As the rest of Jericho’s students and residents rush to safety, Wednesday plays “Winter” on her cello, with the calmness of one who has accomplished her goal, enjoying watching Jericho in flames.
4/8 La Mama Morta
Wednesday is not the type of girl who enjoys social events, so her decision regarding the school dance was not to attend. But thanks to Thing’s intervention, she eventually showed up at Tyler’s. What Wednesday didn’t see coming was that the event would be more interesting than she expected: Some Jericho bullies who hate Nevermore students sabotaged the event by setting fire to the building’s sprinklers filled with red paint and water, drenching everyone present as she desperately ran to the beat of “La Mamma Morta” by Umberto Giordano.
3/8 Paint it black
The cello performance of “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones is one of the series’ most iconic songs. After a very disappointing first day at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday takes the night to play her cello on the roof, performing this melody heard by the rest of the school’s students and teaching staff. It’s an especially moving scene, because it’s the first where we see her really connect with her feelings and do something that she’s really passionate about. Although the cello performance was not actually performed by Ortega, the actress did take a few months of lessons to master this instrument, which she had not played before.
2/8 No, Je Ne Regrette Rien
“Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” by Edith Piaf, is the song that kind of introduces Wednesday, and it’s a really great choice, because it captures her for who she is. At the start of the series, Pugsley Addams is harassed by bullies at his school. After rescuing him, Wednesday tries to get revenge on the bullies in the worst possible way: she throws piranhas into the pool they practice in, getting her expelled from school. However, judging by the attitude of this young girl, like Piaf, she has absolutely no regrets.
1/8 Goo Goo Muck
If the scene where Wednesday plays the cello on the roof is one of the most iconic of the show, then this is certainly the most popular. Despite her reluctance to attend the school dance, once Wednesday arrives, Wednesday surprises everyone on the dance floor with hypnotic moves to the beat of “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps. Fun fact: Ortega was responsible for the choreography this one daring dance routineinspired by 80s goth club videos and figures of the era.