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Netflix's Wednesday has taken over the globe, becoming the streamer's second-most popular English-language series in just a few weeks after its release.
A new adaptation of the Addams Family franchise from goth icon Tim Burton, the coming-of-age fantasy comedy stars Jenna Ortega as a teenage Wednesday Addams who enrolls at a centuries-old boarding school called Nevermore Academy. While at the academy, Wednesday must learn to control her own emerging psychic powers, stop a monster from destroying the town, and solve the supernatural mystery that affected her family some 25 years prior.
Though created for a new generation, the series makes sure to repeatedly acknowledge its roots – making references to the 1964 black-and-white Addams Family TV show, the films Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and even a cartoon crossover episode involving a certain mystery-solving dog.
Scroll on to read our round-up of the biggest Addams Family Easter eggs from Netflix's Wednesday, and see how many you were able to catch.
Snap twice
They're creepy and they're kooky / Mysterious and spooky / They're all together ooky / The Addams Family!
When Wednesday figures out the riddle that grants her access to the Nightshades' secret hangout spot, she snaps her fingers twice to turn the statue and reveal the entrance. These two snaps are a direct reference to The Addams Family theme, first created for the 1964 show by longtime Hollywood composer Vic Mizzy. The song is comprised of two key components: a harpsichord, and finger snaps in place of a percussive instrument.
And Tim Burton isn't trying to be subtle: In the very first episode, Tyler (Hunter Doohan) tells Wednesday that she's 'kooky.'
Goody Addams
When one of Wednesday's psychic visions transports her back to the 1600s, she encounters Goody Addams: her ancestor who, after being accused of being a witch by the town pilgrims, narrowly escaped being burned at the stake.
In The Addams Family (1991), Wednesday brings a rather concerning picture of a woman on fire to school. When her teacher brings it to Morticia's attention, she informs her that it's merely a photo of her great aunt, Calpurnia Addams, who was burned as a witch in Salem in 1706. "She danced naked in the town square and enslaved the minister," Morticia adds.
Hello, Pugsley
We love a good cinematic parallel. In the first episode, Wednesday opens up a locker to find her brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) tied up with an apple in his mouth, having been thrown inside by ruthless school bullies.
In The Addams Family (1991), we meet Pugsley the same way – although this time Wednesday is the one who has tied up her brother, planning to shoot the apple out of his mouth with a crossbow.
Wednesday's dance
Wednesday's dance scene has taken over the internet, with hundreds of thousands of TikTok users recreating her moves.
At Nevermore Academy's annual school dance, known as the Rave'N (get it?), our favorite teeth goth busts out some pretty impressive dance moves to the song "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps. Ortega, who choreographed the scene herself thanked Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s.
The scene is a nod to The Addams Family (1994) season 2 episode 29, where Lisa Loring's Wednesday teaches Lurch (Ted Cassidy) some dance moves so that his love interest doesn't 'think he's a square.' A few viewers have uploaded a side-by-side comparison, pointing out that Ortega does the exact same move as Loring (if only for a split second).
You rang?
What would a wealthy goth family be without an equally goth butler on staff? Lurch, originated by actor Ted Cassidy, is a 6 ft 9 in gloomy being who mostly communicates in grunts – that only the Addams family can understand. Gomez and Morticia summon him with the pull of a bell, in which he promptly appears and responds, "You rang?"
When Wednesday rings the bell at The Weathervane, the coffee shop where Tyler works, he immediately walks over and says, "You rang?"
Archery
When Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie) forces Wednesday to pick an extracurricular activity, we see her visit the archery club and pick up a bow and arrow. Of course, she hits the target with expertise.
In The Addams Family Values, Wednesday and Pugsley are forced to participate in archery as a summer camp activity. Pugsley aims for the sky and hits an American Bald Eagle.
Scooby Dooby Doo
"Listen Velma," Sheriff Donovan Galpin (Jamie McShane) says to Wednesday after she once again presents him with a lead involving the town's unsolved murders. "Why don't you and the Scooby gang stick to your homework and leave the investigating to the professionals?"
The New Scooby-Doo Movies premiered in 1972, and saw Scoob and the gang encounter stars like Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas and Davey Jones. In season one episode 3, the gang is tricked into house-sitting for the Addams Family while Gomez and Morticia go away on a second honeymoon. When Wednesday goes missing, it's up to Scooby and co. to find her before Gomez and Morticia return.
Girl Scouts
In episode 3, Wednesday remarks that she could "eat a Girl Scout for breakfast." This is a subtle call-back to a scene in The Adams Family (1991), when a Girl Scout (Mercedes McNab) approaches Wednesday and Pugsley's lemonade stand. Stating that she only likes all-natural, organic foods and beverages, she asks if the lemonade is made with real lemons.
"Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?" the girl asks.
Wednesday replies, "Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"
Pilgrim World
One of the most iconic scenes in The Addams Family Values involves an utterly offensive Thanksgiving play put on by the summer camp that Wednesday and Pugsley are forced to attend. Wednesday is cast as Pocahontas, 'leader' of the Native Americans who are supposed to sit down and 'break bread' with the pilgrims. Instead, she delivers a scathing monologue about the way Indigenous people are treated in the United States...and sets fire to the stage, sending the camp into a frenzied panic.
"You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now, my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations. Your people will wear cardigans and drink highballs," she tells her perky, preppy pilgrim co-star. "We will sell our bracelets by the roadsides. You will play golf and enjoy hot hors d'oeuvres. My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken… And for all these reasons, I have decided to scalp you and burn your village to the ground."
Episode 3 of Netflix's Wednesday makes not one, but three references to this scene – all of which are pretty damn cool.
First, Wednesday is forced to dress up as a pilgrim and cater to tourists as part of an annual fair, designed to unite the 'normie' locals and the Nevermore 'outcasts,' that takes place in the nearby town of Jericho.
"Enjoy your ‘authentic’ pilgrim fudge made with cacao beans procured by the oppressed indigenous people of the Amazon," Wednesday says to a group of German tourists. "All proceeds go to uphold this pathetic whitewashing of American history. Also, fudge wasn’t invented for another 258 years. Any takers?"
The second instance occurs when Wednesday flashes back to the 1600s and sees Goody Addams facing off with Jericho's pilgrim town founder, Joseph Crackstone. "You have stolen the land," she tells him.
Finally, she burns it all down. Rather than set fire to a stage, Wednesday rigs the town's statue of Joseph Crackstone to burst into flames in the middle of her cello performance. As the townspeople scream and run about, she purposely ups the tempo of her song to provide a perfect soundtrack for the chaos.
Ophelia Hall
When she arrives at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday is assigned to a dorm in Ophelia Hall where she has to share a room with Enid – a colorful, bubbly blonde who is an almost comical contrast to Wednesday.
This is a nod to Ophelia Frump, Morticia's blonde, perky sister who made several appearances in the original TV show. Ophelia is not only her complete and total opposite, but also arguably the most normal person in the entire Addams clan.
The character of Larissa Weems, Nevermore's cheerful blonde Headmaster and Morticia's former best friend and rival, seems to also have been created with Ophelia in mind: In the Netflix series, we learn that Larissa was in love with Gomez during her time at the academy. In the original TV series, Ophelia came very close to marrying Gomez... but strangely ended up falling in love with Cousin Itt.
Cousin Itt
When Wednesday returns to the secret meeting spot held by the Nightshades, she brings her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) along. They approach a portrait of a faceless, hairy being donning a hat and some sunglasses. "Ignatius Itt," Uncle Fester says.
Cousin Itt, as he has always been known throughout the franchise, was first introduced in the 1960s series as a cousin of Gomez Addams. He's made up entirely of floor-length blonde hair, wears a bowler hat, round sunglasses, and communicates in sped-up gibberish that is only understood by the family. He's an incredibly smart being, with an IQ of 320, so it only makes sense that he'd be a prestigious alumnus of Nevermore.
Cara Mia
Ever the romantic, Gomez addresses Morticia twice in the Netflix series as "Cara Mia," which is Italian for "My beloved."
In both the TV series and subsequent '90s films, Gomez repeatedly calls Morticia "Cara Mia," to which she always replies, "Mon cher," which is French for "My dear."
Christina Ricci
In one scene, Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday tells Christina Ricci’s character: "I am not like you. We have nothing in common."
Ricci played Wednesday Addams in both The Addams Family and The Addams Family values. The role of 'normie' teacher Marilyn Thornhill was created specifically for Ricci after Thora Birch left the show during pre-production.
Ms. Thornhill shares with Wednesday that she, too, doesn't feel like she fits in at Nevermore, having felt like an outsider throughout her entire life. She reminds Wednesday that her individuality is a gift, and tells her to "never lose the ability to not let others define her."
Those are the biggest Wednesday Easter eggs – did you catch them all? For more on what to watch, check out our list of the best Netflix shows now streaming.
