e witness a lot of vital conversations at the Jericho coffee shop rather than in Nevermore Academy, and little excitement in some dark gloomy scenes. They are shot in low lighting and in the midst of a lot of rain, doom and gloom.

Jenna Ortega-starrer, Wednesday,follows the character’s journey as a student at Nevermore Academy.

Here she struggles to gain expertise on her fledgling psychic ability, obstruct a horrific killing spree that plagues the local town and attempt to solve the murder mystery thatentangled her parents 25 years ago. Meanwhile, she also maneuvers through the new and complex relationships at Nevermore.

The series also features Gwendoline Christie, Jamie McShane, Percy Hynes White, Hunter Doohan, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Naomi J Ogawa, MoosaMostafa, Georgie Farmer, RikiLindhome. Christina Ricci also makes an appearance along with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Fred Arimisen and Isaac Ordonez.

The show has been running at #1 on Netflix, and doesn’t look like a one-off limited series. More seasons are planned already. But “planned” does not mean “will be released.”

While she navigates to solve a gruesome murder, she begins to crack into the past of Jericho, a small town that hosts the school, and its founding father, Joseph Crackstone. The latter is a tarnished witch-hunter connected to one of Wednesday’s ancestors.

Ortega’s acting skills need to be lauded for bringing out the emotions at the right time, saving them for when they matter and giving Wednesday a genuinely morbid feel. She comes across as emotionless and selfish, using her friends to her advantage and dismissing the boys trying to date her. She habitually blames her parents of sabotage, oppression and murder.

While the movie does try to emulate the likes of the ’90s Addams Family, it leaves room for a lot of dark, creepy charm of a Gothic family.The movie features werewolves, vampires, sirens, gorgons, telekenetics, and shapeshifters.

While she navigates to solve a gruesome murder that occurred in the forest, she begins to crack into the past of Jericho, a small town that hosts the school, and its founding father, Joseph Crackstone. The latter is a tarnished witch-hunter who is also connected to one of Wednesday’s ancestors.

At times, it is a frustrating watch, at others it is as spooky as it can get. While the dialogues get bland at some points, at other times, it is nail-biting. It talks down directly to the teenage audience, as though numerous issues fall in black and white.

Addams Familyis a lot like many Pakistani neighbours in apartment buildings at an overly crowded area – people are acceptable enough to be tolerated, but also staytrue to their weird, inherentmadness. Despite all, the family welcomesall types of people into their arms wholeheartedly.

Immaculate costumes speak for themselves, especially those of Wednesday and Enid (Wednesday’s bubbly werewolf, played by Emma Myers). However, the peripheral designs are a tad underwhelming, which perhaps was a bit of a letdown, especially having known that Tim Burton’s aesthetically pleasing, overly stylised taste would make this at least a visually-agreeable watch. Not quite so.

We see a lot of vital conversations at the Jericho coffeeshop rather than in Nevermore Academy, and little excitement in some dark gloomy scenes. They are shot in low lightingand in the midst of a lot of rain, doom and gloom. In some scenes, Wednesday seems a little forgettable as she disappears into the shadows.

There are, however, two scenes where she gets a spotlight with her intense resting dead face against Danny Elfman’saspiringly-magnificent score. Wednesdayis supported by a stellar ensemble cast with the likes of Christina Ricci and Gwendoline Christie. Yet, no one really stands out in the crowd.

In many instances, Wednesday promises an extremely Gothic look but comes across as anything but; like the time when the school dance is pranked and a red fluid pours from the sprinkler system. Wednesday licks it off her finger and lets out a sigh. But then, it is not real pig’s blood.

The wit is dry and sarcastic. For example, “I don’t bury hatchets. I sharpen them.” “If you hear me screaming bloody murder, there’s a good chance I’m just enjoying myself.” “Tortured writer, emphasis on torture.” Such dialogues and many more deserve an elevated delivery.

By and large, it is a show that deserves a watch, but once should be sufficient.

The reviewer is a freelance journalist based in Karachi