Wednesday’s Lackluster Love Interests Have Fans Clamoring for Alternatives
Wednesday is the internet’s latest obsession, and if the reaction to the season 2 renewal announcement is any indication, the fan fervor for the Netflix original isn’t dying down any time soon. Between Tiktok dances set to Lady Gaga and Gothic-inspired fashion choices, Jenna Ortega’s ever-gloomy, ever-stylish Wednesday Addams is the subject of much online discussion and debate—and her love life is no exception.
Though Wednesday as a series attempts to deliver a compelling love triangle for its leading lady by way of bad boy Xavier and unsuspecting normie/surprise villain Tyler, the execution of said love triangle leaves something to be desired, to say the least. While some fans simply joked about the flatness of the romance and moved on, other Wednesday fans saw her lackluster romantic plot lines as an opportunity to explore two major alternatives to the Tyler and Xavier romances: a potential relationship with Enid, or Wednesday being asexual and/or aromantic.
Where Wednesday‘s love interests went wrong
But let’s back up a second—what’s wrong with the love interests the show gave her to begin with? If by some chance you haven’t seen Wednesday already, the series introduces two major romantic possibilities in the first season: Xavier, a Nevermore student with psychic abilities, and Tyler, a “normie” (that’s Wednesday lingo for normal) boy who works at a local coffee shop. Though both boys are initially put off by Wednesday’s icy exterior, they quickly fall for her reclusive-yet-addictive personality, and Wednesday spends the series juggling both potential romances.
Sounds like run-of-the-mill teen romance stuff, right? One would think so, but when you watch Wednesday, the love triangle begins to feel more like an arbitrary, phoned-in subplot as opposed to a compelling romance and a reason to tune in. Where this love triangle went wrong can be attributed to a few different factors, but overall, Wednesday just flat-out doesn’t have chemistry with either Xavier or Tyler. Granted, it’s not as if she’s prone to expressing affinity for even the people she does like, but whenever she’s being romantically pursued by Xavier or Tyler, it genuinely seems as if Wednesday is uncomfortable at worst and uninterested at best.
Though Tyler and Xavier (who aren’t very fascinating characters) certainly seem to be into her, the show doesn’t depict Wednesday reciprocating those feelings. It’s understandable that the writers would be reluctant to have her professing love or giving any other clear indications of her feelings (this is still Wednesday Addams we’re talking about), but the consistency of Wednesday’s apathy toward her so-called love interests makes it hard to want her to end up with either boy.
More power to you if you’re a Wednesday/Xavier or a Wednesday/Tyler shipper—both ‘ships certainly have their small but vocal sects of fans—but the truth of the matter is that Xavier and Tyler just don’t work as Wednesday’s love interests. Romantically, Wednesday is a fickle character to nail down—she’s not prone to public displays of affection and professes an intense hatred of emotion. She’s not exactly an easy character to write romance for.
Pair a stoic leading lady with a dreary, reclusive loner-type (Xavier) or a townie who’s remarkable for his unremarkability (Tyler), and you’ve hardly got the recipe for scintillating romance. Is not as if Wednesday hasn’t had love interests in other media, either: The Addams Family musical heavily features Wednesday as a romantic lead, proving that when written properly, you can keep Wednesday true to her core character while also developing an interesting love story.
How Wednesday can course-correct in season 2
Unfortunately, the writers of Wednesday weren’t able to strike that difficult balance. So what are fans to do when they’re unenthused with the relationships presented? Cook up their own alternatives, of course. For fans of Wednesday, two popular alternatives emerged in the early days of the show’s popularity: the Wednesday/Enid romance (affectionately nicknamed “Wenclair”) or the interpretation of Wednesday as a person on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrum (often shortened to aro and ace, respectively).
As far as YA heroines go, it’s easy to see why aro/ace fans might see Wednesday as a candidate for representing their identity onscreen: Wednesday makes it very clear very quickly that she’s uncomfortable with physical forms of affection and dislikes emotions and romance. While some fans have interpreted her specific personal and social boundaries as indications that Wednesday may be on the Autism spectrum, others have theorized that her dislike of the touchy-feely hints at her being entirely uninterested in sex and/or romance altogether.
Certainly, a character as popular as Wednesday Addams (the star of one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, no less) being canonically aromantic and/or asexual would be a huge step forward for visibility and understanding around other identities and orientations—not to mention a rare example of thoughtful depiction.
But maybe you’re itching for a character to ship with Wednesday; one who isn’t a flavorless stick-in-the-mud or an arbitrary forbidden love interest. In addition to speculation about Wednesday possibly being aro/ace, the other prevailing alternative to the uninspired Xavier-Wednesday-Tyler love triangle is one that’s been embraced by a number of the show’s cast and crew: a romance with Enid.
As it stands, Wednesday and Enid are platonic friends. Though their contrasting … everything … may have caused some initial friction, the two roommates eventually become inseparable friends, and end season 1 closer than ever. It wouldn’t be too far of a leap to take things a step further and picture a world in which Wednesday and Enid’s close friendship develops into something less platonic in season 2.
After all, Wednesday did accept Enid’s hug in the season finale, and not only that—she reciprocated it. From a character standpoint, a Wednesday/Enid romance makes total sense: In terms of their personalities and aesthetics, you couldn’t find a more classic case of “opposites attract.” Enid’s colorful wardrobe and cheery disposition contrasted against Wednesday’s all-black macabre vibe is a recurring theme in fan art.
Fans aren’t the only ones hoping for something beyond friendship between Enid and Wednesday. Both Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Emma Myers (Enid) have been outspoken about their affinity for the ‘ship, and if a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter is anything to go on, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar aren’t opposed to the idea, either, citing the Wednesday/Enid dynamic as a key part of the newly-announced second season:
“We’re not gonna discount anything, and, obviously, sometimes characters reveal themselves, which is the fun thing we love about television, that it’s an organic journey. We have a roadmap, and we’d like to have routes along that map that take you in unexpected directions… it’s just being really open to see how those characters develop. As Al said, that friendship is key to our sort of vision of the show.”
(featured image: Netflix)
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